What do you call that embellishment at the bottom of old signatures, like the hash-marked line beneath John Hancock’s name? It’s called a paraph, originally used as a distinct mark to protect against forgery. This is part of a complete...
Is the proper phrase toe the line or tow the line? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “”Toe the Line” vs. “Tow the Line”” Hello, you have A Way with Words? Hi. Hi, who’s this? This is Ms...
“They shot the white girl first.” That’s how Toni Morrison’s novel, Paradise, begins, and it’s a great example of an irresistible first line. Martha shares others sent in by listeners. She also reads from a Michael...
A Fort Worth listener wonders about a claim she saw in a 1930s magazine. The article said that traditionally, a picket line was an area between the front lines of two opposing armies where soldiers might safely venture out to pick berries without...
David from Greenwich, Connecticut, asks about “fish or cut bait,” an idiom used when someone needs to make a choice rather than keep stalling. One interpretation treats “cut bait” as quitting fishing altogether and moving on to something else...
A die-hard fan of television’s Mad Men is puzzled when Don calls Betty a “Main Line brat.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Main Line Brat” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, my name’s Lisa...