Quiz Guy John Chaneski puts on his toque and serves up a quiz about kitchen spices. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Kitchen Spices Word Quiz” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it. I’m...
Is it cheating to say you’ve read a book if you only listened to it on tape? Over the centuries, the way we think about reading has changed a lot. There was a time, for example, when reading silently was considered strange. Plus, what do you call...
Cumin, a spice often used in chili powder, is easy to think of as an exotic ingredient with an equally exotic pronunciation. But many dictionaries insist that its pronunciation rhymes with “comin’.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Open your kitchen cupboard or a cookbook, and chances are you’ll come across a lot of spices and peppers with recognizable names that you still can’t pronounce properly, like turmeric, cayenne, and habanero. We often give foreign-sounding...
What do you think the chances are that Sporty Spice has tried a sport pepper? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Sport Pepper” Here’s a food word that I came across. Do you know what a sport pepper is? A what kind? Sport pepper...
Digital timepieces may be changing the way we talk, at least a little. There’s Bob o’clock (8:08), Big o’clock (8:19), and even Pi o’clock. Also this week, what do you call that gesture with your fingers when you want to make an image larger on a...