Hey, look: there are three brand-new episodes to tell you about! Each includes a few rounds of devious word puzzles cooked up by our quiz guy John Chaneski, as well as: Last weekend, “Secret Gibberish”: piggyback gibberish the pronunciation of...
A dogsledder in Vermont wonders why he and his fellow mushers direct their furry packs by shouting gee for “right” and haw for “left.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Gee and Haw” You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show...
Susan, a nursing student in Madison, Wisconsin, asks why medical shorthand uses GTTS to mean “drops” or “drips,” as in medication given by drip. The abbreviation comes from Latin gutta, “drop,” with the vowels removed and an English plural -s added...
surgiversary
n.— «Today is exactly one year from my surgery. (I refuse to refer to it as a “surgiversary.” It’s just not me.)» —“What a Year It’s Been” by thefatblackdog The Fat Black Dog Mar. 26, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
cougay n.— «The SNL skit below coined the word cougay to refer to an older gay man chasing younger gay men.…Another reason why I posted this blog about cougay (aka chicken hawk) is to beg the question “Am I a cougay?” I had an LTR bf who was 16...
trad adj.— «He assured me that what he collects—and plays—is traditional, or “trad,” jazz. I told him I call it Dixieland. He called my terminology “unfortunate,” adding, “Eddie Condon hated the term Dixieland.” That should settle it.» —“‘Trad’...