Marlene in Indianapolis grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula using pank to mean pat, tamp, or firm something down, from snow on a ski hill to teased hair before a blast of Aqua Net. The verb is especially associated with the Upper Peninsula of...
Let’s settle this once and for all: George Bernard Shaw is responsible for the sentiment behind the quote, “Youth is wasted on the young.” But Fred Shapiro’s Yale Book of Quotations indicates that the history of the saying isn’t so simple. This is...
You’re probably aware that massive is simply a slang term for great or large. But for one professional balloon artist who thought that something massive has to contain actual mass, it took some convincing for him to accept that his giant balloon...
Add blow a gasket to your list of Downton Abbey anachronisms. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Historical Anachronism” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Yes, good afternoon. Hi, who’s this? This is Julio Tierno. I’m calling from...
An Indianapolis caller wonders if there’s any difference in meaning between the words scared and afraid. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Scared vs. Afraid” Hi there, you have A Way with Words. Hello, this is Brian Traub from...
Smoking cigars is sometimes known as herfing, and a herf is a lively gathering of like-minded puffers. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Herfing” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, Grant and Martha. This is Blake in Indianapolis...