Can you guess what a smiley is? No, the other smiley. Or how about tarantula juice? You could, of course, happen upon someone with a muffin top drinking inferior whisky, or you could look these terms up in the new Green’s Dictionary of Slang...
You know the feeling when something hurts so good? A massage therapist looks for a term that describes this mix of pleasure and anguish. Sensanguish? Hedonalgia, maybe? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Hurts So Good” Hello, you...
Why do we say “take a gander” for “have a look”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Take a Gander” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Gary Whitlock in Fallbrook, California. Hi, Gary. Well, I was thinking the other day about...
Books for language lovers include Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages, Guy Deutscher’s lay-friendly tour of research on language and thought, and OK: The Improbable Story of America’s Greatest Word, Allan...
Does the language you speak shape how you think? The hosts discuss an essay on that topic adapted from the new book Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages by Buy Deutscher This is part of a complete episode...
You look like “death eatin’ a cracker walkin’ backwards.” In Appalachia, this phrase means, “you look terrible.” A caller wants to know its origin. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Appalachian Phrase Origin” Hi, you have A Way with...