The expression “It’ll never be seen on a galloping horse” means “Don’t be such a perfectionist.” But why? A caller remembers an even odder version: It’ll never be seen on a galloping goose. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Dry a grape and it becomes a raisin, dry a plum and it turns into a prune. Why don’t we just call them dried grapes and dried plums? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Dried Fruit Names” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is...
Beware of false friends, those words that don’t translate the way you’d expect. For example, the word “gift” in German means “poison,” and the Spanish word “tuna” means “the fruit of the prickly pear cactus.” These tricky lookalikes are also called...
Why do subdivisions and office complexes have names invoking landscapes and animals that don’t exist there? A Fort Wayne, Indiana, listener got to wondering about this after passing the “Bay View Apartments” in her hometown: there’s not a bay in...
“Don’t be frontin’!” A Texas college student is curious about the origin of fronting, and learns that it goes back several decades to the world of petty criminals. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Slang Term “Fronting”” Howdy, you...
Some children don’t talk until they’re age three or older, then go on to do just fine. Why do some kids start speaking relatively late in life? The hosts talk about a recent Ask MetaFilter thread on that topic. This is part of a complete episode...