apples and pears

You know, I didn't quite believe James when he told me in May that in some parts of England, "apples and pears" means "stairs" and can sometimes be shortened to "apples," as in, "I'm going up the apples and pears."

Well, I got to researching what all there is to do in London, and I thought, hmm, I should look up a list of British slang. Alas, I stumble upon a list of Cockney slang -- another breed all its own -- and decided to check it out. And yes, there it is. Apples and pears. It means stairs. Don't believe me? See for yourself!

I know I promised a story about freedom fries, and yes, it is coming. But later. Not tonight. Tonight I am reading -- attempting to read? -- "Memoirs of a Geisha."

In a bit of shameless self-promotion, here is the second (and last) story I wrote for The Tampa Tribune. For you journalists out there, don't be too harsh. I'm a copy editor moonlighting as a writer. :)