Crime novelist James Ellroy, author of The Black Dahlia and most recently, Blood’s a Rover, tries his hand at a slang quiz. He reveals his favorite slang term, then tries to guess the meaning of the slang words buzzer, sheetwriter, and geetus, and...
Welcome to another newsletter from "A Way with Words"! Where the heck have we been? Working on a brand-new season, that's where. It starts this coming weekend. That's right--brand-new episodes, chock full of languagey goodness...
Moonbats and wingnuts and sleepovers, oh my! Martha and Grant discuss political slang making the rounds during this election year. Also: Is it duct tape or duck tape? And what are you supposed to put in a jockey box?
A listener phones with his pet restaurant peeve: When your waiter ask, “Are you still working on that?” Martha and Grant agree and pile on with gusto. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Still Working on That” Hello, you have A Way...
looner n.— «Balloon fetishists, or “looners,” as they call themselves, are sharply divided on the issue of “to pop or not to pop” and “flame wars over the issue take up a significant amount of space on the balloon-fetish chat rooms.”» —“Working Out...
moofer n.—Gloss: a person who works in a variety of places and not just in an office. Note: Coined by Microsoft from Mobile Out of Office. «“Working from home” has negative connotations. Become a “moofer” instead. A moofer (“Mobile Out of Office”)...

