Even though blogs can’t read and newspapers can’t speak, it’s totally appropriate to write “the blog reads,” or “the newspaper says.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Blog Reads” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, Martha...
What does it mean to gazump someone? This phrase, specifically meaning “to swindle a customer in a real estate deal,” came about in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s before disappearing and then popping up again in England in the 1970s...
What does cheeky mean? How about the words twee and naff? A British ex-pat says she finds it hard to convey the nuances of these adjectives to her American friends. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “British Terms” Hi, you have A Way...
Grant recommends two blogs about writing well and copyediting: Merrill Perlman writes The Language Corner blog for the Columbia Journalism Review, and Philip B. Corbett of the New York Times reports on actual grammatical and usage mistakes in that...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a limericks news quiz. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Limericks Quiz” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Martha Barnette. And I’m Grant Barrett, and we’re joined once again by John Chaneski, our...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a puzzle about anagrams. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Anagram Word Quiz” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Grant Barrett. And I’m Martha Barnette. And we’re joined now by our quiz guy, John...