Have you ever offered to foster a dog or cat, but wound up adopting instead? There’s an alliterative term for that. And when you’re on the job, do niceties like “Yes, ma’am” and “No, sir” make you sound too formal? Not if it comes naturally. And...
Lots of foods are named for what happens to them. Mozzarella comes from an Italian word that means “cut,” feta cheese takes its name from a Greek word meaning the same thing, and schnitzel derives from a German word that also means “to cut.” This is...
If you’re serious about writing a memoir, what topics should you include, and what can you leave out? And how honest can you really be about the other people in your life? Some of America’s leading memoirists wrote things they lived to regret. And:...
That familiar comfort food most often called a “grilled cheese” goes by a few other names, including “cheese toastie” and “cheesewich,” the latter of which is a trademarked name. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Cheesewiches”...
Try this riddle: You throw away the outside and cook the inside, then eat the outside and throw away the inside. What is it? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Inside Outside Riddle” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show...
Our discussion of eponymous laws prompted Peg Brekel of Casa Grande, Arizona, to send us one based on her years of experience in a pharmacy, where she had to keep minding the counter even during her lunch break. Peg’s Law: The number of customers...