Gawpy is an old term for “foolish,” and refers to the image of a person gaping stupidly. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Gawpy” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, Martha. Hi. This is Oliver in Chicago...
Brown as a berry goes back to Chaucer and the 1300’s, when brown was the new dark purple. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Expression from The Canterbury Tales” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Yeah, my name is...
Finns say their word sisu meaning “guts” or “fortitude” characterizes their national identity. Does your culture have such a word, like the Portuguese term saudade, perhaps? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
The word peruse is such a confusing term that it’s best to avoid it entirely. Some English speakers were taught it means “to read casually,” while others were taught exactly the opposite. This is part of a complete episode...
Elizabeth in Billings, Montana, grew up in Ireland using bollix or bollocks to mean making a mess of things, as in “I’ve really bollocksed this up.” The word is related to balls and originally referred to testicles, which helps explain why a...
The exclamation Fiddlesticks!, meaning “a trifle” or “something insignificant or absurd,” goes back to the time of Shakespeare. It endures in part because it’s fun to say. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript...