Stunt performers in movies have their own jargon for talking about their dangerous work. In New York City, the slang term brick means “cold,” and dumb brick means “really cold.” Plus: the East and Central African tradition...
Sharing a secret language. Did you ever speak in gibberish with a childhood pal, adding extra syllables to words so the adults couldn’t understand what you were saying? Such wordplay isn’t just for kids—and it’s not just limited to...
We heard from someone on the show a while back about what to call an ex-wife’s new husband. Lots of listeners called in and wrote us with their suggestions, including husband-in-law and step-husband to relief pitcher, stunt double, and version...
Greetings from radioland! It's another newsletter from "A Way with Words." This week was a brand-new episode, featuring a word quiz with *both* of our quiz guys, plus discussions of overuse of exclamation marks, bogarting, rattling...
stunt v.— «Anthony Johnson, 14, said not having girls around for freshman year “takes the pressure off.” “We don’t have to what I call “stunt” in front of the girls,” he said. “The only thing the...
stunt casting n.— «Stunt casting—as it is called (when producers bring into celebrities from other arenas to help beef up the box-office of aging shows)—is becoming commonplace on Broadway. It has been the key to the winning formula of...