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Open Up a Can of Words

You know that feeling you get when you say something you’ve known forever — slang, a catchphrase, a cultural reference — and the other person stares blankly? They have no idea what you’re referring to. Sometimes you feel old...

Two Brand-New Episodes — Yum!

Hey there! The latest brand-new episode of the show is up and ready. We hit a few high points about graffiti slang, relay a few more paraprosdokians, and share doomaflatchies. Last week was also brand-new episode. Did you catch it? Spelling...

News from Planet Word

Hi, all -- In this week's episode of "A Way with Words": If you want to make a room cooler, do you "turn up" the air conditioning? Or do you "turn it down"? Also, "croaker" meaning a...

Grammatical Guffaws and Kerfuffles

Hi, all! In the last archive edition before our new season (woohoo!), we cover colorful idioms around the world, portmanteau words, "wooden nickels," "thrice happy," "petered out," and why sneezing makes some people...

Ride the Cow, Look for the Horse

Hi, all — In this week’s archive edition, we discuss not-so-smartphones, “Erin” vs. “Aaron,” “who” vs. “whom,” what happens when you “overegg the pudding,” and what it means to...