Quiz Guy John Chaneski takes us on a road trip, which means another round of the License Plate Game! This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “New License Plate Word Game” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and...
What do you call the place you purchase adult beverages? Is it a liquor store or a package store? Package store is common in the Northeast, while folks in Milwaukee know it as the beer depot, and Pennsylvanians might call it the ABC store. Tell us...
Does your vocabulary mark you as old or outdated? Certain words really indicate generational gaps, like chronological shibboleths. For example, are thongs panties or flip-flops? And what do women carry around — a pocketbook, a purse, or a bag? Your...
At one time, a boner was a mistake. And now, it’s — you know. Beware of that outdated usage, grownups! This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Innocent Boner” We’re talking about the things that people say that make them seem old...
Why do some puns strike us as clever, while others are plain old groaners? Martha and Grant puzzle over this question. Also, the difference between baggage and luggage, a royal word quiz, the “egg” in egg on, what to call someone who doesn’t eat...
Why are some American place names pronounced differently than the famous place they were named after? Why is Cairo, Ill., pronounced “KAY-roh”? Why do Midwesterners pronounce Versailles as “Ver-SALES” and the New Madrid Fault as “New MAD-rid”? Grant...