Tweeting under the name @guerillamemoir, Allison K Williams has a painful observation about typos that will resonate with many writers. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “A Painful Observation About Typos” We were talking earlier...
The tiny guppy, also called the millionfish or the rainbow fish, is named for amateur naturalist and Trinidad school superintendent Robert John Letchmere Guppy. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “How the Guppy Got its Name” You’re...
Taryn in Washington, D.C., wants to know the proper way to pronounce the word museum. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Pronouncing “Museum”” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, my name is Taryn. I use they them pronouns and I’m...
The organization Historic Hudson Valley describes the African-American celebration of Pinkster in an exemplary way. It avoids the use of the word slave and instead uses terms such as enslaved people, enslaved Africans, and captives. It’s a subtle...
The Stendhal syndrome is a term used to describe feeling overwhelmed by the beauty of a work of art. The name comes from the French writer Stendhal, who wrote about the dizzying sensation of seeing the art in Florence. It’s somewhat similar to the...
Ever heard a school bus called a school hack? Grant and Martha explain the etymology of hack, beginning with hackney horses in England, then referring to the drivers of the horse-drawn carriages, then the carriages themselves, and finally the...