A question from a listener on the A Way with Words Facebook page has Martha musing about the entomological and etymological connections between the word pupil and the pupal stage of an insect’s life.
In the theater, actors who forget their lines are said to “go up” or to “go up on their lines.” But why go up? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Go Up On Lines” Hello, you have A Way with Words...
performal adj.— «“There’s a macho performal nature that some of these people crave,” she said. “And what better a performance than the blood and guts of butchery?”» —“Young Idols With Cleavers Rule the Stage” by Kim...
sexual anorexia n.— «Your husband’s behavior is actually very common for people who have a sexual addiction. There is a term for it: Sexual Anorexia—he starves you sexually because he no longer needs you—he has videos which don’t demand...
racecraft n.— «“When you get to this stage, these guys know how to drive race cars,” said Mears, who is working with driver Will Power as he prepares for his second Indy start and first with Penske on May 24. “So it’s really...
magicology n.— «Teller was one of the coauthors, and its publication was a signal event in a field some researchers are calling magicology, the mining of stage illusions for insights into brain function.» —“Magic and the Brain:...