Marie in Anna, Texas, grew up hearing her mother announce, Home again, home again, jiggity-jig at the end of every family trip. The phrase comes from a Mother Goose rhyme: “To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, home again, home again, jiggity-jig...
“A few pickles short of a jar,” “a few peas short of a casserole,” “two French fries short of a Happy Meal”—this week, Martha and Grant discuss these and other full-deckisms, those clever ways to describe someone who falls short in some way. Also...
Why do we say “take a gander” for “have a look”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Take a Gander” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Gary Whitlock in Fallbrook, California. Hi, Gary. Well, I was thinking the other day about...
The expression “It’ll never be seen on a galloping horse” means “Don’t be such a perfectionist.” But why? A caller remembers an even odder version: It’ll never be seen on a galloping goose. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Martha tries to unravel the tangled etymological web that connects gossamer, spiders, geese, and warm weather in a late autumn.
Finally, a woman who grew up playing “Duck, Duck, Goose” is surprised to hear that her niece and nephew play “Duck, Duck, Gray Duck” at their preschool in Minnesota. The hosts take a gander at regional variations of this children’s game. This is...
