Sitting at dinner, we all patiently listened to 8-year-old Ben finish relaying a tale from school.  At the end of Ben’s monologue, Ben’s fourth grade older brother Sam let out a subtle sigh and transitioned to a new topic, “Any who…”

Wait a second!  My son used the term “any who,” as a conversational bridge.  Only 98-year-old men and me use the term “any who.”  I thought that I was the last of a dying breed, “The Secret Brotherhood of the Men Who Say ‘Any Who.'”  Sure, it’s a strange way to say “any how,” but it fits me and I like it, so there.

Any who, my son said “any who” tonight and the term carries on.  Linguists, I am so so sorry.