Published September 20, 2026 at 9:35 AM EDT

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Note: This episode of That's What They Say originally aired on April 6, 2026.

Once again, it’s time to tackle a few questions that don’t quite require a full segment but are still too interesting to pass up. This week’s batch includes one from Katy Friend, who asked why a certain kind of blanket is called a “throw.”

The explanation is fairly straightforward. A “throw blanket” is something you casually toss over a sofa or chair. The earliest recorded use of “throw” in this sense appears in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1887, referring to a shawl that could be thrown over the shoulders.

Around the same time, "throw" began showing up in reference to spreads or coverlets for furniture. At the time, terms like “throw over” or “throw about" were also in circulation.

The idea of a "throw" now goes beyond shawls and blankets. We also have throw rugs, which are typically small and movable, as well as throw cushions or throw pillows. In all these cases, “throw” suggests a piece of decor that can be nonchalantly tossed or scattered without much fuss.

In this week’s lightning round, we also answered questions about the golf term “fore” and the phrase “one of the only.” To hear those answers, listen to the audio above.