A biology student at Stanford University has a question that’s surely on the minds of many listeners: Is there’s an official term for “baby platypus”? He’s heard the term puggle used to denote these cute little critters, but is unsure if “puggle” is...
Proverbs pack great truths into a few well-chosen words, no matter which language you speak. Check out this one from Belize: “Don’t call the alligator a big-mouth till you have crossed the river.” And this truism from Zanzibar: “When two elephants...
This week’s Slang This! contestant shares his favorite slang term, teho, (To Each His Own), then tries to puzzle out the meaning of the terms karzy and low-bush moose. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Karzy and Low-Bush Moose”...
Stand back! It's another newsletter from A Way with Words. This past weekend on A Way with Words we talked about crossword puzzles. This coming weekend superstar solvers from across the continent will gather in Brooklyn, New York, to test their...
Bop-lop-a-boom-bop lop-bam-boom. It's another issue of the A Way with Words newsletter! This past weekend we aired an episode in which a caller told us that she finds the word "moist" repugnant. She's not the only one! We also talk...
Greetings earthlings! In our latest podcast, Martha muses about the "love dimple." You know, that little dent in your upper lip? It's called a "philtrum." The erotic origins of this word prove once again that etymology is...
