If you’re sending out party invitations, what’s the sure-fire way to get ahold of everyone? Mail? Email? Facebook? Texting? Do we even know each other’s phone numbers anymore? Why can’t there just be one system that everyone uses?! This is part of a...
If you’re on tenterhooks, it means you’re in a state of anxious anticipation or suspense. But what IS a tenterhook? The answer goes back to a 15th-century manufacturing process. Also, you probably have a term for those crumbs that collect in the...
Ralphing, slang for vomiting, is onomatopoeic, modeled on the harsh sound itself, and dates at least to the 1960s. Kelsey in Tallahassee, Florida, went looking for a clever way to describe her dog throwing up on her paperwork and wondered whether...
Great news! A brand-new season of A Way with Words starts this weekend! The reason we’re able to start another year of a show that informs, inspires, and connects listeners around the world? You. Make your tax-deductible donation now. You, our...
First names like “Patience,” “Hope,” and “Charity” are inspired by worthy qualities. But how about “Be-courteous” or “Hate-evil”? The Puritans sometimes gave children such names hoping that their kids would live up to them. Also, even some feminists...
It’s the Up Goer Five Challenge! Try to describe something complex using only the thousand most common words in English. It’s a useful mental exercise that’s harder than you might think. Also, if you want to make a room dark, you might turn off the...
