If someone says, “That’s a good question,” do you find it annoying or insincere? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “That’s a Good Question” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi there. Hi...
Mm-hm, huh, nuh-uh, and a shrugging mm are interjections, also called inserts, vocalisms, or, in conversation, feedback markers. Katie in Bozeman, Montana, noticed that her husband’s little nasal grunt answered “Where’s the dustpan?” clearly enough:...
If a colleague repeatedly mispronounces a word, what’s the best way to handle it? Should you correct him? Ignore it? Is it possible to discuss the proper way to say something without being rude or condescending?
trendonista n.— «“The trendonistas still flock to Barneys, but it’s just to eat lunch and buy a lipstick,” said Leslie Wright, a fashion-forward executive at Bonhams & Butterfields, the art auctioneer. “That way,” she continued...
drilldown n.— «The glossary states a drilldown is a “conversation with a verbose barrister requiring seven action points with no writing implement available resulting in communication breakdown, information loss and night sweats...
hauterfly n.— «I was, in other words, caught in the throes of a conversation between two well-matched hauterflies. And Topic A? The moveover-Oscars Costume Institute Ball, held every year at the Met, and which at this point, was only days...