Gerald from San Diego, California, says his mother, who was from North Carolina, used the phrase since Sookie was a calf to mean for a long time. The words sook and sookie are among many traditionally used to call cows from the pasture. The phrase...
Jane in Austin, Texas, is curious about the expression how the cow ate the cabbage, meaning to give someone a talking-to. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “How the Cow Ate the Cabbage” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hello, this...
A listener shares a story on our Facebook group about how a child’s misunderstanding illustrates the power of metaphor. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Cows in the Ocean” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about...
Sunny-side up eggs sometime go by the name looking at you eggs, an apparent reference to how the yolk in the middle of the egg white makes them resemble eyes. A similar idea appears in the German name, which translates as “mirror egg,” and in...
Our earlier conversation about the word ruminate prompts a Fort Worth, Texas, listener to send a poem that his aunt, an elementary-school teacher, made him memorize as a child: This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Gum-Chewing...
Looking for an extremely silly knock-knock joke? Here’s one that’s as silly as they come: Knock, knock. Who’s there? Cows go. Try figuring out the rest. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Cow Knock-Knock Joke” Got another knock knock...
