“I know, right?!” is a friendly way to acknowledge that you understand someone. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “I Know, Right?!” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, my name is Julie. Hi, Julie, where are you...
Is there a word for a word that doesn’t fit its own definition? For example, verb is a noun, and monosyllabic is polysyllabic. Come to think of it, why is it so hard to remember how to spell mnemonic? This is part of a complete episode...
A listener noticed fugacious on a sign at the Orchid House at the San Diego Zoo, where the botanical label refers to flowers that last only briefly, sometimes just a day. The adjective also describes anything passing quickly, including a sudden...
The words respiration and inspiration have the same Latin root, spirare, which means “to breathe.” The word conspire also shares that etymological root. But what does conspiring have to do with breathing? The source of this term is notion that...
Adam in Indianapolis grew up with his grandmother’s warning not to split a pole, meaning that two companions shouldn’t pass on opposite sides of a lamppost, mailbox, or other street obstacle. The idea is that the physical separation hints at an...
No single established term fits exactly for the feel of saying a word apart from its meaning, though mouthfeel comes close. Tracy from Dallas, Texas, likes the way suitcase moves in the mouth but not rural, a contrast akin to how wine tasters talk...