Edward in Atlanta, Georgia, asks about the origin and uses of blah, blah, blah, the sing-song stand-in for omitted or tiresome talk. A single blah can mean dull or listless, as in “feeling blah,” while repeated blahs often replace words a speaker...
A Pasadena, California, man says some of his relatives make a noise that sounds like unh-Unh, and it’s clear to everyone in the family that it means “Well, what did you expect?” A lexical utterance like that does have meaning, even...
Margarita from the Dallas area uses anyhow and anyways when she has finished saying something personal and wants to move on. These informal words can function as discourse markers, signaling a transition or wrapping up a thought, though anyways in...
The word whatnot has seen a resurgence in the last few years, especially on Twitter and whatnot. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Social Media Whatnot” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Peter Smith from San...
If someone says, “That’s a good question,” do you find it annoying or insincere? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “That’s a Good Question” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi there. Hi...
filler n.— «The man was a “filler” in a photo lineup of six black men. A filler is someone who is not a suspect, but whose photo is included because the filler fits the general description of a suspect who was in the photo...