Andrew from Annandale, Virginia, asks about the origin of the word boondoggle. Why does it mean a wasteful project or plain old busywork, but also denotes a kind of leathercraft lanyard made at camp? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a game of phrases involving the letter B. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Quiz with the Letter “B”” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Martha Barnette. And I’m Grant Barrett, and we’re joined by...
Katie in Boston, who grew up near Buffalo, knew the plastic-string camp craft as boondoggle, while friends in Boston called the material or activity gimp and others called it lanyard. Boondoggle appears to have arisen in scouting near Rochester, New...
A college senior has invented a word to describe that anxiety we feel when there’s unfinished work looming over us. He calls it desgundes. As in, “that twenty-year-old in the library making a three-foot boondoggle must likely be dealing with some...
When it comes to language, who’s the decider? Grant explains how grammar rules develop. Also, what’s tarantula juice, and what’s the difference between a muffin top and a smiley? We discuss these and other terms from Green’s Dictionary of Slang. Why...
gravy plane n. a boondoggle, junket, or other (perceived) waste of money associated with air travel, benefitting a privileged group or person. Etymological Note: Frequently coined anew as a play on “gravy train,” a desirable situation or income...
