Heidi from Reno, Nevada, shares a bar game in which players take turns trying to recite by memory the increasingly long concatenation of phrases one fat hen, a couple of ducks, three brown bear, four running hare, five fickle female, six simple...
The crossword clue is “bread machine?” The answer has three letters. What is it? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Bread Machine?” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it. My name is Grant...
Amanda in Reno, Nevada, has a dispute with her husband. Is it okay to ask if something is any comfortable? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Is It Okay to Ask if Someone Is “Any Comfortable”?” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi...
Louis in Reno, Nevada, grew up in Montreal, Canada, speaking Québécois French. His father was fond of saying j’aime vacher le matin, puis je prends mon temps, meaning “I like to loaf and take my time in the morning.” Vacher comes from French vache...
Amber in Reno, Nevada, grew up in the American South, and was surprised to find after settling in Reno that she often hears people respond to Thank you with a simple Yeah instead of You’re welcome. The Yeah sounds pleasant enough, but is there a...
Tony in Reno, Nevada, says he’s noticed people leaving more space between each other while standing in a queue. Is there a better term for this than personal space? The study of public spaces and the way we move around them is known as proxemics...