If someone is gobsmacked, they’re totally surprised. The term may come from the same Gaelic root that gave us the Everlasting Gobstopper. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Gobsmacked” Hello, you have A Way with...
Some speakers of American English use the word whenever to refer to a single event, as in “whenever Abraham Lincoln died.” This locution is a vestige of Scots-Irish speech. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Scots...
Hi, all! In this week's archive episode, do you know the term "bike-shedding"? How about "tohubohu"? The former refers to being inappropriately focused on the minutiae of a project instead of the bigger picture (handy...
What does the O’ in Irish names like O’Malley or O’Riley mean? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Irish Name “O”” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is John in Dallas. Hello, John...
Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle! It's another newsletter from "A Way with Words"! "Moded, corroded, your booty exploded"--that's what we talked about this past weekend on the program. "Moded" is a...
Delaware effect n.— «The Irish government has thrown everybody (and that includes Sarkozy and Merkel) off track by guaranteeing every last penny in its banks. The risks run by this kind of unilateral action inside the European Union are...