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

By A Way with Words

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A Way with Words is a fun and funny radio show and podcast about language. Co-hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett talk with callers from around the world about linguistics, slang, new words, jokes, riddles, word games, grammar, old sayings, word origins, regional dialects, family expressions, books, literature, folklore, and speaking and writing well. Email your language questions for the show to words@waywordradio.org. Or call with your questions toll-free *any* time in the U.S. and Canada at (877) 929-9673. From anywhere in the world: +1 (619) 800-4443. Hear all past shows for free: http://waywordradio.org/. Also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wayword.

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Goody Two-Shoes - 24 Februa...

02.24.2020

She sells seashells by the seashore. Who is the she in this tongue twister? Some claim it's the young Mary Aning, who went on to become a famous 19th-century British paleontologist. Dubious perhaps, but the story of her rise from ...

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

02.24.2020 Goody Two-Shoes - 24 February 2020 She sells seashells by the seashore. Who is the she in this tongue twister? Some claim it's the young Mary Aning, who went on to become a famous 19th-century British paleontologist. Dubious perhaps, but the story of her rise from ...
02.17.2020 Cool Your Soup (Rebroadcast) - 17 February 2020 According to Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, it's important to master the basics of writing, but there comes a time when you have to strike out on your own and teach yourself. Also, some Spanish idioms involving food: What does it ...
02.10.2020 Baby Blues - 10 February 2020 A hundred years ago, suffragists lobbied to win women the right to vote. Linguistically speaking, though, suffrage isn't about "suffering." It's from a Latin word that involves voting. Plus: military cadences often include Jody calls, rhyming verses about the mythical ...
02.03.2020 Put on the Dog (Rebroadcast) - 3 February 2020 Ever wonder whatever happened to responding to "Thank you" with the words "You're welcome"? A listener asks why so many radio interviews end with the interviewee thanking the host. Also, we all knew that kid who exaggerated a little...well, maybe ...
01.27.2020 Walkie Talkie - 27 January 2020 One of the most powerful words you'll ever hear -- and one of the most poignant -- isn't in dictionaries yet. But it probably will be one day. The word is endling, and it means "the last surviving member of ...
01.20.2020 Tiger Tail - 20 January 2020 You may have a favorite word in English, but what about your favorite in another language? The Spanish term ojala is especially handy for expressing hopefulness and derives from Arabic for "God willing." In Trinidad, if you want to ask ...
01.13.2020 Gee and Haw (Rebroadcast) - 13 January 2020 The highly specialized vocabulary of people who work outdoors, like farmers and fishermen, can bring us closer to the natural world. Also, a woman who trains sled dogs discusses the words she uses to communicate with her animals. You may ...
01.06.2020 Gung Ho (Rebroadcast) - 6 January 2020 The stories behind symbols and expressions around the world. The peace symbol popular during 1960's antiwar demonstrations had been around for decades.It originated in the antinuclear movement in the UK. Also, why do we say someone who's enthusiastic is all ...
12.30.2019 Crusticles and Fenderbergs (Rebroadcast) - 30 December 2019 A second-generation Filipino-American finds that when he speaks English, his personality is firm, direct, and matter-of-fact. But when he speaks with family members in Tagalog, he feels more soft-spoken, kind, and respectful. Research shows that when our linguistic context shifts, ...
12.23.2019 Clever Clogs - 23 December 2019 Ribbon fall. Gallery forest. You won't find terms like these in most dictionaries, but they and hundreds like them are discussed by famous writers in the book Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape. The book is an intriguing ...
12.19.2019 Son of a gun! - a special minicast from Grant Today I shoot holes in a story that just won’t die that about "son of a gun" and babies born aboard sailing ships. Podcast listeners like you will make the show possible in 2020. Go to https://waywordradio.org/donate to make new ...
12.16.2019 Little Shavers - 16 December 2019 The word "hipster" might seem recent, but it actually originated in the 1930s, and referred to jazz aficionados who were in the know about the best nightclubs and cool music. Speaking of music, a professional musician reports that it's sometimes ...
12.12.2019 Electrifying! - a special minicast from Martha Martha here with a special minicast of A Way with Words. Today I want to tell you an electrifying story — and make a request for you to support A Way with Words. https://www.waywordradio.org/donate/ ... Read full show notes, hear ...
12.09.2019 Bug in Your Ear - 9 December 2019 Is there something inherent in English that makes it the linguistic equivalent of the Borg, dominating and consuming other languages in its path? No, Not at all. The answer lies with politics and conquest rather than language itself. Plus: a ...
12.02.2019 Bun in the Oven (Rebroadcast) - 1 December 2019 Family words, and words about being in a family way. How many different ways ARE there to say you have a baby on the way? Sure, you can say you're pregnant, or that you're great with child. But there are ...
11.25.2019 The Black Dog - 25 November 2019 Books were rare treasures in the Middle Ages, painstakingly copied out by hand. So how to protect them from theft? Scribes sometimes added a curse to the first page of those books that was supposed to keep thieves away -- ...
11.18.2019 Flying Pickle (Rebroadcast) - 18 November 2019 How would you like to be welcomed to married life by friends and neighbors descending on your home for a noisy celebration, tearing off the labels of all your canned foods and scattering cornflakes in your bed? That tradition has ...
11.11.2019 The Last Straw (Rebroadcast) - 11 November 2019 Books for word lovers, plus the stories behind some familiar terms. Want a gift for your favorite bibliophile? Martha and Grant have recommendations, from a collection of curious words to some fun with Farsi. Plus, some people yell "Geronimo!" when ...
11.04.2019 Beside Myself - 4 November 2019 The new Downton Abbey movie is a luscious treat for fans of the public-television period piece, but how accurate is the script when it comes to the vocabulary of the early 20th century? It may be jarring to hear the ...
10.28.2019 Hidden Treasures (Rebroadcast) - 28 October 2019 Civil War letters and the opposite of prejudice. A new online archive of Civil War letters offers a vivid portrait of the everyday lives of enlisted men. These soldiers lacked formal education, so they wrote and spelled "by ear," and ...
10.21.2019 Skookum - 21 October 2019 So you've long dreamed of writing fiction, but don't know where to begin? There are lots of ways to get started -- creative writing classes, local writing groups, and books with prompts to get you going. The key is to ...
10.14.2019 Butterflies in the Stomach (Rebroadcast) - 14 October 2019 If you're not using a dictionary to look up puzzling words as you read them, you're missing out on a whole other level of enjoyment. Also, when you're cleaning house, why not clean like there's literally no tomorrow? The term ...
10.07.2019 Life of Riley - 7 October 2019 Unwrap the name of a candy bar, and you just might find a story inside. For instance, one chewy treat found in many a checkout lane is named after a family's beloved horse. And: 50 years ago in the United ...
09.30.2019 Catch You on the Flip Side (Rebroadcast) - 30 September 2019 Some countries have strict laws about naming babies. New Zealand authorities, for example, denied a request to name some twins Fish and Chips. Plus, Halley's Comet seen centuries before English astronomer Edmund Halley ever spotted it. That's an example of ...
09.23.2019 Off the Turnip Truck - 23 September 2019 It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with Ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to Hello. A fascinating new ...
09.16.2019 Loaded For Bear - 16 September 2019 One way to make your new business look trendy is to use two nouns separated by an ampersand, like Peach & Creature . . . or Rainstorm & Egg. A tongue-in-cheek website will generate names like that for you. And: ...
09.09.2019 All Verklempt (Rebroadcast) - 9 September 2019 SUMMARY Of all the letters in the alphabet, which two or three are your favorites? If your short list includes one or more of your initials, that's no accident. Psychological research shows we're drawn to the letters in our name. ...
09.03.2019 Hunk Waffle (Rebroadcast) - 2 September 2019 Decisions by dictionary editors, wacky wordplay, and Walt Whitman's soaring verse. How do lexicographers decide which historical figures deserve a mention or perhaps even an illustration in the dictionary? The answer changes with the times. Plus, a tweet about basketball ...
08.26.2019 Pants On Fire (Rebroadcast) - 26 August 2019 A highly anticipated children's book and the epic history behind a familiar vegetable. Fans of illustrator Maurice Sendak are eagerly awaiting the publication of a newly discovered manuscript by the late author. And speaking of children's literature, some wise advice ...
08.19.2019 Frozen Rope (Rebroadcast) - 19 August 2019 Where would you find a sports commentator talking about high cheese and ducks on a pond? Here's a hint: both terms are part of what make the language of America’s pastime so colorful. And: a government official in New Zealand ...
08.12.2019 Flop Sweat (Rebroadcast) - 12 August 2019 Gerrymandering is the practice of redistricting to tip the political scales. Originally, though, this strategy was called "GARY-mandering" with a hard "g." But why? And: Mark Twain and Helen Keller had a devoted friendship. When he heard accusations that she'd ...
08.05.2019 Smile Belt (Rebroadcast) - 5 August 2019 The only time you'll ever see the sun's outer atmosphere is during a full solar eclipse, when sun itself is completely covered. That hazy ring is called the corona, from the Latin word for "crown" -- just like the little ...
07.29.2019 Mrs. Astor's Horse - 29 July 2019 "What has a head like a cat, feet like a cat, a tail like a cat, but isn't a cat?" Answer: a kitten! A 1948 children's joke book has lots of these to share with kids. Plus: an easy explanation ...
07.22.2019 A Shoo-In (Rebroadcast) - 22 July 2019 This week it’s butterflies, belly flowers, plot bunnies, foxes, and cuckoos. Also, writing advice from Mark Twain and a wonderful bit of prose from Sara Pennypacker's book Pax. And are there word origins? Well, does a duck swim? We'll hear ...
07.15.2019 At First Blush - 15 July 2019 Book recommendations and the art of apology. Martha and Grant share some good reads, including an opinionated romp through English grammar, a Spanish-language adventure novel, an account of 19th-century dictionary wars, and a gorgeously illustrated book of letters to young ...
07.08.2019 Noon Of Night (Rebroadcast) - 8 July 2019 Pranks, cranks, and chips. As a kid, you may have played that game where you phone someone to say, "Is your refrigerator running? Then you better go catch it!" What's the term for that kind of practical joke? Is it ...
07.01.2019 Gift Horse - 1 July 2019 The edge of the Grand Canyon. A remote mountaintop, or a medieval cathedral. Some places are so mystical you feel like you're close to another dimension of space and time. There's a term for such locales: thin places. And: did ...
06.24.2019 Naked as a Jaybird (Rebroadcast) - 24 June 2019 What's the best way for someone busy to learn lots of new words quickly for a test like the GRE? Looking up their origins can help. Or record yourself reading the words and definitions and play them back while you're ...
06.17.2019 Had the Radish - 17 June 2019 This week on A Way with Words: Your first name is very personal, but what if you don't like it? For some people, changing their name works out great, but for others, it may create more problems than it solves. ...
06.10.2019 Hot Dog, Cold Turkey (Rebroadcast) - 10 June 2019 Why do we call a frankfurter a "hot dog"? It seems an unsettling 19th-century rumor is to blame. Also, if someone quits something abruptly, why do we say they quit "cold turkey"? This term's roots may lie in the history ...
06.03.2019 Abso-Bloomin-Lutely - 3 June 2019 The autocomplete function on your phone comes in handy, of course. But is it changing the way we write and how linguists study language? Also, suppose you could invite any two authors, living or dead, to dinner. Who's on your ...
05.27.2019 Skedaddle (Rebroadcast) - 27 May 2019 The months of September, October, November, and December take their names from Latin words meaning "seven," "eight," "nine," and "ten." So why don't their names correspond to where they fall in the year? The answer lies in an earlier version ...
05.20.2019 Coast is Clear (Rebroadcast) - 20 May 2019 In the military, if you've "lost the bubble," then you can't find your bearings. The term first referred to calibrating the position of aircraft and submarines. And the phrase "the coast is clear" may originate in watching for invaders arriving ...
05.13.2019 Niblings and Nieflings - 13 May 2019 How do actors bring Shakespeare's lines to life so that modern audiences immediately understand the text? One way is to emphasize the names of people and places at certain points. That technique is called billboarding. And: Anyone for an alphabet ...
05.06.2019 Gone to Seed (Rebroadcast) - 6 May 2019 Restaurant jargon, military slang, and modern Greek turns of phrase. Some restaurants now advertise that they sell "clean" sandwiches. But that doesn't mean they're condiment-free or the lettuce got an extra rinse. In the food industry, the word "clean" is ...
04.29.2019 Kite in a Phonebooth - 29 April 2019 Stunt performers in movies have their own jargon for talking about their dangerous work. They refer to a stunt, for example, as a gag. Across the country in Brooklyn, the slang term brick means "cold," and dumb brick means "really ...
04.22.2019 Hell's Half Acre (Rebroadcast) - 22 April 2019 Hundreds of years ago, the word girl didn't necessarily mean a female child. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the term "girl" could refer to a child of either sex. Only later did its meaning become more specific. Plus, some ...
04.15.2019 Steamed Bun (Rebroadcast) - 15 April 2019 This week on "A Way with Words”: The language we use to cover up our age, and covering up a secret message. Do you ever find yourself less-than-specific about your age? Listeners share some of their favorite phrases for fudging ...
04.11.2019 Kids Are Asking - 11 April 2019 Questions from young listeners and conversations about everything from shifting slang to a bizarre cooking technique. Kids ask about how to talk about finding information on the internet, how tartar sauce got its name, and if the expression high and ...
04.08.2019 Strawberry Moon - 8 April 2019 We asked for your thoughts about whether cursive writing should be taught in schools -- and you replied with a resounding "Yes!" Here's why: Cursive helps develop fine motor skills, improves mental focus, and lets you read old handwritten letters ...

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