There are lots of words for people who engage in gossip. Another is quidnunc, from the Latin words quid, “what,” and nunc, “now.” A quidnunc is always asking “What now?” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Quidnunc” Grant, you...
Jean in Greenville, South Carolina, shares a funny story about learning the term locoweed, which she learned from watching lots of Westerns as a child. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “A Child Hears About Locoweed” Jean Anderson...
A hilarious news story about a pair of heroic terriers that chase off a bear from a California home leads to an equally hilarious correction about the difference between black bears and brown bears. Big ups to Squirt and Mei Mei! This is part of a...
For English speakers of a certain age, film at 11 is a slang phrase means “You’ll hear the details later.” It’s a reference to the days before 24-hour cable news, when newscasters would read headlines during the day promoting the 11 p.m. broadcast...
What’s an end-of-the-year episode without Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s limericks about words in the news? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Year-End Limerick Quiz” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we...
Does Betteridge’s Law of Headlines Make Us Look Fat? No. But it is the eponymous law that states, “If it ends in a question, the answer is ‘no.'” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Betteridge’s Law of Headlines” We were talking...