Campaign once drew fire when applied to elections. Nineteenth-century usage writers Richard Grant White and C.W. Bardeen objected that a presidential campaign wrongly borrowed military language, preferring contest instead. White called it “inflamed...
“I don’t see nothing wrong with a little bump n’ grind,” sings the R&B star R. Kelly, referring to the hip-thrusting dance that’s all the rage with kids these days. While some people use the phrase the old bump and...
When is it okay to correct someone’s grammar? A listener from Madison, Wisconsin, says a friend went for a parent-teacher conference only to notice that a sign in the classroom read “Things your thankful for.” Should the teacher be...
Though the Spanish language, among others, has its quirks and foreignisms, the English language really can’t be touched when it comes to complicated and irregular spelling. Thus, spelling bees are primarily an English-language phenomenon...
Why do we say that someone who’s happy is in hog heaven? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Hog Heaven” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, my name is Jackie. I’m in Dallas. Hiya, Jackie. Welcome to the...
