Ben calls from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to say that he and his wife, who is from Germany, were taking a leisurely stroll at Valley Forge. They ended up leaving one of the trails and taking a diagonal route across a field and agreed that in...
Jean in Trucksville, Pennsylvania, says her family hasn’t named a household appliance, exactly, although they did christen their compost bin Darth Vader. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Smell is Strong in This One” Following...
Gifts for book lovers: Martha recommends one for lovers of libraries and another for students of Spanish. Grant suggests some enchanting novels for young readers. When it comes to books, though, you can’t always judge them by their original titles...
Before William Golding named his novel Lord of the Flies, based on a reference to Beelzebub, the book’s working title was Strangers From Within. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Strangers From Within” Grant, here’s another quiz...
A fly-rink, in 19th-century slang, is a bald head—perfect for flies to skate around on! This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Fly-Rink” I like this little term from the 1909 volume, Passing English of the Victorian Era. It’s fly rink...
The fur flies when Greg Pliska unleashes a word puzzle involving the names of animals. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Animal Name Word Puzzle” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Martha Barnette. And I’m Grant Barrett, and...