What’s the origin of the phrase “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise”? It has to do with travel and farming and nothing whatsoever to do with Native Americans. Back when wagons rode on low gravel roads, you couldn’t...
So, can a sentence begin with the word so? Which ones? So is oftentimes used in place of therefore to conclude an explanation, but more people are using it as a general sentence-starter, in the same vein as well. Grant notes that while it may be...
If you’re fair to middling (or with the g dropped: fair to middlin’), you’re doing just fine. A native of the Tennessee mountains wonders about the origin of this phrase her good-humored grandfather used. As it turns out, fair to middling was one of...
A Marine stationed in California says that growing up in North Carolina, he understood the expression fixin’ to or fixing to to mean “to be about to.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Fixin’ To”...
Is there some kind of snappy jingle for knowing when to use who and whom? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Who and Whom Jingle” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Good day to you. Hi, who’s this? This is Philip...
A Texas listener says his family often describes a great meal as larrupin’. What does that mean, exactly? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Larrupin'” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, my name is Mark...