If you’re not using a dictionary to look up puzzling words as you read them, you’re missing out on a whole other level of enjoyment. • When you’re cleaning house, why not clean like there’s literally no tomorrow? The term death cleaning refers to...
A woman in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, wonders: Why is the less busy period in a tourist area known as the shoulder season? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Shoulder Season” Hello, welcome to A Way with Words. Hi, this is Betsy. Hey...
If one has a chip on one’s shoulder, they’re spoiling for a fight. The phrase derives from the old practice of literally putting a chip of wood or other small object on one’s shoulder and daring an adversary to knock the chip off. The gesture...
What a difference pronunciation makes! The United States has a Department of Defense, and an individual might take classes in self-defense. So why do football and basketball coaches say they’re proud of their . . . “DEE-fence?” Linguists have a...
Dubbing someone a knight by tapping their shoulder with a sword is a venerable tradition, but that didn’t stop a wag from mocking it in limerick form with a groaner of a pun. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Knighting Pun” Okay...
Is there a name for those vocal sound we make when shrugging our shoulders or wordlessly affirming something with an “mm-hm”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Guttural Utterances” Oh, hello. You have A Way with Words. Hi, this is...