Erica in San Antonio, Texas, asks whether there’s a term for the soft noises that people make with their mouths while waiting, such as humming or whooshing, to pass the time. Another example might be that animated Typewriter Guy on Sesame Street who...
Wrapping up 2016 with words from the past year and some newsy limericks. Bigly and Brexit were on lots of lips this year, as well as an increasingly popular Danish word that means “cozy.” Also, Quiz Guy John Chaneski sums up the year in newsy...
Listeners respond to our earlier conversation about ending a telephone call with mmm-bye. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Mmm-Bye” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it. I’m Grant Barrett...
Responding to our conversation about concluding a phone call with mmm-bye, a listener offers an example of a humorous telephone greeting: “Nyello!” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Nyello” We were talking earlier about the...
Remember when teenagers used to sit by the phone, waiting for it to ring? Now ask teenagers if they do anything but text. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Texting vs. Calling” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about...
trees n.pl.— «Cedarberg told police Hill had given her $20 to sign for the packages but denied knowing what was in them. She said after the packages arrived she heard Hill on the phone telling someone he had the “trees,” a term for marijuana...
