Welcome to another newsletter from A Way with Words! This week we kicked off our online-only summer minicasts. There are *two,* one announcing the minicasts and explaining the term "estival," and another digging into the brilliant history...
You’ve just read a terrific paperback novel. Would you feel any differently about it if you’d the same words on the glowing screen of an electronic book? Martha and Grant discuss the social and psychological implications of books that run on...
digifeiter n.— «Desktop graphics technology has also spawned a whole “amateur” counterfeiting industry that Warner refers to as “digifeiters,” or “wannabe counterfeiters.” These are housewives or students who use their home computer and a laser or...
A Wisconsinite hopes to unlock the question, “Why do we call it a skeleton key?” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Why a Pared-Down Key Is Called a Skeleton Key” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Gene from Chippewa...
This week’s “Slang This!” contestant guesses what the terms tape bomb and pixie money mean. Improvised explosive devices made out of cassette tapes? We don’t think so. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Tape Bomb and Pixie Money”...
Grant goes through the mailbag, offering answers about the terms “nosy parker,” “out of pocket,” and about whether the word “falsehood” has its origins in medieval garb. He also throws a question out to listeners about what is supposedly a mild...