Phil in Indianapolis asks about the verb vet, now common in political talk. It comes from veterinarian. The term was in horse racing by the mid-1800s, when a vet checked horses before a race to make sure they were sound and hadn’t been tampered with...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s puzzle Blank the Blank, also called Verb the Noun, asks for familiar three-word expressions in the pattern verb + the + noun. One clue describes someone who refuses to confront trouble, another an accountant committing fraud...
Here’s another newsletter from A Way with Words! Is text messaging a sign of the destruction of English? No! On this past weekend’s show, we talked about it, as well as the names of your toes, “recombobulation,” word blends...
sleeved out adj.—Gloss: Related to the verb “to sleeve.” «Sometimes that can be a problem, especially if the men are “sleeved out”—a term used to describe tattoos which cover the arms.» —“Department of corrections job...
Welcome to another newsletter from A Way with Words! This past weekend we aired the episode in which we talked about "grouch bag," the pronunciation of "patronize," the origin of "dead heat," and the use of the German...
wendy v.— «Misogyny, anti-intellectualism, vindictive political opponents, an out-of-control press—the resignation of Wendy Alexander as leader of the Labour party at Holyrood offers something to everyone with a thesis about the loss of...
