Is it ever correct to refer to a mustache as a plural? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Plural of Mustache” Howdy, you got A Way with Words. Hi, this is Jennifer from Carlsbad. Hi, Jennifer. Hi, Jennifer. What’s...
Grant shares another weather-related word from Britain: parky. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Parky” Martha, if we were in the UK and it was cold and invigorating outside, what would we call it? Brisk? Well, parky. P...
A woman says that when playing hide-and-seek with a small child, her mother-in-law says “peep-eye!” instead of “peekaboo!” Is that usage limited to certain parts of the country? And where do they say “pee-bo!”...
Pommy, Australian slang for an English person, is often derogatory, and the popular acronym stories are probably backronyms rather than true origins. Jeff from Boones Mill near Roanoke, Virginia, grew up in Australia hearing that it meant Prisoner...
A Dallas man says his grandmother used to carry around washcloth a plastic bag in her purse. When he and his siblings would get their hands dirty, she’d say to them, “Show me your paddywackers,” and they’d hold out their...
In Britain, Canada, and some other English-speaking countries, the last letter of the alphabet is not zee, but zed. A caller who grew up in Guyana wonders why. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Zed, Not Z” Hello, you...

