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 your granny...
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 here.” This is part of a...
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 Grant Barrett. And here to try...
goose iron n.— «Apart from any other consideration, it’s is a psychologically healthy exercise for Bahamian people to recognize the way we once lived. At a time, for example, when we did not have things like electric steam irons and instead had to...
