If you speak both German and Spanish, you may find yourself reaching for a German word instead of a Spanish one, and vice versa. This puzzling experience is so common among polyglots that linguists have a name for it. • The best writers create...
Denise in Panama City, Florida, is trying to recall a word for the fear of not knowing what happens in the world after one dies. It’s a more elevated term than FOMO, the fear of missing out. A poetic alternative is gephyrophobia, a fear of...
Step-ins, pull-ons, and drawers are all euphemistic terms for underwear. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Euphemisms for Underwear” Hello, welcome to A Way with Words. Hey, hey, how are you? Excellent, who are we...
Another term for moth is miller or dusty miller, so named the powdery wings of these insects recall the image of a miller — someone who grinds grain — covered in flour. That’s also the inspiration behind the name of the dusty miller plant...
Childish and childlike both point to children, but their connotations differ. Sue in Panama City, Florida, asks after her English husband argues that childlike applies to adults and childish to children. In common use, childish often criticizes...
Mark in Panama City, Florida, asks about kowtow, after a boss wondered what it meant when someone said not to kowtow to him. The word entered English in the early 1800s from Chinese words in a Beijing dialect meaning “knock head,” a literal image of...