A Connecticut listener says her Generation Y friends make fun of her when she describes something happening in fits and starts. Is it that antiquated a phrase? Where does it come from, anyway? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
A Houston woman says her family makes fun of her for saying “waste not, want not.” Does this proverb make literal sense? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Waste Not, Want Not” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this...
A Charlottesville, Virginia, woman says her husband, a New Yorker, makes fun of her for using the expression might could, as in, “We might could go to dinner later.” The hosts talk about this and other double modals. Incidentally...
An upstate New York woman says her British husband makes fun of her for saying lookit! This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Lookit!” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, Grant. I’m Susan Moody, and I’m from the...
skuke n.— «In this little town on the south coast, people like me — summer folk — are known as skukes. I’ve never met anyone who knows the real derivation of the term, but it’s not a compliment. Skukes are annoying because...
The story behind the word ignoramus is big fun. It involves a bumbling lawyer, a six-hour farce from the 17th century, and a Latin legal term. See? Big fun. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Origin of Ignoramus” Hello...