Starting this year, Scripps National Spelling Bee contestants not only have to spell words correctly. A controversial new rule means they’ll have to answer vocabulary questions, too. Also, when it comes to reading text, do you prefer “paper” or...
Are your nightstand books all over the place? Why not stack ’em into a bookmash? A bookmash is a kind of found poetry formed from book titles! And we all know that honesty is the best policy. But does that mean you should correct the grammar of your...
A couple is not necessarily the same as a pair; it can certainly mean more than two, and it’s always dependent on context. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Couple vs. Pair” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Yes, this is Noah...
How did Nimrod, the name of a mighty hunter and a great grandson of Noah, come to mean a lamebrain idiot? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Nimrod” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi. Hi, who’s this? Hi, this is Kathy. Hi, Kathy...
Bangle-butt n.— «BMW’s own Chris Bangle started making controversy with his “flame surfacing” design theme.…Other designers use the name Bangle as a term for a project gone wrong, and “Bangle-butt” has become a derisive label for cars with awkward...
tokophobia n.— «Women, obstetricians suggest, are afraid of labor. Block reports that there’s even a new word for it: tokophobia, the fear of giving birth.» —“The Obstetric-Industrial Complex” by Noah Berlatsky Chicago Reader June 29, 2007...