Ever hear a broadcast where the announcer enunciates a little too precisely? Grant and Martha discuss the effect of softening syllables, such as “prolly” for “probably,” and “wanna” for “want to.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Heigh-ho! It's another newsletter from "A Way with Words," and we've got treats. Climb into our van! There are two minicasts for you, for one thing. What’s the deal with using the two-letter postal code abbreviations for states...
Twittering, tweeting, twirting—it’s rare to see a whole new body of language appear right before your eyes. But that’s what’s happening with Twitter. We discuss the snappy new shorthand of the twitterati. Also, why do people feel compelled to say...
Lee from Philadelphia’s green Amazon parrot is named Alexander Hamilton, not Polly, but strangers still greet him with Polly want a cracker? The joke is old: Poll was a nickname for parrots as far back as the 1600s, and by 1848 the cracker line was...
chumbolone n.— «“I gave him lip service,” Doyle said. “I didn’t know what he was talking about. I don’t wanna look like a chumbolone, an idiot, stupid,” Doyle said from the witness stand. There is a tasty Sicilian Easter cake called ciambellone...
sherb n.— «“You wanna put your sherbs on?” Farrar asked, using the slang for the inmates’ orange-colored canvas shoes and the slang phrase for walking up to the park to fight.» —“Hard Time: Inside Richmond’s Jail” by David Ress Times...