A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
Episodes
Grant: Nosy Parkers and Butternuts - 20 Nov. 2007
21 Nov 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Grant goes through the mailbag, offering answers about the terms 'nosy parker,' 'out of pocket,' and about whether the word 'falsehood' has its origin...
Martha and Grant: Points on a Compass, the Saga Continues
14 Nov 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Remember Tom, the guy who's still trying to remember a word he insists he learned long ago meaning 'the points on a compass'? That call generated a bo...
Martha and Grant: The Blue Bark Mystery - 7 Nov. 2007
08 Nov 2007
Contributed by Lukas
A caller asks a delicate question about the phrase 'blue bark shipment,' a term involving the transport of deceased members of the military. Martha an...
Martha and Grant: Let's Blow This Joint - 31 Oct. 2007
31 Oct 2007
Contributed by Lukas
A caller sends Grant and Martha off on a slang-infested trip about ways of saying a fast good-bye. Listen as they blow pop, popcorn, and taco stands b...
Grant: Dangerous Books You Should Read - 24 Oct. 2007
24 Oct 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Discover the joys (and temptations!) of two new books of collected wisdom: The Yale Book of Quotations, edited by Fred Shapiro, and James Geary's Guid...
Martha and Grant: Hey, That's Mine! - 17 Oct. 2007
17 Oct 2007
Contributed by Lukas
When you were a child and wanted to lay claim to something, what did you say? Did you call dibs? Or did you hosey it? A caller is curious about anothe...
Martha: Appalachian Cackleberries - 10 Oct. 2007
10 Oct 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Martha reminisces about her family's mountain roots while dipping into the delicious vocabulary of Southernisms found in the Dictionary of Smoky Mount...
Martha: The Love Dimple - 3 Oct. 2007
03 Oct 2007
Contributed by Lukas
What's the name for that little dent in your upper lip? It's called a philtrum. Martha reveals the erotic origins of this word, and proves once again ...
Martha: A Collection of Collective Nouns - 26 Sept. 2007
26 Sep 2007
Contributed by Lukas
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: The results of the A Way with Words Collective Noun Contest! What collective noun would you apply to ...
Buffet Flats (minicast)
19 Sep 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Do you know what a “buffet flat” is? Is it A) a type of shoe you wear to all-you-can-eat dinners, B) a lull in economic growth predicted by Warren...
This Week or Next? (minicast)
12 Sep 2007
Contributed by Lukas
The Pod Couple—also known as Martha and Grant—consider just when is "next week" or "this Monday" anyway? A husband and wife with a long running di...
Gardentoolism (minicast)
24 Aug 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this summer a word caught my fancy: "gardentoolism." So I made a slang quiz about it! Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, se...
What A Load of Bunk! (minicast)
17 Aug 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Few are the words whose origins we know for certain, but “bunk” is one of them. From the mountains of North Carolina to the halls of Congress to e...
The Train is Servicing the Station (minicast)
10 Aug 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Yo, listeners! There’s another online-only podcast from “A Way with Words.” This time, Grant answers questions about the word “agio” from a ...
Podcast Bonus! The New Word Open Mic
04 Aug 2007
Contributed by Lukas
In June, Grant attended the biennial meeting of the Dictionary Society of North America. One of the highlights was the New Word Open Mic where anybody...
The Secret Lives of Flowers (minicast)
01 Aug 2007
Contributed by Lukas
Martha muses about the secret lives of flowers in this week’s podcast. She’s been pondering the lexical legacy of Carolus Linnaeus, the great Swed...