Max from Sacramento, California, is curious about why the long, frosted doughnut with no filling that he grew up calling a long john goes by so many other names, including longie, bar doughnut, chocolate bar, maple bar, and maple stick. Food names...
Morgan in San Antonio, Texas, wondered why toasted sounded like a reference to alcohol to some readers of her social media post and marijuana to others. Both readings are possible. Toasted broadly means intoxicated, with context and community...
A high school student called in to ask about a term his peers use for flirting: chopping. Ever heard it? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Chopping and Flirting” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, my name is Henry Nieberg. I’m...
Shadowdabbled. Moon-blanched. Augusttremulous. William Faulkner often used odd adjectives like these. But why? Grant and Martha discuss the poetic effects of compressed language. Also, African-American proverbs, classic children’s books, pore vs...
A bi-coastal listener wonders about the terms West Coast and eastern seaboard. Why don’t we say Californians live on the western seaboard? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Coast vs. Seaboard” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi...
