A middle-schooler in Waukesha, Wisconsin, wonders why the word island contains the letter S, and why is it pronounced with a long I and no S sound? In Old English, this word for dry land surrounded by water was igland, coming from words that mean...
Matt from Waukesha, Wisconsin, has been discussing the words barely and nearly with his 10-year-old son Simon. They know the two words are nearly alike, but how exactly? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Barely and Nearly” You’re...
Matt from Waukesha, Wisconsin, has been discussing the words barely and nearly with his 10-year-old son Simon. They know the two words are nearly alike, but how exactly? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Barely vs. Nearly” Hello...
This week: whether cotton-pickin’ is racist, unintentionally funny headlines, whether enormity can simply mean “enormous,” how a person can be “such a pill,” and pandiculation. “It’s good stuff, Maynard!”
Careful about how you spend your money? Then you’re said to be “thrifty.” So why is someone who isn’t frugal called a spendthrift? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Thrifty and Spendthrift” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Yes, hello...
You’re at a wedding and all the guests raise their glasses in unison and say “Here, here!” Or is it “Hear, hear”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Here, Here vs. Hear, Hear” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hello, my name is Kaye...