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PODCAST

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over

Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett. Produced by Stefanie Levine.

Fun conversation with callers from all over about new words, old sayings, slang, family expressions, word histories, linguistics, dialects, word games, books, literature, writing, and more. Be on the show with author/journalist Martha Barnette and linguist/lexicographer Grant Barrett. Share your thoughts, questions, and stories: https://waywordradio.org/contact or words@waywordradio.org. In the US and Canada, call or text 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free 24/7. Send a voice note or message via

society & culture language learning

All Episodes

53:45

Flying Pickle (Rebroadcast) - 18 November 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/11/18

How would you like to be welcomed to married life by friends and neighbors descending on your home for a noisy celebration, tearing off the labels of all your canned foods and scattering cornflakes in your bed? That tradition has almost died out, but such a party used to be called a shivaree. • The expression my name is Legion goes back to a Bible story that also gave us another English word that’s much more obscure. • Tips for reading a book and looking up the words you don’t know — without losing

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53:45

The Last Straw (Rebroadcast) - 11 November 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/11/11

In this episode, books for word lovers, from a collection of curious words to some fun with Farsi. • Some people yell “Geronimo!” when they jump out of an airplane, but why? • We call something that heats air a heater, so why do we call something that cools the air an air conditioner? The answer lies in the history of manufacturing. • Also, quaaltagh, snuba, the last straw vs. the last draw, and to see a man about a horse. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and

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53:45

Beside Myself - 4 November 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/11/04

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 vocabulary of the early 20th century? It may be jarring to hear the word swag, but it was already at least 100 years old. And no, it's not an acronym. Also, a historian of science sets out to write a book to celebrate semicolons — and ends up transforming her views about language. Plus, one teacher's creative solution to teen profanity in the classroom

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53:45

Hidden Treasures (Rebroadcast) - 28 October 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/10/28

A new online archive of Civil War letters offers a vivid portrait of the everyday lives of enlisted men. These soldiers lacked formal education so they wrote and spelled by ear. The letters show us how ordinary people spoke then. • Is there a single word that means the opposite of prejudice? Unhate? Or maybe allophilia? • There’s an old joke that if you buy clothes at a flea market, they throw in the fleas for free. But the story behind the term flea market is a lot more complicated. • Also: go to

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53:45

Skookum - 21 October 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/10/21

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 writing groups, and books with prompts to get you going. The key is to get started, and then stick with it. And: which part of the body do surgeons call the goose? Hint: you don't want a bite of chicken caught in your goose. Also, the nautical origins of the phrase three sheets to the wind. This term for "very drunk" originally referred to lines on a

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51:45

Butterflies in the Stomach (Rebroadcast) - 14 October...

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/10/14

If you're not using a dictionary to look up puzzling words as you read them, you're missing out on a whole other level of enjoyment. Also, when you're cleaning house, why not clean like there's literally no tomorrow? The term "death cleaning" refers to downsizing and decluttering specifically with the next generation in mind. The good news is that older folks find that "death cleaning" enhances their own lives. Finally, you know when anticipating something has you extremely nervous but also really

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53:45

Life of Riley - 7 October 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/10/07

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 family's beloved horse. And: 50 years ago in the United States, some Latino elementary students were made to adopt English versions of their own names and forbidden to speak Spanish. The idea was to help them assimilate, but that practice came with a price. Plus, who is Riley, and why is their life a luxurious one? Also: a brain-busting quiz about

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53:45

Catch You on the Flip Side (Rebroadcast) - 30...

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/09/30

Some countries have strict laws about naming babies. New Zealand authorities, for example, denied a request to name some twins Fish and Chips. • Halley’s Comet seen centuries before English astronomer Edmund Halley ever spotted it. That’s an example of Stigler’s Law, which says no scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer. Funny thing is, Stigler didn’t come up with that idea. • Anagrams formed by rearranging the letters of another word. But what do you call anagrams that are

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53:45

Off the Turnip Truck - 23 September 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/09/23

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 suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about internet language says this disagreement is worth remembering when we talk about how greetings are evolving today — both online and off. Plus, a Los Angeles teacher asks: What are the rules for teen profanity in the classroom? Finally, why some people mimic the

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53:45

Loaded For Bear - 16 September 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/09/16

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 about any other two-word combination. A tongue-in-cheek website will generate names like that for you. And: In the traditions of several African countries, names for babies are often inspired by conditions at the time of their birth, like a period of grief or wedding festivities, or the baby's position when leaving the womb. In Zambia, for example, some

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51:45

All Verklempt (Rebroadcast) - 9 September 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/09/09

SUMMARY Of all the letters in the alphabet, which two or three are your favorites? If your short list includes one or more of your initials, that's no accident. Psychological research shows we're drawn to the letters in our name. And: if you doubt that people have always used coarse language, just check out the graffiti on the walls of ancient Pompeii. Cursing's as old as humanity itself! Plus, just because a sound you utter isn't in the dictionary doesn't mean it has no linguistic function. Also:

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51:45

Hunk Waffle (Rebroadcast) - 2 September 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/09/03

Decisions by dictionary editors, wacky wordplay, and Walt Whitman's soaring verse. How do lexicographers decide which historical figures deserve a mention or perhaps even an illustration in the dictionary? The answer changes with the times. Plus, a tweet about basketball that uses every letter of the alphabet at least once. It goes: "LaBron has played more career minutes than MJ, Shaq, Hakeem, Ewing, and others. Crazy how we never expect him to get fatigued in a game." Turns out there's an entire

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53:45

Pants On Fire (Rebroadcast) - 26 August 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/08/26

A highly anticipated children’s book and the epic history behind a familiar vegetable: fans of illustrator Maurice Sendak eagerly await publication of a newly discovered manuscript by the late author. And speaking of children’s literature, some wise advice from the author of Charlotte’s Web, E. B. White: “Anybody who shifts gears when he writes for children is likely to wind up stripping his gears.” • When is a mango not a mango? If you’re in Southern Indiana, you may not be talking about a tropical

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53:45

Frozen Rope (Rebroadcast) - 19 August 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/08/19

Where would you find a sports commentator talking about high cheese and ducks on a pond? Here’s a hint: both terms are part of what makes America’s pastime so colorful. • A government official in New Zealand proposes a new, more respectful term for someone with autism. • The roots of that beloved Jamaican export, reggae music. Also, hang a snowman, goat rodeo, jimson weed, work-brickle vs. work-brittle, banana bag, and okay. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts

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53:45

Flop Sweat (Rebroadcast) - 12 August 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/08/12

Gerrymandering draws political boundaries to tip elections towards certain political parties. Originally, the word was pronounced “GARY-mandering” with a hard “g.” But why? And why did it change? • Mark Twain and Helen Keller had a devoted friendship. When he heard accusations that she’d plagiarized a story, Twain wrote Keller a fond letter assuring her that there’s nothing new under the sun. • A well-crafted subject line makes email more efficient. One that contains just the word “Question” is

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51:45

Smile Belt (Rebroadcast) - 5 August 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/08/05

The only time you'll ever see the sun's outer atmosphere is during a full solar eclipse, when sun itself is completely covered. That hazy ring is called the corona, from the Latin word for "crown" -- just like the little crown on a bottle of Corona beer. Plus, the phrase "throw the baby out with the bathwater" contains a vivid image of accidentally tossing something -- and so does the phrase "to fly off the handle." But where did we get the expression "to hell in a handbasket"? The origin of this

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53:45

Mrs. Astor's Horse - 29 July 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/07/29

"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 share with kids. Plus: an easy explanation for the difference between immigrate with an i, and emigrate with an e. And: The ancient Greeks revered storks for the way they cared for each other. They even had a legal requirement called the Stork Law, which mandated that Greek adults look after their elderly parents. Much later, the same idea inspired a

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51:45

A Shoo-In (Rebroadcast) - 22 July 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/07/22

This week it’s butterflies, belly flowers, plot bunnies, foxes, and cuckoos. Also, writing advice from Mark Twain and a wonderful bit of prose from Sara Pennypacker's book Pax. And are there word origins? Well, does a duck swim? We'll hear the stories of polka, smarmy, bully pulpit, and the exes and ohs we use to show our affection. Plus! Sarcastic interrogatives, the echo questions we give as answers to other people's no-duh queries. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your

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53:45

At First Blush - 15 July 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/07/15

Book recommendations and the art of apology. Martha and Grant share some good reads, including an opinionated romp through English grammar, a Spanish-language adventure novel, an account of 19th-century dictionary wars, and a gorgeously illustrated book of letters to young readers. Plus, what's the best language for conveying a heartfelt apology? Ideally, an apology won't be the end of a conversation. Rather, it will be the beginning of one. Plus, a brain-busting word quiz, snow job, clean as a

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53:45

Noon Of Night (Rebroadcast) - 8 July 2019

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers... ·

2019/07/08

As a kid, you may have played that game where you phone someone to say, “Is your refrigerator running? Then you better go catch it!” What’s the term for that kind of practical joke? Is it a crank call or a prank call? There’s a difference. • If someone has a chip on his shoulder, he’s spoiling for a fight — but what kind of chip are we talking about? Potato? Poker? Hint: the phrase arose at a time when working with wood was more likely. • A conversation with an expert on polar bears leads to a

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