Colin in West Hartford, Connecticut, says his teenagers admiringly use the word dirty to describe a great athlete, and use filthy to describe one who’s especially talented. Although this positive usage of originally negative words may sound...
Reverend William Archibald Spooner was known for transposing sounds, like raising a glass “to our queer old dean” instead of “to our dear old queen.” A caller shares some favorite spoonerisms. This is part of a complete...
va-j-j n.— «Lady, one more complaint and I’ll shove a rape whistle up the Mrs. Va-J-J.» —“MTV Get Off the Air, Part 2 (featuring Princess Superstar)” by MC Paul Barman It’s Very Stimulating Feb. 15, 2000...
Yo, listeners! There’s another online-only podcast from “A Way with Words.” This time, Grant answers questions about the word “agio” from a fellow in Kamloops—learn more about that name, too—and he responds to reader...