Amy in San Diego has a friendly workplace dispute over supposably and supposedly. For ordinary uses meaning “as people assume” or “allegedly,” as in I’m supposedly going to the grocery store, the usual word is supposedly, built on supposed...
If someone gives you crazy props or mad props, they’re congratulating you. A Chicago college student wants to know what props means in this context. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Mad Props” Hello, you have A...
Martha tells the story behind the term Tom Swifty. Grant shares some more funny examples from the A Way with Words discussion forum. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Origin of “Tom Swifty”” You’re...
Martha shares a couple of Tom Swifties, those funny sentences that make great punny use of adverbs, like “‘My bicycle wheel is damaged,’ Tom said outspokenly.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Bicycle...
A Chicago man says he was caught up short when he caught himself writing the words “a whole nother.” Is nother really a word? The book Grant recommends on the topic is Everything You Know about English is Wrong, by Bill Brohaugh. This is...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a game featuring “Tom Swifties,” those sentences that include a self-referentially funny adverb, such this one: “’Ow! You guys really know how to hurt a vampire,’ Tom said _____________.” This is part of a...