grassoline n.— «The liquid—known as green gasoline—is the chemical equivalent of traditional gasoline, but cleaner and less expensive. According to its inventor, that means the green gas, also referred to as grassoline, has the potential...
Why are the names of cars so unimaginative? Grant argues that auto manufacturers might take inspiration from ornithology to build a better car name. (Then again, would you be any less aggravated if you were rear-ended by a lazuli bunting?) Also this...
Heigh-ho! It's another newsletter from "A Way with Words," and we've got treats. Climb into our van! There are two minicasts for you, for one thing. What’s the deal with using the two-letter postal code abbreviations...
Does your handwriting look like chicken scratches, calligraphy, or maybe something in between? Martha and Grant discuss the state of penmanship, the phenomenon linguists call creaky voice, euphemisms for going to the bathroom, and the New England...
Ever been met with a quizzical look and the question, “Do what?” The hosts discuss this dialectal equivalent of “How’s that?” or “Come again?” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Do What...
Thunder and lightning! It's another email newsletter from "A Way with Words," where we put the "recess" in "recession." In our latest broadcast we talked about "fankle," baby platypuses (as they say at...