Stacy from Marquette, Michigan, says her German-born grandfather would warn that she was going to get a putsch or potch, meaning a “a gentle slap” on her bottom, if she misbehaved. The German verb Patsch means “slap.” The related dialectal German...
Beth from Springfield, New Hampshire, grew up with potch as both a noun and a verb for a toddler who gets into drawers, cupboards, and other trouble; a family T-shirt even dubbed her “Super Potch.” In Yiddish, potch or putch can mean a slap or...
What’s the best way to help your child learn to speak a foreign language? One option is an immersion school, where teachers avoid speaking English. Also, did you ever play padiddle while riding in a car? Plus, what your signature says about you...
What’s a tasteful way to refer to one’s rear end? Tushie and tush come from the Yiddish word tuchus. Also spelled tochis and tochas, it is regarded by some folks, such as the New York Times, as “insufficiently elegant.” This is part of a complete...
Be on the lookout for instances to drop this Texas colloquialism: “He didn’t have enough hair on his chest to make a wig for a grape!” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Not Enough Hair To…” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m...