This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years, and now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint.
It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. I turned off news altogether.
I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything. It's the rage bait. It feels like it's trying to divide people. If we got clear facts, maybe we can calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting.
Let's meet at the facts. Let's move forward from there. and BC News reporting for America. Uh This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party, hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't-miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Experience music performances from major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to Giving Forth, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration at America250.org. What's up y'all? Summer's got a different tempo.
Everything's a little looser, brighter. One plan turns into another. You hear something, you stay a little longer.
Next thing you know, you're somewhere you didn't plan to be. It's those in between moments. That's where the ideas hit. conversations stretch out, little memories sneak up on you.
Sometimes it's just about what's in your hand. that color. That chill. a new tropical butterfly refresher from Starbucks. guava and passion fruit flavors with mango pineapple flavored pearls.
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Try the new Tropical Butterfly Refresher from Starbucks. Hi, it's Karen in Georgia from My Favorite Murder. We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ionic 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedy Lamar. Want the full story? Take a listen.
She starts dating Howard Hughes. And in fact, she helps him design a faster plane.
So she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius. Check out our new episode, Spotlighting Groundbreaking Innovators like Hedi Lamar and Billie Jean King. Presented by the Hyundai Ionic 5.
Goodbye. And we continue with our American stories, and up next, our recurring series about the curious origins of everyday sayings. Here to join us again is Andrew Thompson, as he continues to share another slice from his ultimate guide to understanding these many stories, these many mysteries. of the English language. To run a mock means to engage in wild or erratic behaviour, and it dates from the 16th century in Malaysia.
The Amuco were a band of Malay warriors. and they believed that warriors who died in victorious battles became favorites with the gods. while warriors that failed were dishonoured and killed. This led the men to fight with extreme frenzy, and this frenzied fighting fascinated the European explorers of the 18th century. Captain James Cook in fact wrote about them and said to run amok is to get drunk with opium, to sally forth from the house, kill the person or person supposed to have injured the amok and any other person that attempts to impede his passage.
A mock then officially became a psychiatric medical condition in 1849 and is still considered one today. Run of the mill means average or ordinary. and that expression originated in the early milling towns of England. these great mill towns mass produced wool and cotton, which was exported all over the world. It was an extremely large industry, and a mill's reputation and profitability was primarily based on the quality of the material it produced.
Quality control checks were essential before the material could be sold, but anything coming directly from the mill without having been inspected and graded was known as a run of the mill and was considered inferior. Saved by the bell means at the last minute. And this is an expression that has a number of conflicting explanations. One relates to boxing, and the bell rung at the end of a round before it knockdown boxer has been counted out to ten. That allows the box to continue and start at the next round.
Another theory is that it stems from a guard at Windsor Castle in the nineteenth century in England falling asleep while on duty. He denied the charge and in his defence said that he had heard Big Ben chime thirteen times at midnight. The mechanism in the clock was checked and a cog had in fact slipped, and he was correct. He had been saved by the bell. but the likely origin actually predates both of these.
and has the same explanation as the expression for dead ringer. and that is that in the Middle Ages, before the medical profession had fully understood comas, People who displayed signs of no life were presumed dead and would be often buried.
Sometimes it was later discovered that they'd been buried alive, with seeing scratches on the top of the coffin roof, if they happened to have been exhumed. People started attaching a string to their loved ones' wrist that led to a bell above the ground. If the person woke up underground, they were able to ring the bell and be saved. And there were in fact a number of safety coffins that were registered as patents during the 19th century, which lends weight to this theory. See how it pans out means to see what happens.
and it's another expression that relates to the mining industry and the California gold rush of the mid-1800s. The early prospectors used a simple technique of panning to look for gold in the rivers and streams. A deposit of sand and gravel from the creek was scooped into a small metal pan, and then it was gently agitated with water, so that the lighter sand washed over the side, while the heavier gold remained at the bottom of the pan. a prospect would wait and see how each attempt panned out. To set off on the wrong foot means to make a bad start to a relationship or a project.
and it dates back to ancient Rome. and is one of a number of expressions that relates to the ancient Romans' superstitious belief about anything on the left. They believed the left was evil. and in fact the Latin word for left is sinister. In the first century under Emperor Nero, An order was made that no Roman should enter or leave a building by the left foot.
They even had guards placed at entrances to public buildings to ensure that the order was adhered to. But not much enforcement was actually needed as most Romans agreed that to go against the ruling was to flirt with disaster and they rarely set off on the wrong foot. Shake a leg means to hurry up, especially in getting out of bed. and it owes its origins to the British Navy in the 19th century. It was at that time that civilian women were first allowed on board Royal Navy ships to boost morale.
and the sailors would be roused at first light with the cry of Shake a Leg. This was used to distinguish between the men and the women. If a smooth and shapely female leg was presented, as opposed to a hairy sailor's leg, the lady was permitted to stay in her bunk until all the men were dressed and gone. To this day, shake a leg means to hurry up and get out of bed. To give something short shrift means to give it little consideration, and it's often mistakenly said as short shift, but it's short shrift.
It's hard to say that more than a few times. and it dates from the criminal world of the seventeenth century. A shrift is a confession given to a priest in order to obtain absolution. It comes from the verb shrive, the past tense of which is shrove for shrove Tuesdays. when people go to confession.
In the seventeenth century, as soon as criminals were convicted and sentenced, they were sent to the gallows to be hanged. there was usually a priest waiting with the executioner, and the prisoners were allowed a very short time to confess their sins in the last minutes of their life. They were given a short shrift before they were killed. To show your true colours means to reveal your true intentions or personality, and it's yet another nautical expression that dates from the early 18th century in naval warfare. where the flag of a ship's home country was called its colours.
Okay. Under the Articles of War, that were published in 1757. Ships' captains were obliged to run up their country's flag when going into battle in order to identify the nationality of the ship. But as a method of deceiving the enemy, unscrupulous captains would run up a different flag. to fool the opposing captain into believing they are an ally.
By doing this, the ship was able to get within firing range, and with the element of surprise on his side, the captain would only then hoist his actual flag and show his true colours, before firing on the enemy. When someone says that's the $64 question They mean it's a crucial question or issue. And it began in America in the 1940s with a radio quiz show Take It or Leave It. It ran from 1940 to 1947 and involved contestants answering increasingly difficult questions. After answering a question correctly, the contestant had the choice to either take the money being offered or leave it.
and have a go at the higher Next valued question. The first question was $1 and it went progressively upwards, doubling up to the seventh and final question, which was the $64 question. The expression then entered popular use in 1955. When the radio show moved to the more lucrative television program and became the $64,000 question. Uh To have a skeleton in the closet means to have a shameful secret, and it has its origins in English medical law.
Until the introduction of the Anatomy Act in eighteen thirty two it was illegal to dissect. a human body for medical research. but in contravention of the law some doctors still did use corpses for both research and teaching.
So as to avoid detection, they were known to store the leftover skeletons in locked closets.
So many in the medical profession had a secret skeleton in the closet. To sleep tight means to sleep well. and that phrase stems from a time in England before spring mattresses were invented. In the early mass-produced beds, the straw mattresses were held together by ropes that were stretched across the bed frame in a crisscross pattern. After a while the ropes would sag and it was necessary to tighten them.
This was done with a forked iron or wooden tool. which was turned to wind the ropes tight. A mattress that had just been tightened was far more comfortable and allowed people to sleep tight. A soap opera is a television serial drama or a real life situation resembling one. and that expression began in nineteen twenty in America.
Amos and Andy was a popular weekly radio show at the time, and one of the earliest comedy series. He was broadcast during primetime and Procter and Gamble. a prominent soap manufacturer. saw the opportunity to obtain widespread exposure and began advertising their products during the breaks in the show. They then went on to sponsor the programme, and a trend soon developed and other soap manufacturers began sponsoring similar shows.
As a result, these serial shows were being called soap operas by the late 1930s. And a great job on the production by Greg Hengler, and a special thanks to Andrew Thompson. and he is the author of Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red. The curious origins of everyday sayings and fun phrases, and you can go to Amazon.com for all of the usual suspects. The story of our everyday expressions here.
on our American stories. Uh Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans. It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint.
It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues. Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semiq. That's usmint.gov slash S E M I Q. This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party, hosted by America 250.
America's Block Party is a can't-miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music performances from major artists, patriotic tributes, and the kickoff to Giving Forth, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration at America250.org. I'm U.S.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. We all seem to be in a rush these days. from work to driving our kids around. But when you're behind the wheel, please. Do not speed.
A few minutes save by going faster. is never worth a risk.
So follow the speed limit. Enjoy the drive. Maybe bring some snacks for the kids. and know that along the way, you're getting quality time with your family. Paid for by Nitza.
Hi, it's Karen in Georgia from My Favorite Murder. We cruised around LA in the Hyundai Ionic 5 and dove into the fascinating life of actress and inventor Hedi Lamar. Want the full story? Take a listen. She starts dating Howard Hughes.
And in fact, she helps him design a faster plane.
So she finds the fastest bird and the fastest fish and sketches out a drawing of what the two would look like as a plane. And that becomes the plane that we know today. And he calls her a genius. Check out our new episode, Spotlighting Groundbreaking Innovators like Hedie Lamar and Billie Jean King. Presented by the Hyundai Ionic 5.
Goodbye. This is Jana Kramer from Wind Down with Jana Kramer. Hey, quick question for the parents listening right now. When's the last time your kid asked for something and you actually felt good saying yes? Because lately, a lot of families have been hearing the same thing.
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