In an earlier episode, the hosts discussed the phrase “all over it like a duck on a junebug,” which refers to doing something with great eagerness. Martha shares an email from a Wisconsin listener who’s watched plenty of ducks...
Martha explains the story behind the expression “richer than Bim Gump.” Find out more about the long-running comic strip that inspired it here. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Richer than Bim Gump” Hello...
If you’re doing a hasty, haphazard job, you’re said to do it with “a lick and a promise.” What’s the origin of that expression? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “A Lick and a Promise” Hello...
Who put the piping in the expression “piping hot”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Piping Hot” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it. I’m Grant Barrett...
Oh, that gives me agita! A Connecticut native says her Midwestern colleagues office were flabbergasted to encounter this expression, which she’s known all her life. Grant and Martha discuss this word for “upset” and its likely...
The expression “over yonder” isn’t just the stuff of Carole King songs and old-timey hymns. To many Southerners, it’s everyday English. The hosts discuss this poetic-sounding turn of phrase. This is part of a complete episode...