A listener in Richmond, Virginia, is bothered by the overuse of the word gentleman, as when media outlets report that police have apprehended the gentleman suspected of committing a heinous crime. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Office workers in Richmond, Virginia, are having a dispute: Is the appliance that makes the coffee a coffee pot or a coffee maker? This is a classic case of synecdoche, where a single part—like the pot that holds the hot coffee—is used to refer to...
For at least one listener, the crust on a slice of pizza is the dashboard. Italians have a specific word for that: cornicione. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Pizza Dashboard” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi there, Martha and...
A debate has been raging within the Conductors Guild. Should that organization’s name have an apostrophe? Most board members contend that for simplicity and clarity, the name should go without an apostrophe. The hosts concur. This is part of a...
Touchous means tender, sore, or painful to the touch, as in a twisted hand that’s still “right touchous” a few days later. Ken in Richmond grew up hearing it from his eastern North Carolina family. The word is heard in the South and South Midlands...
When something happens above board, it means things are clear and in the open. But this has nothing to do with being on board a ship. Rather, it comes from the term board meaning “table,” as in room and board, and has to do with poker players...