Ron in Gloverville, South Carolina, wonders about the phrase since hatchet was hammer, which some use to mean “for a long period of time,” as in My family has lived here since hatchet was hammer. Another phrase he’s heard indicating the same thing...
Emory in Jacksonville, Florida, recalls that when his Bahamian grandmother was enjoying a meal she’d say it’s so good it makes your tongue want to slap your brains out. There are many variants including so good it makes you want to slap...
Why do some place names include the word the, as in The Hague or the Bronx? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Place Names Starting with “The”” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, how are you? My name is...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a game built on the lyrical pattern of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” with clues like, “Mr. Tyson, even a boxer like you shouldn’t have a problem finding a 3-wheeled ride out of...
Conversate, a variation of the word converse, is part of African-American Vernacular English, but with a slightly different meaning. To conversate is “to converse raucously.” This word goes back to at least 1811, and it’s well-known to many African...
We play bingo on the air with Quiz Guy John Chaneski. His motives are not B9! This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Bingo Lingo Word Quiz” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Martha Barnette. And I’m...
