Ever been to an ABC party? How about a darty? The hosts discuss these and other slang terms heard around campus. They also talk about mulligrubs and collywobbles, take a shot at a puzzle for celebrity couples, potions that make childbirth a...
If you say to someone the Spanish equivalent of “you’re giving me green gray hairs” (me sacas canas verdes), it means that person is making you angry. In Japan, the phrase that literally translates as “one red dot”...
How do you pronounce biopic? The proper way to mention the genre of biographical motion picture has always been “BUY-oh-pick,” as opposed to the mirror of myopic. It’s not unusual to mispronounce a word if the spelling does not...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski offers a word puzzle about portmanteau words called “Say Can You See.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Say Can You See Puzzle” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m...
OMG, text messaging! It’s destroying the English language, corrupting young minds, turning us into illiterates. It’s probably shrinking the ozone layer, too. Or is it? In his new book, Txting: The Gr8 Db8, David Crystal offers a...
screenseller n.— «Yes24, an online bookstore, said the original novel on which the film “The Reader” is based, published in 1995 by German author Bernhard Schlink, saw an average of 19 copies sold monthly since the book was first...