Put a plate of milk in front of a cat, and you know that cat will catillate. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Catillate” Here’s another limerick from the Omnificent English Dictionary in limerick form. This is for...
Did you know reading poetry improves your prose? That includes hip-hop lyrics, too. Also, how linguist can guess where you come from based on how you speak. What do you call someone who picks the chocolate out of the trail mix...
There are doobies, and then there are good doobees. A caller from Traverse City, Michigan, says her husband refers to himself as a good doobee whenever he’d clean the house or pay the bills. The phrase goes back to Romper Room, a...
“Every plate that is made, breaks.” This Afghan proverb means that all things come to an end. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Every Plate Proverb” Another proverb from Afghanistan, and I’m not quite...
English is full of unusual terms, both old (eleemosynary, favonian) and new (flyaway, catio). Also, the Swahili term that means “sleep like a log,” the multiple meanings of the word joint, cowpies and horse biscuits, what it means to...
License-plate bingo, anyone? Quiz Guy John Chaneski offers a radio version. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “License-Plate Bingo” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Grant Barrett. And I’m Martha...