The class came to order around a conference table in a room of Washington's National Museum of American Art. Pamela Monder, the teacher, ticked off some of the items to be worked on. "Vaseline" was one. "Cut your teeth" was another. Then there were "first come, first served" and "Dunkin' Donuts" and . . .
Dunkin' Donuts? You betcha. The dozen students were caught up in a course on American lingo, an offering sponsored by the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program. Before their five weeks are up, those who enroll will study hundreds of words and phrases that are as easy as...
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