A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over

Latest Episodes:

Proof in the Pudding (Rebroadcast) - 7 November 2016 Nov 07, 2016

Show notes

Have you ever offered to foster a dog or cat, but wound up adopting instead? There’s an alliterative term for that. And when you’re on the job, do niceties like “Yes, ma’am” and “No, sir” make you sound too formal? Not if it comes naturally. And what about the term “auntie” (AHN-tee)? In some circles, it’s considered respectful to address a woman that way, even if she’s not a relative. Also, the old saying “The proof is in the pudding” makes no sense when you think about it. That’s because the original meaning of pudding had nothing to do with the kind we eat for dessert today. This episode first aired February 12, 2016.

Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: ⁠https://waywordradio.org⁠. Be a part of the show: call or text ⁠1 (877) 929-9673⁠ toll-free in the United States and Canada; elsewhere in the world, call or text ⁠+1 619 800 4443⁠. Send voice notes or messages via ⁠WhatsApp 16198004443.⁠ Email ⁠words@waywordradio.org⁠. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Boss Of Me - 31 October 2016 Oct 31, 2016

Show notes

If you want to be a better writer, try skipping today’s bestsellers, and read one from the 1930’s instead. Or read something besides fiction in order to find your own metaphors and perspective. Plus, just because a city’s name looks familiar doesn’t mean you should assume you know how the locals pronounce it. The upstate New York town spelled R-I-G-A isn’t pronounced like the city in Latvia. Turns out lots of towns and streets have counterintuitive names. Finally, why do we describe being socially competitive as “keeping up with the Joneses”? The Joneses, it turns out, were comic strip characters. Also, sugar off, filibuster, you’re not the boss of me, and lean on your own breakfast.

Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org/contact. Be a part of the show: call 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free in the United States and Canada; worldwide, call or text/SMS +1 (619) 800-4443. Email words@waywordradio.org. Twitter @wayword. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sunny Side Up - 24 October 2016 Oct 24, 2016

Show notes

Baseball has a language all its own: On the diamond, a snow cone isn’t what you think it is, and three blind mice has nothing to do with nursery rhymes. And how do you describe someone who works at home while employed by a company in another city? Are they telecommuters? Remote workers? One writer wants to popularize a new term for this modern phenomenon: working in place. Also, a powerful essay on white privilege includes a vivid new metaphor for the pain of accumulated slights over a lifetime: chandelier pain. Plus, sunny side up eggs, count nouns, bluebird weather, harp on, think tank, thought box, and how to remember to spell Mississippi.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spur of the Moment - 17 October 2016 Oct 17, 2016

Show notes

A caller with a 25-year-old parrot wonders: How much language do birds really understand? Plus, Knock-knock. Who's there? Boo. Well… you can guess the rest. But there was a time when these goofy jokes were a brand-new craze sweeping the nation. Also, the words coffee and sugar both come from Arabic, as does ghoul. There's a spooky story about its origin. Also, freckle, diamond in the rough, spur of the moment, literary limericks, the pronunciation of divisive, and a cold vs. the flu.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hell For Leather - 10 October 2016 Oct 10, 2016

Show notes

Victorian slang and a modern controversy over language and gender. In the early 1900’s, a door-knocker wasn’t just what visitors used to announce their arrival, it was a type of beard with a similar shape. And in the 21st century: Is it ever okay to call someone a lady? Or is woman always the better term? Plus, surprising stories behind some familiar car brands. Chances are you’ve been stopped in traffic behind a car named for an ancient Persian deity — or passed by an automobile that takes its name from a bilingual pun involving German and Latin.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Busted Melon (Rebroadcast) - 3 October 2016 Oct 03, 2016

Show notes

When writing textbooks about slavery, which words best reflect its cold, hard reality? Some historians are dropping the word slave in favor of terms like enslaved person and captive, arguing that these terms are more accurate. And raising a bilingual child is tough enough, but what about teaching them three languages? It’s an ambitious goal, but there’s help if you want to try. Plus, a class of sixth-graders wonders about the playful vocabulary of The Lord of the Rings. Where did Tolkien come up with this stuff? Also, funny school mascots, grawlixes, “that melon’s busted,” attercop, Tomnoddy, purgolders, and dolly vs. trolley vs. hand truck.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jump Steady (Rebroadcast) - 26 September 2016 Sep 26, 2016

Show notes

To transmit information during wartime, various industries used to encode their messages letter by letter with an elaborate system–a primitive version of today’s digital encryption. Grant breaks down some of those secret codes, and shares the story of the most extensive telegram ever sent. Plus, we’ve all been there: Your friends are on a date, and you’re tagging along. Are you a “third wheel”–or the “fifth wheel”? There’s more than one term for the odd person out. Finally, a rhyming quiz about famous poems. For example, what immortal line of poetry rhymes with: “Prose is a nose is a hose is a pose”? Plus, women named after their mothers, variations on “Happy Birthday,” “at bay,” nannies’ charges, and a racy blues singer who taught us to “jump steady.”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scat Cat (Rebroadcast) - 19 September 2016 Sep 19, 2016

Show notes

The dilemma continues over how to spell dilemma! Grant and Martha try to suss out the backstory of why some people spell that word with an “n.” A lot of them, it seems, went to Catholic school. Maybe that’s a clue? Plus, the saying “Close, but no cigar” gets traced back to an old carnival game. And the French horn isn’t actually French—so why in the world do we call it that? Plus, a word game based on famous ad slogans, the plural form of the computer mouse, a Southern way to greet a sneeze, and remembering a beloved crossword puzzle writer.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listening Is Only Half Of It - 18 September 2016 Sep 19, 2016

Show notes

Please donate to A Way With Words. Thank you.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's Something About A Way with Words... - 14 September 2016 Sep 14, 2016

Show notes

Please donate to A Way With Words. Visit https://waywordradio.org/donate for more info. Thanks.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices