Hey, look: there are three brand-new episodes to tell you about! Each includes a few rounds of devious word puzzles cooked up by our quiz guy John Chaneski, as well as:
Last weekend, “Secret Gibberish”:
- piggyback
- gibberish
- the pronunciation of “pecan”
- why English doesn’t have an official language academy
- the expression “hold ’er, Newt!”
- lots more!
Two weekends ago, “By Jingo!”:
- the expression “doesn’t know fatmeat is greasy”
- verbing nouns
- more on creaky voice
- symbols for cartoon profanity
- grass widows
- by jingo!
- lots more!
Three weekends ago, “Like a Boss”:
- the hip-hop roots of the catchphrase “like a boss.”
- old-timey similes like “large as life and twice as natural.”
- infra dig
- witches’ knickers
- lots more!
Clicky Clicky, Linky Linky
A little fun and enlightenment we’ve found on the Internet:
• The hilarious mispronunciation of words, via Jason Kottke.
• A peppy song about vowels. A sure mood-lifter!
• As we discussed in a past episode, it’s hard to understand some sports because the special lingo is so thick.
• The slow death of the signature, from The Atlantic.
Call to Action
Macmillan Dictionary is taking votes in a simple contest for the best website in their “Love English” awards. Won’t you give A Way with Words your vote?
Sincerely yours,
Martha and Grant
