Books were rare treasures in the Middle Ages, painstakingly copied out by hand. So how to protect them from theft? Scribes sometimes added a curse to the first page of those books that was supposed to keep thieves away — and some were as vicious as...
In Japan, if you want to order a corndog, you ask for an Amerikan doggu (アメリカンドッグ). These types of coinages are called wasei-eigo, or “Japanese-made English,” and there are lots of them. Plus, there’s an atmospheric optical...
There’s an atmospheric phenomenon that resembles the Northern Lights, and it’s called STEVE. That’s because citizen scientists used that name among themselves when discussing these glowing ribbons of color in the sky. They settled...
Gifts for book lovers: Martha recommends one for lovers of libraries and another for students of Spanish. Grant suggests some enchanting novels for young readers. When it comes to books, though, you can’t always judge them by their original...
Diane in Midland, Texas, asks why so many English words beginning with sn, including sneer, snarl, snot, snide, and snooty, carry negative or nose-related meanings. Phonesthesia is the term for associating certain sounds with particular meanings. In...
What do you call the phenomenon of running into a dear friend you haven’t seen in decades? Deja you, maybe? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Deja You” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Good morning. This is Lori...