whimperative n.— «The clearest example is ordinary politeness. When you are at a dinner party and want the salt, you don’t blurt out, “Gimme the salt.” Rather, you use what linguists call a whimperative, as in “Do you...
In our latest online-only episode, Martha’s been putting together a collection of your favorite collective nouns and Grant joins her to swat around a caller’s question about what to call a game of tennis when you have only three players...
Aloha! We have another A Way with Words podcast goofy-footing among the grommets. Martha's been putting together a collection of your favorite collective nouns and Grant joins her to swat around a caller’s question about what to call a...
witness mark
n.— «Correct form of blaze on trees as witness marks.» —by Richard Henry Stretch Prospecting Locating and Valuing Mines , 1900. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
bluebird n.— «Welch got rid of a strategic albratross, got a strategic bluebird, got essentially $1 billion in the hopper, and got out of the consumer electronics business.» —“Roundtable Discussion Audio Video Home...
wolf ticket n.— «Ah, but my favorite phrase that the boys enlightened me on was wolf ticket or wolfin’ Huh? Yeah, I had no clue, either. It means someone’s lying. Why wolf ticket? It’s a play off the story of the boy who cried wolf. The...