A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
Episodes
Gold Dance (Rebroadcast) - 20 June 2022
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
People who hunt treasure with metal detectors have a lingo all their own. Canslaw means the shreds of aluminum cans left after a lawnmower ran over th...
By a Long Shot (Rebroadcast) - 13 June 2022
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine telling someone how to get to your home, but without using the name of your street, or any other street within 10 miles. Could you do it? We t...
Familiar Strangers - 6 June 2022
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you take up texting and social media late in life, there’s a lot to learn! A twenty-something wants advice getting her dad up to speed on memes, ...
Word Hoard - 30 May 2022
30 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder what medieval England looked and sounded like? In Old English, the word hord meant “treasure” and your wordhord was the treasure o...
When Pigs Fly (Rebroadcast) - 23 May 2022
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t move my cheese! It’s a phrase middle managers use to talk about adapting to change in the workplace. Plus, the origin story of the name Wi...
Cool Beans (Rebroadcast) - 16 May 2022
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you speak a second or third language, you may remember the first time you dreamed in that new tongue. But does this milestone mean you’re actuall...
You Talk Like a Sausage - 9 May 2022
09 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you refer to your dog or cat as “somebody”? As in: When you love somebody that much, you don’t mind if they slobber. In other words, is your...
Love Bites (Rebroadcast) - 2 May 2022
02 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece ...
Pushing the Envelope - 25 April 2022
25 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sure, there’s winter, spring, summer, and fall. But the seasons in between have even more poetic names. In Alaska, greenup describes a sudden, dra...
Lasagna Hog (Rebroadcast) - 18 April 2022
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Understanding the varieties of conversational styles can mean the difference between feeling you’re understood and being insulted. “High-involveme...
Primary Colors - 11 April 2022
11 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Centuries ago, monks who took a vow of silence developed their own hand signs, with hundreds of gestures, that are still in use today. Plus, how do sp...
Kiss the Cow (Rebroadcast) - 4 April 2022
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An anadrome is a word that forms a whole new word when you spell it backwards. For example, the word “stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts.”...
Deep Fried Air - 28 March 2022
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Eels, orts, and Wordle! Sweden awarded its most prestigious literary award to a book about…eels. The Book of Eels reveals the mysterious life cycl...
No Cap, No Lie (Rebroadcast) - 21 March 2022
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We take our voices for granted, but it’s truly miraculous that we communicate complex thoughts simply by moving our mouths while exhaling. A fascina...
East Overshoe - 14 March 2022
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some people work hard to lose their accent in order to fit in. Others may be homesick for the voices they grew up with and try to reclaim them. How ca...
Lead on MacDuff (Rebroadcast) - 7 March 2022
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For rock climbers, skiers, and other outdoor enthusiasts, the word send has taken on a whole new meaning. You might cheer on a fellow snowboarder wi...
Herd of Turtles - 28 February 2022
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some college students are using the word loyalty as a synonym for monogamy. Are the meanings of these words now shifting? Plus, a biologist discove...
Tribble Trouble (Rebroadcast) - 21 February 2022
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Cockney rhyming slang, apples and pears is a synonym for “stairs,” and dustbin lids means kids. Plus, sniglets are clever coinages for th...
Mittens in Moonlight (#1586)
14 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Need a slang term that can replace just about anynoun? Try chumpie. If you’re from Philadelphia, you may already know this handy placeholder word....
Ring-Tailed Tooter (Rebroadcast) - 7 February 2022
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
National Book Award winner Barry Lopez had wise advice for young writers. First, read widely and follow your curiosity. Second, travel or learn a fore...
What the Blazes (Rebroadcast) - 31 January 2022
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What kind of book do people ask for most often in prison? Romance novels? No. The Bible? No. The most requested books by far are … dictionaries! A n...
Mudlarking (Rebroadcast) - 24 January 2022
24 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Twice a day the River Thames recedes, revealing a muddy shoreline. Hobbyists known as mudlarks stroll the surface searching for objects that have fo...
Diamond Dust - 17 January 2022
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Diamond dust, tapioca snow, and sugar icebergs — a 1955 glossary of arctic and subarctic terms describes the environment in ways that sound poeti...
Sleepy Winks - 10 January 2022
10 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It was a dark and stormy night. So begins the long and increasingly convoluted prose of Edwards Bulwer-Lytton’s best-known novel. Today the annual B...
Snaggletooth (Rebroadcast) - 3 January 2021
03 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us struggled with the Old English poem “Beowulf” in high school. But what if you could actually hear “Beowulf” in the English of today...
Like a Boiled Owl (Rebroadcast) - 27 December 2021
27 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What’s it like to hike the Pacific Crest Trail all the way from Mexico to Canada? You’ll end up with sore muscles and blisters, and great stories ...
Your Two Cents (Rebroadcast) - 20 December 2021
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Astronauts returning from space say they experience what's called the overview effect, a new understanding of the fragility of our planet and our need...
Made from Scratch - 13 December 2021
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Enthusiastic book recommendations! Martha’s savoring the biography of Alexander von Humboldt, the 19th-century explorer, polymath, and naturalist wh...
Deviled Eggs (Rebroadcast) - 6 December 2021
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Some TV commercials launch catchphrases that stick around long after the original ads. The exclamation Good stuff, Maynard! is still a compliment al...
Good Vibrations (Rebroadcast) - 29 November 2021
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece ...
Salad Days - 22 November 2021
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A documentary film called My Beautiful Stutter follows youngsters at a summer camp specifically for stutterers. It’s a place for finding acceptanc...
Mystery Drawer (Rebroadcast) - 15 November 2021
15 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Amid court-ordered busing in the 1970s, a middle-school teacher tried to distract her nervous students on the first day of class with this strange ass...
Your Imaginary Boyfriend - 8 November 2021
08 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We use the term Milky Way for that glowing arc across the sky. But how people picture it varies from culture to culture. In Sweden, that starry band...
Sock it to Me (Rebroadcast) - 1 November 2021
01 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new boo...
Beefed It - 25 October 2021
25 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The words tough, through, and dough all end in O-U-G-H. So why don’t they rhyme? A lively new book addresses the many quirks of English by expl...
Moon Palace (Rebroadcast) - 18 October 2021
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What happens in a classroom of refugee and immigrant youngsters learning English? Their fresh approach to language can result in remarkable poetry —...
Forty-Eleven Zillion - 11 October 2021
11 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When there’s no evening meal planned at home, what do you call that scramble to cobble together your own dinner? Some people apply acronyms like YO...
Cherry Bombs (Rebroadcast) - 4 October 2021
04 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An ornithologist says there’s a growing movement to change the name of a pink-footed bird currently called the flesh-footed shearwater. The movemen...
Navel Gazing (Rebroadcast) - 27 September 2021
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city's youngest readers, ...
Yak Shaving (Rebroadcast) - 20 September 2021
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There was a time when William Shakespeare was just another little seven-year-old in school. Classes in his day were demanding — and all in Latin. A ...
Mystery Date - 13 September 2021
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A librarian opens a book and finds a mysterious invitation scribbled on the back of a business card. Another discovers a child’s letter to the Tooth...
Today I Learned (#1578) - 6 September 2021
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Youngsters want to know: What's the difference between barely and nearly, and what's so clean about a whistle, anyway? Plus, adults recount some misun...
Singing Sand (Rebroadcast) - 30 August 2021
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cat hair may be something you brush off, but cat hair is also a slang term that means "money." In the same way, cat beer isn't alcoholic — some peop...
Sour Pickle - 23 August 2021
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You know that Yogi Berra quote about how Nobody ever comes here; it’s too crowded? Actually, the first person to use this was actress Suzanne Ridge...
Baby's Breath (Rebroadcast) - 16 August 2021
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever googled your own name and found someone else who goes by the very same moniker? There’s a word for that: googleganger. Plus, the lang...
Not My Circus - 9 August 2021
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Throwing cheese and shaky cheese are two very different things. In baseball, hard cheese refers to a powerful fastball, and probably comes from a...
Hog On Ice (Rebroadcast) - 2 August 2021
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One secret to writing well is … there is no secret! There’s no substitute for simply sitting down day after day to practice the craft and learn fr...
Scooter Pooting - 26 July 2021
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Old. Elderly. Senior. Why are we so uncomfortable when we talk about reaching a certain point in life? An 82-year-old seeks a more positive term to ...
Goody Two-Shoes (Rebroadcast) - 19 July 2021
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
She sells seashells by the seashore. Who is the she in this tongue twister? Some claim it's the young Mary Aning, who went on to become a famous 19th-...
Gold Dance - 12 July 2021
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
People who hunt treasure with metal detectors have a lingo all their own. Canslaw means the shreds of aluminum cans left after a lawnmower ran over ...
Join us for our video cookout July 14th!
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join Martha and Grant of A Way with Words, the public radio show and podcast about language, for a live video Q&A and chat on Wednesday, July 14, at 9...
Baby Blues (Rebroadcast) - 5 July 2021
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A hundred years ago, suffragists lobbied to win women the right to vote. Linguistically speaking, though, suffrage isn't about "suffering." It's from ...
By a Long Shot - 28 June 2021
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine telling someone how to get to your home, but without using the name of your street, or any other street within ten miles. Could you do it? We ...
Walkie Talkie (Rebroadcast) - 21 June 2021
21 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most powerful words you'll ever hear -- and one of the most poignant -- isn't in dictionaries yet. But it probably will be one day. The wor...
When Pigs Fly - 14 June 2021
14 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t move my cheese! It’s a phrase middle managers use to talk about adapting to change in the workplace. Plus, the origin story of the name Wi...
Tiger Tail (Rebroadcast) - 7 June 2021
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You may have a favorite word in English, but what about your favorite in another language? The Spanish term ojalá is especially handy for expressing ...
Cool Beans - 31 May 2021
31 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you speak a second or third language, you may remember the first time you dreamed in that new tongue. But does this milestone mean you’re actuall...
Clever Clogs (Rebroadcast) - 24 May 2021
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ribbon fall. Gallery forest. You won't find terms like these in most dictionaries, but they and hundreds like them are discussed by famous writers in ...
Love Bites - 17 May 2021
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The word filibuster has a long and colorful history, going back to the days when pirates roamed the high seas. Today it refers to hijacking a piece ...
Little Shavers (Rebroadcast) - 10 May 2021
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The word hipster might seem recent, but it actually originated in the 1930s when it referred to jazz aficionados who were in the know about the best n...
Lasagna Hog - 3 May 2021
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Understanding the varieties of conversational styles can mean the difference between feeling you’re understood and being insulted. “High-involveme...
Bug in Your Ear (Rebroadcast) - 26 April 2021
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is there something inherent in English that makes it the linguistic equivalent of the Borg, dominating and consuming other languages in its path? No, ...
Kiss the Cow - 19 April 2021
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An anadrome is a word that forms a whole new word when you spell it backwards. For example, the word “stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts.”...
The Black Dog (Rebroadcast) - 12 April 2021
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Books were rare treasures in the Middle Ages, painstakingly copied out by hand. So how to protect them from theft? Scribes sometimes added a curse to ...
No Cap, No Lie - 5 April 2021
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We take our voices for granted, but it’s truly miraculous that we communicate complex thoughts simply by moving our mouths while exhaling. A fascina...
Beside Myself (Rebroadcast) - 29 March 2021
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The new Downton Abbey movie is a luscious treat for fans of the public-television period piece, but how accurate is the script when it comes to the vo...
Lead on, Macduff! (#1565)
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For rock climbers, skiers, and other outdoor enthusiasts, the word send has taken on a whole new meaning. You might cheer on a fellow snowboarder wi...
Skookum (Rebroadcast) - 15 March 2021
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
So you've long dreamed of writing fiction, but don't know where to begin? There are lots of ways to get started — creative writing classes, local wr...
Tribble Trouble - 8 March 2021
07 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In Cockney rhyming slang, apples and pears is a synonym for “stairs,” and dustbin lids means kids. Plus, sniglets are clever coinages for th...
Life of Riley (Rebroadcast) - 1 March 2021
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Unwrap the name of a candy bar, and you just might find a story inside. For instance, one chewy treat found in many a checkout lane is named after a f...
Ring-Tailed Tooter - 22 February 2021
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
National Book Award winner Barry Lopez had wise advice for young writers. First, read widely and follow your curiosity. Second, travel or learn a fore...
Off the Turnip Truck (Rebroadcast) - 15 February 2021
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggest...
What the Blazes? - 8 February 2021
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What kind of book do people ask for most often in prison? Romance novels? No. The Bible? No. The most requested books by far are … dictionaries! A n...
Loaded for Bear (Rebroadcast) - 2 February 2021
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One way to make your new business look trendy is to use two nouns separated by an ampersand, like Peach & Creature or Rainstorm & Egg or ... just abou...
Mudlarking - 25 January 2021
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Twice a day the River Thames recedes, revealing a muddy shoreline. Hobbyists known as mudlarks stroll the surface searching for objects that have fo...
Mrs. Astor's Horse (Rebroadcast) - 18 January 2021
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"What has a head like a cat, feet like a cat, a tail like a cat, but isn't a cat?" Answer: a kitten! A 1948 children's joke book has lots of these to ...
Snaggletooth - 11 January 2021
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us struggled with the Old English poem “Beowulf” in high school. But what if you could actually hear “Beowulf” in the English of today...
At First Blush (Rebroadcast) - 4 January 2021
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Book recommendations and the art of apology. Martha and Grant share some good reads, including an opinionated romp through English grammar, a Spanish-...
Gift Horse (Rebroadcast) - 28 December 2020
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The edge of the Grand Canyon. A remote mountaintop. A medieval cathedral. Some places are so mystical you feel like you're close to another dimension ...
Like a Boiled Owl - 21 December 2020
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What’s it like to hike the Pacific Crest Trail all the way from Mexico to Canada? You’ll end up with sore muscles and blisters, and great stories ...
Had the Radish (Rebroadcast) - 14 December 2020
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Your first name is very personal, but what if you don't like it? For some people, changing their name works out great but for others it may create mor...
Your Two Cents - 7 December 2020
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Astronauts returning from space say they experience what's called the overview effect, a new understanding of the fragility of our planet and our need...
Abso-Bloomin-Lutely (Rebroadcast) - 30 November 2020
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The autocomplete function on your phone comes in handy, of course. But is it changing the way we write and how linguists study language? Also, suppose...
Niblings and Nieflings (Rebroadcast) - 23 November 2020
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How do actors bring Shakespeare's lines to life so that modern audiences immediately understand the text? One way is to emphasize the names of people ...
Sock it to Me - 16 November 2020
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new boo...
Kite in a Phonebooth (Rebroadcast) - 9 November 2020
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How do actors bring Shakespeare's lines to life so that modern audiences immediately understand the text? One way is to emphasize the names of people ...
Strawberry Moon (Rebroadcast) - 2 November 2020
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We asked for your thoughts about whether cursive writing should be taught in schools — and many of you replied with a resounding “Yes!” You said...
Good Vibrations - 26 October 2020
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece ...
Spill The Tea (Rebroadcast) - 19 October 2020
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If someone urges you to spill the tea, they probably don’t want you tipping over a hot beverage. Originally, the tea here was the letter T, as i...
Mystery Drawer - 12 October 2020
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Amid court-ordered busing in the 1970s, a middle-school teacher tried to distract her nervous students on the first day of class with this strange ass...
Dirty Laundry (Rebroadcast) - 5 October 2020
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When you had sleepovers as a child, what did you call the makeshift beds you made on the floor? In some places, you call those bedclothes and blankets...
Keep Your Powder Dry (Rebroadcast) - 28 September 2020
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jacuzzi and silhouette are eponyms — that is, they derive from the names of people. An Italian immigrant to California invented the bubbly hot tu...
One Armed Paper Hanger (Rebroadcast) - 21 September 2020
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The emotional appeal of handwriting and the emotional reveal of animal phrases. Should children be taught cursive writing in school, or is their time ...
Deviled Eggs - 14 September 2020
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Some TV commercials launch catchphrases that stick around long after the original ads. The exclamation Good stuff, Maynard! is still a compliment al...
Hair On Your Tongue (Rebroadcast) - 7 September 2020
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you speak both German and Spanish, you may find yourself reaching for a German word instead of a Spanish one, and vice versa. This puzzling experie...
Play It By Ear - 31 August 2020
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How does social context shape our perception of language? When hiking the Appalachian Trail, a young woman from Wyoming found that fellow hikers assum...
Train of Thought (Rebroadcast) - 24 August 2020
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Chances are you recognize the expressions Judgment Day and root of all evil as phrases from the Bible. There are many others, such as the powers...
Moon Palace - 17 August 2020
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What happens in a classroom of refugee and immigrant youngsters learning English? Their fresh approach to language can result in remarkable poetry —...
Space Cadet (Rebroadcast) - 10 August 2020
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We have books for language-lovers and recommendations for history buffs. • How did the word boondoggle come to denote a wasteful project? The answer...
Howling Fantods (Rebroadcast) - 3 August 2020
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are there words and phrases that you misunderstood for an embarrassingly long time? Maybe you thought that money laundering literally meant washing dr...