Remember getting caught sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G? Grant and Martha wax nostalgic on some classic schoolyard rhymes. What do you call your offspring once they’ve grown up? Adult children? How about kid-ults? Plus, is there really such a thing...
If you’re an empty nester, you’ve probably wondered about a term for one’s grown offspring. Do you use the term adult children? How about kid-ults? Since the 1960’s, the term has also been used in the marketing and advertising world. There, kid-ults...
boxla n.— Note: A blend of “box” and “lacrosse.” «The summer lacrosse season is still a few months away, but it’s never too soon to talk a little boxla.» —“Lacrosse busy during so-called off-season” by Michael Rhode Nanaimo Daily News (British...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski drops by with a puzzle involving overlapping words. He calls it, of course, “Overlap-Plied Linguistics.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Overlap-Plied Linguistics Puzzle” You’re listening to A Way with Words...
What do you call a word made from a blend of two other words, like motel from motor and hotel? A listener says his term for them is “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup words,” after the old commercial: “You got chocolate in my peanut butter! You got peanut...
We all misspeak from time to time, but how about when we mangle words on purpose? Do you ever say fambly instead of family, perazackly for exactly, or coinkydink for coincidence? When Grant recently wrote a newspaper column about saying things wrong...
