Greetings, wanderers, and welcome home. This past weekend on A Way with Words we wrestled with "commentate," "tie me over" vs. "tide me over," long words, and "biweekly" vs. "semiweekly." We also...
A San Diego listener has a weird word on her mind: biffy (meaning “toilet”). This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Biffy for Toilets, Outhouses, and Porta-Potties” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Megan...
dipsy-do n.—Gloss: another way of saying “an up and down (motion or change).” Note: The Dictionary of American Regional English has a similar term, “dipsy-doodle”, which is defined as dip in the road, or a “thank-you...
shack-wacky adj. restless or irritable from staying indoors or in one location for a long period; stir crazy; afflicted with cabin fever. Editorial Note: The Dictionary of American Regional English has a single 1991 citation of this term from a...
shoobie n. a short-term visitor to the beach and shore communities of New Jersey. Editorial Note: The Dictionary of American Regional English includes the spellings of shoebe(e), shoebie, and shub(i)e. Etymological Note: As indicated in the...
gone pecan n. a person who is doomed, defeated, or beyond rescue; a goner. Editorial Note: As noted in the 2003 citation, pecan is pronounced in this expression to rhyme with gone, so it’s something like “puh-KAHN” rather than “PEE...