No Truck
World Wide Words traces the origin of a phrase I’ve heard a few times lately.
I used to think that the expression to have no truck with — to disagree with or refuse to be involved with — was strictly rural American dialect, until I read it recently in The Economist. Where does this come from? Was there once the opposite usage in the sense that sharing a truck meant to go along with someone?
It turns out it has nothing to do with a wheeled vehicle.
Breaking Gently
A very sad letter from Charles Dickens. But quite lovely, too.