Judson from Texas asks about the phrases long suit and strong suit, after seeing long suit used where he would expect “strong suit.” Both come from card games such as bridge and whist: a long suit is a hand with several cards of the same suit, while...
When it comes to learning new things, what’s on your bucket list? A retired book editor decided to try to learn Latin, and ended up learning a lot about herself. There’s a word for someone who learns something late in life. And when it...
Card games often go by several different names, like Canfield and Nertz, or Egyptian Racehorse and Egyptian Rat Screw, or B.S. and Bible Study. These names, and the rules for each, vary because they’re more often passed from person to person...
A listener in Decorah, Iowa, hears her partner use rubber match for the deciding game in cribbage, after each player has won one. The expression means a tiebreaker in a best-of series, and it’s been applied to card games, baseball, tennis, game...
Some families have their own idiosyncratic rules for Scrabble. Grant talks about the rules in his house. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Family Scrabble Rules” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m...
If you ask a salesclerk for change in the form of a case quarter, what are you asking for? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “A Case Quarter” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Beverly calling from Midlopie in...
