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

A San Diego woman is bothered by the convention of addressing envelopes to Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. Shouldn’t we also include the woman’s first name? For her, it’s more than just a theoretical question: she spends a lot of time sending thank-you letters for nonprofit fundraising. So she’s wondering, what’s the best way to address them so as not to offend potential donors? Her question provokes a l...

Sharpen those pencils! Martha and Grant are doing crossword puzzles on the air again, preparing for their appearance with NPR Puzzlemaster Will Shortz at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in New York City. 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 State...

A caller who grew up in New Jersey remembers hearing a neighbor use the expression Hak mir nisht ken tshaynik whenever she wanted to shush someone. He’s sure the phrase is Yiddish, but he’s never been able to figure out the literal meaning. We solve the mystery for him. Hint: It has to do with teakettles. You’ll find more details about this colorful expression in Michael Wex’s book Born to Kvetch ...

There are nearly 7,000 languages in the world today, and by some estimates, they’re dying off at the rate of one every week. What’s lost when a language dies? Martha and Grant discuss that question and efforts to record some endangered languages before they die out completely. Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org. Be a part of the...

We hear a lot about political candidates these days. But did you ever stop to think about where the word 'candidate' comes from? Martha says it goes back to an ancient Roman fashion statement. She also explains the etymology of the term for what drives so many candidates: 'ambition.'We hear a lot about political candidates these days. But did you ever stop to think about where the word candidate c...

This week we kick off our 2008 summer minicasts, offered only online, with two downloads. It’s what we’re calling an estival festival. We hear a lot about political candidates these days. But did you ever stop to think about where the word candidate comes from? Martha says it goes back to an ancient Roman fashion statement. She also explains the etymology of the term for what drives so many candid...

In this episode, a listener says his friend Harold likes to do social phoning while driving, so he’s invented a term for mindless calling while in the car. And no, it’s not “car-pe diem.” Also, Martha and Grant also discuss the rules of the road games padiddle and slug bug. Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org. Be a part of the sho...

Ding! In this week’s episode, Mark Twain would be pleased. Reports that it’s the end of the line for the typewriter have been greatly exaggerated. Well, slightly anyway: it’s not the horseless carriage return yet. Martha and Grant wax nostalgic about the pleasures of pecking away at a rumbling, shuddering Selectric. Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: htt...

Martha and Grant discuss advertising slogans and product names supposedly botched in translation. They also recommend an eclectic mix of books for the word-lover on your holiday list, from military slang to Yiddish. Plus a slang quiz on the words blue-bird and corpsing, and a caller from San Diego has a friendly disagreement with friends about the phrase bald-faced lie vs. bold-faced lie.  Hear hu...

In this episode, Grant offers peek at some expressions he’s nominating for the American Dialect Society’s Word of the Year vote in January. Will it be “w00t,” “subprime,” or something else? 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...

A Way with Words is starting a brand-new season! Find out what a motorcyclist wears to keep from getting sunburned– is it a do-rag or a dew-rag? A listener wonders “Why is an undesirable task called a g-job?” Martha shares a trick for remembering the answer to that perennial question: Does a comma go inside or outside of quotation marks? Also, the origin of pinkie, podsnicker, the name for a socie...

Grant goes through the mailbag, offering answers about the terms “nosy parker,” “out of pocket,” and about whether the word “falsehood” has its origins in medieval garb. He also throws a question out to listeners about what is supposedly a mild British oath, “butternut!” Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org. Be a part of the show:...

Remember Tom, the guy who’s still trying to recall a word he insists he learned long ago meaning “the points on a compass”? That call generated a boatload of proposed answers from listeners. But one response stood out above all the others, so Martha and Grant go back to Tom for a third time with what they hope is the right answer. Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Wor...

A caller asks a delicate question about the phrase “blue bark shipment,” a term involving the transport of deceased members of the military. Martha and Grant discuss this puzzling expression and the challenge of tracking down its origins, and then put out a call to listeners. Do you know the origin of the term? Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://...

A caller sends Grant and Martha off on a slang-infested trip about ways of saying a fast good-bye. Listen as they blow pop, popcorn, and taco stands by way of author Jim Harrison, the comic strip Funky Winkerbean, and a Warhol hanger-on. 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...

Discover the joys (and temptations!) of two new books of collected wisdom: “The Yale Book of Quotations” edited by Fred Shapiro, and James Geary’s “Guide to the World’s Great Aphorists.” Grant explains why leafing through such books can be rewarding—but hazardous to your time management. Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org. Be a p...

When you were a child and wanted to lay claim to something, what did you say? Did you call “dibs”? Or “hosey” it? A caller is curious about another verb used in such situations: “finnie.” Grant explains this word’s meaning and origin. 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-fr...

Martha reminisces about her family’s mountain roots while dipping into the delicious vocabulary of Southernisms found in The Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English. When ya’ll listen to this one, you’ll find out what a “cackleberry” is — and why you don’t want to drink milk that’s “blinky.” Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org. Be a...

What's the name for that little dent in your upper lip? It's called a philtrum. Martha reveals the erotic origins of this word, and proves once again that etymology is nothing if not sexy. 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...

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: The results of the A Way with Words Collective Noun Contest! What collective noun would you apply to groups of 1) tennis players, 2) aliens from outer space, and 3) language-loving word hosts? You sent us a cleverness of witty entries, and Martha has the winners. Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://...

Do you know what a “buffet flat” is? Is it A) a type of shoe you wear to all-you-can-eat dinners, B) a lull in economic growth predicted by Warren Buffet, or C) a squalid apartment found in the Rocky Mountain States? Find out when Grant gives you the whole megillah. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pod Couple—also known as Martha and Grant—consider just when is "next week" or "this Monday" anyway? A husband and wife with a long running dispute turn to Martha and Grant for help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this summer a word caught my fancy: "gardentoolism." So I made a slang quiz about it! 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. E...

Few are the words whose origins we know for certain, but “bunk” is one of them. From the mountains of North Carolina to the halls of Congress to everyday language, Martha scoops the skinny. 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...

Yo, listeners! There’s another online-only podcast from “A Way with Words.” This time, Grant answers questions about the word “agio” from a fellow in Kamloops—learn more about that name, too—and he responds to reader mail about the expression “bleeding edge” and whether the word “email” is singular or plural. Also, Martha and Grant talk with a caller peeved about the seemingly salacious wording of...