A cowboy loves a ranch that’s pecorous, meaning abundant with cattle. Just something worth knowing. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Pecorous” If you ever need a word meaning abundant with cattle, I have the word for you. I need...
A San Diego woman says that when her baby starts crying in another room, her in-laws have a habit of saying, “Another country heard from!” This expression’s roots go back to elections in the 19th century, and was originally “another county heard...
Parents sometimes refer to their rascally kids as honyocks. Where’d we get a word like that? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Honyocks” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Ethan from Reidsburg. I have a question about the...
Pat, a fisherman in San Diego, hears mariners use snotty weather for rough offshore conditions, such as large swells, whitecaps, and wind above 10 or 15 knots. The phrase does not seem to mean cold weather that brings sniffles. Examples go back at...
In San Diego, a man says increasingly he hears the phrase down the pike at work but suspects it was originally down the pipe. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Down the Pike” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Brian...
A New York babysitter says the English language needs a word to replace the clunky phrase, “the kids I babysit.” The hosts try to help her find one. “Charges”? “Child associates”? “Padawans”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “From...