When President Barack Obama had the Oval Office redecorated in soft browns and beige, The New York Times headline read: “The Audacity of Taupe.” The hosts discuss how puns work, and what makes them clever. Martha recommends John...
Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a set of Topical Limericks from the worlds of media and entertainment. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Media Limericks” You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Grant Barrett. And...
When it comes to language, who’s the decider? Grant explains how grammar rules develop. Also, what’s tarantula juice, and what’s the difference between a muffin top and a smiley? We discuss these and other terms from Green’s...
Our multi-talented Quiz Guy Greg Pliska, served as musical composer for the television documentary Flying Monsters 3-D. That experience inspired him to create a puzzle using phrases that have the same letter appearing three times in a row. For...
A listener reports that when her cat starts whining, she tells it to shut its kibble-hole. If only cats understood wordplay– or English. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Kibble-Hole” Grant, I love this email that...
Our Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a game of demonyms. What do you call someone from a certain place? If you’re from Cambridge, for example, you’re a Cantabrigian. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Demonyms Quiz”...