A former resident of Buffalo, New York, puzzles over a strange word in a 12-year-old personals ad. What exactly is a “paratereseomaniac with extensive knowledge of osculation”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
A former Navy man has a pet peeve about using the word utilize instead of use. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Is Utilize Ever Better Than Use?” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, how you doing? Hi. Hey, who is this...
Did Gary Owen invent the word insegrevious? And is there a category for words that can mean anything you want them to? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Insegrevious as a Nonsense Word with No Fixed Meaning” Hi, you have...
This week’s “Slang This!” contestant learns the difference between a trailer queen and soup spitter. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Trailer Queen and Soup Spitter” You’re listening to A Way...
A wife seeks consolation because her husband always implores her to “drive safe” instead of “drive safely.” Martha says if he really loves her, he’ll use an adverb. Grant says it’s a message of love, so maybe the ...
You may have learned that an estuary is where a river meets the sea, but a reference librarian asks whether she should eschew estuary as a word for the confluence of freshwater bodies. Martha and Grant tide her over with some more information. This...