What’s a word for the act of being so focused on documenting an important event, such as a wedding or an eclipse, that your effort to capture it distracts from experiencing the event itself? The A Way with Words Facebook group has some...
We’ve spoken on the show before about conversation openers that differ from the often dreaded “What do you do?” and we heard from one listener who prefers “What keeps you busy?” This is part of a complete episode...
dead-man brake n.— «Cars have been built with brake pedals.…We have built-in hand-braking controls and so-called “dead-man” brake controls.» —“Suggestion for Relocation Of Accelerator Shows Many Plans...
asteroidick n.— «I have one sports-related suggestion—asteroidick. as-ter-oid-ick (n) symbol: * 1. A star-shaped symbol found in the major league baseball record books to indicate players who used steroids. 2. The slimy stuff that sticks...
Madibaland n.— «As much as I admire Madiba but I think to call every building after him is taking it too much. I am getting confused already because every town there is somenting named after him. But I must admit I like the Madibaland...
scraper n. an automobile, especially a large, unfashionable passenger vehicle that has been customized. Editorial Note: This term appears to originate in and be specific to northern California, especially the San Francisco Bay area. Etymological...

