Schoolyard rhymes like “Johnny and Mary sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G” and “Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider” travel from child to child, often with local tweaks. They can be silly, rude, or cruel, but their singsong meter helps children...
Solrads are those lines radiating from the sun or a lightbulb in a comic strip, while dites are the diagonal lines on a smooth mirror. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Solrads” There are a lot more of these Mort Walker...
“Scat, Tom! Get your tail out of the gravy!” In some parts of the country, especially the South, people say this after someone sneezes. But what does a cat warming its tail in the gravy boat have to do with sneezing? This is part of a...
A Marine stationed in California says that growing up in North Carolina, he understood the expression fixin’ to or fixing to to mean “to be about to.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Fixin’ To”...
In the film industry, the expression meet cute refers to “an overly precious first encounter between the romantic leads.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Meet Cute” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this...
A zoo tour guide wants a specific word to describe how elephants procure hydration. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Watering Animals” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hey. Hi, who’s this? This is Viv Lindquist...
