Decisions by dictionary editors, wacky wordplay, and Walt Whitman’s soaring verse. How do lexicographers decide which historical figures deserve a mention or perhaps even an illustration in the dictionary? The answer changes with the times. •...
Why is it that what you say to your family and what they hear are different? If you say “no,” your child hears “maybe,” and if you say “maybe,” she hears “ask again and again,” and “yes” is...
Is there a distinction to be made between envy and jealousy? The hosts try to parse out the difference. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Envy vs. Jealousy” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, my name is Lee. I’m...
This past weekend on "A Way with Words," we mulled over whether part of the recession-busting bailouts the government is proposing should be targeted at reviving the Federal Writers' Project of the 1930s. Get a taste of that, and...
Duchenne smile n.— «He knows the difference between Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles: one crinkles the orbicularis oculi muscles and the other does not. One is genuine and shows in the eyes; the other mostly involves the mouth and looks...
Nigerian luggage n.— «For example some cab drivers in Britain tend to want to make a distinction between regular luggage and what they refer to as “Nigerian luggage”—a cheeky reference to our penchant for buying up entire...