Long distance communication used to be pretty expensive, but few messages have made a bigger dent than William Seward’s diplomatic telegram to France, which in 1866 cost him more than $300,000 in today’s currency. This pricey message aptly became...
Great news! A brand-new season of A Way with Words starts this weekend! The reason we’re able to start another year of a show that informs, inspires, and connects listeners around the world? You. Make your tax-deductible donation now. You, our...
If you say you can’t accomplish a task, someone might remind you “Mr. Can’t died in a cornfield.” This old saying is particularly evocative if you’ve ever been stuck in a cornfield, because it’s easy to think you won’t make it out. Another version...
Harriet Doerr published her first novel, Stones for Ibarra, at the age of 73. It won a National Book Award. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Harriet Doerr’s First Book” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language...
Why is the word pound abbreviated lb.? A listener from Tijuana, Mexico, learns that the answer relates to his native Spanish as well as the Latin term for “weighing.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Lb. Abbreviation” Hello, you...
Buenos! In this week’s archive edition, we consider alternatives to the word “retirement.” We also discuss “swan song,” “bike-shedding,” “tohubohu,” “criteria,” and how to pronounce “crayon.” It’s almost here! The granddaddy of all word-of-the-year...