orphan disease n.— «A 12-year-old Simi Valley boy with a rare immune system disorder has inspired a series of benefits to help find a cure for what is known as an “orphan disease” because it affects too few children to warrant federal research...
Sharpen those pencils! Martha and Grant are doing crossword puzzles on the air again, preparing for their appearance with NPR Puzzlemaster Will Shortz at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in New York City.
chop v.— «Hawkins led for a large part of Sunday’s final portion, and started talk of splitting the pot early and everyone going home (“chopping,” in poker parlance). Then he lost a couple of hands. (Personally, I think he was on tilt—later he...
A listener who recently played in a Boggle tournament wants to know why we speak of seeding such a competition. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Seeding a Competition” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi there, this is Tom from...
cooler n.— «To win a multi-day tournament, a player must be able to overcome the inevitable bad beat or “cooler,” which is defined as a great hand that just runs into a better hand (for example K-K vs. A-A). The way players respond to this bit of...
Hey, everybody! This past weekend's show was our tribute to National Grammar Day, which is Tuesday, March 4th. Among other things, we talked about "booby trap," the food dish "turkey Manhattan," "lock, stock, and...