A listener reports that when her cat starts whining, she tells it to shut its kibble-hole. If only cats understood wordplay– or English. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Kibble-Hole” Grant, I love this email that...
When it’s raining cats and dogs, the Greeks say, “It’s raining chair legs!” Omniglot has many more terms for downpours around the world. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Raining Chair Legs” So...
Shut your piehole! means “Shut your mouth!” Dave in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, heard it during a tense exchange at a mechanic’s shop. Piehole appears to be a U.S. offshoot of the older cakehole, recorded from the 1940s and likely associated with British...
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” This kind of sudden, surprising turn in a sentence is called a paraprosdokian. Martha and Grant trade some examples. This is part of a...
A zoo tour guide wants a specific word to describe how elephants procure hydration. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Watering Animals” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hey. Hi, who’s this? This is Viv Lindquist...
Nancy in Danville, California, wonders why a dried grape becomes a raisin and a dried plum becomes a prune. English borrowed raisin and prune from French, where raisin means grape and prune means plum, through different routes and at different times...