Hundreds of years ago, the word girl didn’t necessarily mean a female child — in the 14th and 15th centuries, it could refer to a child of either sex. Only later did its meaning become more specific. • Some people think that referring to a former...
A Courtland, Alabama, woman wonders about the phrase hairy at the heel. Along with hairy-heeled, hairy about the heels, and hairy about the fetlocks, this snobby term describes someone who is considered ill-bred. It derives from the fact that non...
Carol in Lawrenceville, Georgia, wonders whether nails on a chalkboard will keep its skin-crawling force as classrooms trade blackboards for whiteboards. The question came about via a Peter Sellers Pink Panther movie scene with metallic fingernails...
A Syracuse woman wonders how bread and butter pickles got their name. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Bread and Butter Pickles” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Allison Parker from Syracuse, New York, and I have a...
A woman wonders about a phrase from her past: “I’m going to beat you like a red-headed stepchild.” Martha and Grant discuss gingerism, or prejudice against redheads. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of ““Red-Headed Stepchild” as a Term...