Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a quiz called “Scronsonants.” The object is to guess two-word phrases containing a pair of words starting with the same three consonants. Here’s one: “I get a particular joy from the pain of others, but I had to learn how...
Why is that annoying stuff in your email box called spam? Grant has the answer. Here’s the Monty Python skit that inspired it. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Email Spam” I heard from Vicki in Madison, Wisconsin, who wrote, My...
In medical terminology, the abbreviation GTTS means “drops” or “drips.” But why? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “GTTS” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, my name is Susan. I’m normally in Madison, Wisconsin, but I’m calling...
Obamamania, Obamabot, Obamathon, Obamamentum— the list of variations on the name “Obama” goes on and on. Is there an English word that means “the in-laws of your son or daughter”? And what does it mean when someone says, “Well, that was odder than...
If you’ve flown from Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport recently, you may have noticed an odd but official-looking sign that reads: “RECOMBOBULATION AREA.” A caller from Madison was discombobulated to see it, then started wondering about the...
You can tell someone’s an A Way with Words listener when they confess to lying awake at night wondering about questions like, “Are the words fillet and flay etymologically related?” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Fillet and Flay”...
