The books we love as children may influence our careers more than we realize. As a child, Martha was fascinated with stories of cracking codes, and Grant loved books with glossaries–not that far from the kind of work they do today. A caller from...
In observance of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, copies of his First Folio will be touring all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico, for the public to see. It seems fitting, considering what D.H. Lawrence wrote about the Bard: “When I read...
Are we tested on what we’ve learned, or what we’ve learnt? Grant explains how efforts to replace the “t” verb ending with “ed” gradually took hold in the United States, but not in Britain. Affiliated nations, such as Australia, New Zealand, and...
If someone has overegged the pudding, they’ve overstated the case. This may explain why a lawyer from Lawrence, Kansas, found the phrase in a judicial opinion. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Overegging the Pudding” Hello, you...
This week’s Slang This! contestant grapples with the slang terms squish and optempo. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Squish and Optempo” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Grant Barrett. And I’m Martha Barnette, and it’s...