Some countries have strict laws about naming babies. New Zealand authorities, for example, denied a request to name some twins Fish and Chips. • Halley’s Comet seen centuries before English astronomer Edmund Halley ever spotted it...
A San Diego, California, man wonders about the meaning and distribution of the directional phrase over yonder. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Over Yonder” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, how’s it going...
A ride on the carousel in San Diego’s Balboa Park has Martha pondering the origin of the phrases to grab the brass ring, meaning to achieve something difficult, and to reach for the brass ring, meaning to try hard to reach a goal, and by...
A fluke print is the pattern a whale’s tail leaves on the surface of the water. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Fluke Print” I came across a cool word the other day, fluke print. This is the record of all the...
The first-ever “Word by Word” awards were presented by A Way With Words co-hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett as part of a sold-out celebration at the San Diego Natural History Museum. To celebrate its tenth year of independent production...
Hiking in the mountains, Martha kept noticing butterflies at about 4,000-to-5,000 feet above sea level. Those butterflies are hilltopping. It’s when male butterflies of many species go to high points to advertise their fortitude and genes to the...