Is it time to replace the expression “the mentally ill”? Some argue the term unfairly stigmatizes a broad range of people. Also, the winter sport of… skitching, which involves snowy roads, leather shoes — and car bumpers...
“Well, aren’t you the chawed rosin!” is a reference to the chewy sap of a gum tree, considered a sweet treat. It’s used to refer to people who think highly of themselves, and is heard primarily in the South Midlands of the...
When you think of the word binky, a child’s pacifier probably comes to mind. But it’s also a term known among rabbit fanciers. It refers to when bunnies frolic and jump around. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
How do you pronounce moot point? Does it sound like mute, or rhyme with toot? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Mute Point vs. Moot Point” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Stephen from Dallas. Hi, Stephen...
“I won’t even mention how beautiful she is, but you should really see her photo.” Rhetorical statements like this one, where the point is actually made by pretending to avoid it, is often called paralipsis or paraleipsis. It comes...
Sarah from Los Angeles, California, asks whether ogle should sound like oh-gle, oggle, or oogle. The standard pronunciation is oh-gle, rhyming with “mogul,” while some dictionaries recognize a much rarer variant closer to oggle. The form oogle is...