Adam in Indianapolis grew up with his grandmother’s warning not to split a pole, meaning that two companions shouldn’t pass on opposite sides of a lamppost, mailbox, or other street obstacle. The idea is that the physical separation hints at an...
A Syracuse woman wonders how bread and butter pickles got their name. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Bread and Butter Pickles” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Allison Parker from Syracuse, New York, and I have a...
In this episode, a listener says his friend Harold likes to do social phoning while driving, so he’s invented a term for mindless calling while in the car. And no, it’s not “car-pe diem.” Also, Martha and Grant also discuss the rules of the road...
They also discuss listener’s own stories about saying “bread and butter” when companions step around an obstacle that divides them. We also promised words for the experience of noticing a word for the first time and then feeling like you’re seeing...
A caller shares colorful expressions from her Texas-born mother, including turkey tail and I’m gonna snatch you bald-headed. She also wonders why her mother says bread and butter every time they’re walking together and an object in their path makes...