We tend to take the index of a book for granted, but centuries ago, these helpful lists were viewed with suspicion. Some even worried that indexes would harm reading comprehension! A witty new book tells the story. Plus, the Latin term bona fides...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski is a fan of fan names — those nicknames given to devotees of a particular show or performer — so much so that he’s collected a whole puzzleful of them. Justin Bieber fans, for example, are known as Beliebers, so what do you...
Remember Tom Swifties, those puns where the adverb matches the quote? How about this one: “I love reading Moby-Dick,” Tom said superficially. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “More Tom Swifties” Grant, I come to you as a supplicant...
Grant shares Tom Swifties sent in by listeners: “Aw, shucks, I dropped the toothpaste,” Tom said crestfallenly, and “I’ve located the experts,” Tom said profoundly. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Listener Tom Swifties” Boy...
What’s in a pet’s name? Martha and Grant swap stories about how they came up with names for their dogs. Also this week: Have you ever been called a stump-jumper? How about a snicklefritz? And what’s the last word in the dictionary? Depending on...
Martha shares a great automotive Tom Swifty sent in by a listener. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Automotive Tom Swifty” Grant, the Tom Swifties keep coming into our mailbox, and I have a couple of others from listeners that are...