Welcome to another newsletter from A Way with Words, public radio's lively language show! Next week's show will be brand new, but this past weekend's show was a juicy repeat in which we talked about the demise of the typewriter, surfing...
seat belt rule n.— «Basketball coaches in Iowa must keep their seats in their seats because of what is known as the “seat belt rule.” Iowa boys’ coaches have had this rule for years, and it was approved for girls’ coaches this...
tweener n.— «The subject of Keokuk and six other hospitals in Iowa, referred to as “tweeners,” that are neither eligible for funding as large urban centers nor small critical access hospitals was explored along with Medicare reimbursement...
snuse n.— «As historians of the game know, sunflower seeds merely took over where smokeless tobacco, snuff—or “snuse” as it was called in the tiny Swede-dominated Iowa hamlet where I originated—left off. In those days, the boards on the...
pig in a python n.— «The intense pressure to raise money comes from various sources. One of the most important is the doubling of caucuses and primaries from nine to 18 in early March 1988-a series of post-Iowa and New Hampshire contests...
legislative cracker-barrel n.— «As part of what’s called the Legislative Cracker-barrel, state lawmakers from the Elk Point area were invited to answer questions about what’s going on at the state level.» —“South Dakota Lawmakers...