Michael from Weatherford, Texas, called because he hears caddywampus more often in Texas than in California. Catawampus, meaning “askew,” can be spelled at least 15 different ways, with Ks, Cs, Ds, and different vowels. It likely derives from the...
Tom in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, asks about catawampus, cattywampus, or kittywampus, words used for something crooked, askew, or out of line. The Dictionary of American Regional English records related senses including “diagonally across,” “utterly or...
A caller’s question about the word wonky, in the sense of askew, leads to a broader question: What makes a word slang, anyway? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Wonky” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is...