It’s the art of constructive feedback: If you’re a teacher with a mountain of papers to grade, you may find yourself puzzling over which kinds of notes in the margins work best. Martha and Grant discuss strategies for effective paper-grading. And...
In French, there are colloquialisms translating to “the mayonnaise is setting” and “to make the mayonnaise rise.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Mayonnaise is Setting” While we were talking to Salem about the word mayonnaise...
A pint-sized mad scientist, a green-haired girl with a contagious sense of wonder, and a 10-year-old detective. They’re all characters in the books on Grant’s latest list of recommended books for children. Also, what’s the word for a female octopus...
If you’re on tenterhooks, it means you’re in a state of anxious anticipation or suspense. But what IS a tenterhook? The answer goes back to a 15th-century manufacturing process. Also, you probably have a term for those crumbs that collect in the...
Did you know reading poetry improves your prose? That includes hip-hop lyrics, too. Also, how linguist can guess where you come from based on how you speak. What do you call someone who picks the chocolate out of the trail mix? Plus, champing at...
Why shouldn’t it be a term of endearment to call someone a cherry Lifesaver? Cherry’s the best flavor! This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Cherry Lifesaver” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, how’s it going? Super duper. Who’s this...