English

This is something that's been different about the United States for a long time. We have no declared official language. France's official language is French, Mexico's is Spanish...in fact, most of the rest of the world has a declared official language. 32 states in the US have one, and a Michigan politician wants the Mitten to join them.

Every one of us at one time or another used a phrase in a conversation and thought, "that is the weirdest thing to say; where does that come from?"  Whether you mentioned you just started a "graveyard shift," or your coworker was "Johnny on the Spot" with his report, it's very common to wonder how these turns of phrase began and what their original meaning was... Read