Andrea in San Diego, California, noticed a new restaurant with a name spelled in a curious way. Is there a term for this kind of intentional misspelling used in advertising? Onomastics is the study of naming, and a good source for information about...
Martha shares a letter from a San Antonio, Texas, listener about a child’s misunderstanding of the word sophisticated. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “A Child’s Sophisticated Misunderstanding” Welcome to A Way with Words, the show...
Grant’s 7-year-old son has gotten into Ancient Greek, of all things. While it’s a joy to teach your kids interesting things, a child’s eagerness to learn also poses a challenge for parents. You don’t want to squelch their curiosity by forcing things...
Photos and tests from the Mars Rover show an abundance of hematite, a dark red mineral that takes its name from the Greek word haima, meaning “blood.” Another mineral, goethite, is named for the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, an amateur...
A Chinese proverb says, “He who asks a question is a fool for a minute. He who does not remains a fool forever.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of ““He Who Asks a Question Is a Fool for a Minute”” You know, one of the things about...
