non’trée n.— «Bay Area waiters have a nickname for many of their customers these days: the non’trée. Non’trée (pronounced “non-tray”) refers to the folks who order appetizers rather than a pricier entree—a popular practice in...
sikparazzi n.— «Just as paparazzi follow Hollywood stars for a living, hoping to catch them slipping up on film—many so called “sikparazzi,” a combination of the Korean word for food and paparazzi, will be checking up on...
Moonbats and wingnuts and sleepovers, oh my! Martha and Grant discuss political slang making the rounds during this election year. Also: Is it duct tape or duck tape? And what are you supposed to put in a jockey box?
Mike from San Diego asks about stingaree, a name once used for part of the city’s red-light district and later revived by a swank downtown nightclub. The word could refer to a stingray, but it also had seedier slang senses: a shortchanging con game...
Why do we call the fellow clearing the dishes and silverware a busboy? A Chicago listener isn’t satisfied with the answer, “Because he’s bussing the table.” Grant reveals the terms likely Latin roots. This is part of a...
Welcome to another newsletter from A Way with Words, this one brought to you by way of the brown hills of Los Angeles. This past weekend we had a great time on the air. Was it the "duck tape" vs. "duct tape" call? Was it trying...