Sensuous words and terms of endearment. Think of a beautiful word. Now, is it simply the word’s sound that makes it beautiful? Or does its appeal also depend on meaning? Also, pet names for lovers around the world: You might call your beloved...
More than a century ago, the Springfield Republican newspaper in Massachusetts proposed a new word for that twitterpated time in an adolescent’s life when one discovers the joys of flirtation: being all girled up. The Republican is also the...
Welcome to another newsletter from "A Way with Words"! In our latest episode, we talked about bird names, "like a duck on a June bug," overuse of the word "like," the expression of disbelief "Good night, nurse...
colony collapse disorder n.— «That is why experts are concerned about an unexpected die-out of a large portion of the bee population this winter. According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, beekeepers in 24 states—including Ohio—have...
manopause n.— «Now middle-aged men have begun to admit they, too, can experience hormonal shifts that affect many aspects of their lives such as sexual function and drive, muscle and bone strength, mood, mental acumen and energy. Some...
who laid the rail adv. phr.— «They always had a celebration every year when I was a kid. And us kids looked forward to that. For we could shoot fire crackers till who laid the rail.» —in University of Illinois at Springfield Oral...