What’s up with ketchup? The shifting history and spelling of the name of this condiment. For centuries, ketchup was a fishy sauce originating in Asia—the tomatoes came only later! Plus, a new book shows what’s lost when a language dies: when there...
Why do we refer to small children as little shavers? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Why Do We Sometimes Call Kids Little Shavers?” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Natalie. How are you? I am calling from southern...
“He has soaked a hundred heads but hasn’t shaved one.” This Afghan proverb refers to someone who doesn’t finish what they start. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Unshaved Heads Proverb” Grant, here’s an Afghan proverb that I really...
winter legs n.pl.— «I had been sporting what most women like to call “winter legs”—a reference to some hairy undergrowth—but what I like to describe as my “Tommy Sheridan shrubbery.” Waxing, shaving and plucking became inevitable. It costs me about...
moon n.— «Then I straightened out the front wheels, somehow managing to keep the Zamboni from coming to an ice-melting dead stop.…Nodding shamefully, I quit my showboating and refocused my attention on driving. I made 10 more passes around the rink...