An old book of similes contains such gems as it’s easy as peeling a hardboiled egg and it’s as hard to shave as an egg. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Old-Fashioned Similes” I’m plundering the old...
Why do some puns strike us as clever, while others are plain old groaners? Martha and Grant puzzle over this question. Also, the difference between baggage and luggage, a royal word quiz, the “egg” in egg on, what to call someone who...
What is an earwig? Those skinny brown insects with pinchers coming out their backsides have a reputation in folklore for crawling through people’s ears and laying eggs in their skull. But really, earwigs are just simple insects that take their...
Why do we speak of trying to egg on a person, meaning to urge them to do something? Martha explains that the egg in this case has nothing to do with chickens. This kind of “egg” is derives from an old root that means to “urge on...
A listener shares a phrase he learned in Peru that translates as “more lost than a hard-boiled egg in ceviche.” It describes someone who’s lost or clueless. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Hard-Boiled Egg...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a puzzle about anagrams. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Anagram Word Quiz” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Grant Barrett. And I’m Martha Barnette. And we’re...