What is janky? A Chattanooga caller uses it describe something inferior or bad. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Etymology of “Janky”” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, how you doing? Hi, great. Who’s this? This is Daniel from...
A listener calls from in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to say that in her native Spanish, she can use several different words for love to denote a whole range of feelings, depending on how close she is to the other person. She’s frustrated that English...
A California caller gets a clarification about when to use “a” and “an” if the next word starts with a vowel sound. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Articles for Words with Vowel Sounds” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this...
An ESL teacher puzzles over how to explain to his students the proper pronunciation of the word route. He asks whether the pronunciation “root” has been “routed” by “rowt.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Pronouncing Route” Hello...
A caller has a friendly disagreement with a pal: Is the expression “tide me over” or “tie me over”? Hint: The answer she gets should tide her over. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Is the Saying “Tide Me Over” or “Tie Me Over”?”...
Grant goes through the mailbag, offering answers about the terms “nosy parker,” “out of pocket,” and about whether the word “falsehood” has its origins in medieval garb. He also throws a question out to listeners about what is supposedly a mild...
