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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

Truth and Beauty - 28 May 2018

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

2018/05/28

Malamute, kayak, and parka are just some of the words that have found their way into English from the language of indigenous people in northern climes. • In the 1970s, some scientists argued that two quarks should be called truth and beauty. • The many layers of words and worlds we invoke when we describe someone as the apple of my eye. • To have brass on one’s face, frozen statues, good craic, prepone, agathism and agathokakological, and the positive use of I don’t care. Read full show notes, hear

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53:45

Jump Steady (Rebroadcast) - 21 May 2018

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

2018/05/21

To transmit information during wartime, various industries used to encode their messages letter by letter with an elaborate system–a primitive version of today’s digital encryption. Grant breaks down some of those secret codes, and shares the story of the most extensive telegram ever sent. Plus, we’ve all been there: Your friends are on a date, and you’re tagging along. Are you a “third wheel”–or the “fifth wheel”? There’s more than one term for the odd person out. Finally, a rhyming quiz about

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53:45

Dessert Stomach - 14 May 2018

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

2018/05/14

Funny cat videos and cute online photos inspire equally adorable slang terms we use to talk about them. • Also, when a salamander is not a salamander, the story of an Italian term for a dish towel used halfway across the world, Bozo buttons, betsubara, both vs. bolth, straight vs. shtraight, mlem, hoosegow, sticky bottle and magic spanner, caster sugar, a word game, and more. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A Way with

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53:45

Scat Cat (Rebroadcast) - 7 May 2018

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

2018/05/07

The dilemma continues over how to spell dilemma! Grant and Martha try to suss out the backstory of why some people spell that word with an “n.” A lot of them, it seems, went to Catholic school. Maybe that’s a clue? Plus, the saying “Close, but no cigar” gets traced back to an old carnival game. And the French horn isn’t actually French—so why in the world do we call it that? Plus, a word game based on famous ad slogans, the plural form of the computer mouse, a Southern way to greet a sneeze, and

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53:45

Far Out, Man - 30 April 2018

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

2018/04/30

What other names could a team use if they realize it’s time to give up calling themselves the “Redskins”? Also, what should we call those people who don’t turn left as as soon as the traffic light goes green? Plus, the connection between a passage of ancient poetry and familiar brand of athletic shoes, new rhyming names for everything, far out, use a wheelchair vs. be confined to a wheelchair, honey hole, pirate lingo, honte, floorios, and more. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes,

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53:45

Beat the Band (Rebroadcast) - 23 April 2018

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

2018/04/24

Can language change bad behavior in crowded places? The Irish Railway system has launched an ad campaign to encourage passengers to be more generous at boarding time. For example, have you ever rummaged through your belongings or pretended to have an intense phone conversation in order to keep someone from grabbing the seat next to you? Then you’re busted — there’s a word for that! Also, one of America’s top experts on garage sales is looking for the right term for that kind of bargain-hunting. Is

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53:45

Brollies and Bumbershoots - 16 April 2018

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

2018/04/16

If you think they refer to umbrellas as bumbershoots in the UK, think again. The word bumbershoot actually originated in the United States! In Britain, it’s prolly a brolly. • Also: snow-grooming language, more than one way to say bagel, Philadelphia (not the city), strong like bull, whistle britches, long suit and strong suit, homey and homely, wet behind the ears, dead nuts, and more. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A

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53:45

Cool Your Soup - 9 April 2018

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

2018/04/09

According to Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, it’s important to master the basics of writing, but there comes a time when you have to strike out on your own and teach yourself. Also: Spanish idioms involving food, a conversation about the difference between compassion and sympathy, recursive acronyms, bear-caught, leaverites, jonesing, mon oeil, Jane Austen’s pins, high-water pants, and save your breath to cool your soup. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and

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53:45

Put on the Dog - 2 April 2018

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

2018/04/02

Why isn’t “you’re welcome” the default response to “thank you” for everyone? Plus lies that kids tell, Philadelphia lawyer, cowbelly, skutch, mind-bottling vs. mind-boggling, tsundoku, infanticipating, noisy piece of cheese, a word game, and lots more. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org/. Email words@waywordradio.org. Twitter @wayword. Our listener phone line 1 (877)

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53:45

Fighting Artichokes (Rebroadcast) - 26 March 2018

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

2018/03/26

What’s in a mascot name? Maybe you’re a fan of the Banana Slugs, or you cheer for the Winged Beavers. Perhaps your loyalty lies with the Fighting Artichokes. There are some strange names for sports team out there. But what’s even stranger is the origin of the word mascot itself. It’s from a 19th-century opera! And: the host of a television show about gardening is tired of using the verb “to plant,” and is desperate for an alternative. But coming up with one is harder than you might think! Plus, a

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53:45

Burn Bag (Rebroadcast) - 19 March 2018

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

2018/03/19

The slang coming out of Victorian mouths was more colorful than you might think. A 1909 collection of contemporary slang records clever terms for everything from a bald head to the act of sidling through a crowd. Plus, how to remember the difference between CAV-al-ry and CAL-va-ry. And: what’s the best way to improve how introverts are perceived in our society? For starters, don’t bother asking for help from dictionary editors. Also, collieshangles, knowledge box, nanty narking, biz bag, burn bag,

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53:45

Gee and Haw - 12 March 2018

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

2018/03/12

The highly specialized vocabulary of people who work outdoors, communicating with sled dogs, a word from the sport of rock-climbing, church key, browse line, smeuse, nitnoy, mommick, zawn, zwer, boom dog, and I think my pig is whistling. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org/contact. Be a part of the show: call 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free in the United States and Canada;

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53:45

Gung Ho - 5 March 2018

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

2018/03/05

The origins of the peace symbol, why we say someone who’s enthusiastic is gung ho, a tasty spin on stuffed foccacia that originated in eastern Sicily, curling parents, sharking and other words for driving around a parking lot looking for a space, ribey, a great book for young readers, man lettuce, and more. Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org/contact. Be a part of the show:

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53:45

Flop Sweat (Rebroadcast) - 26 February 2018

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

2018/02/27

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) - 19 February 2018

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

2018/02/19

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

Crusticles and Fenderbergs - 12 February 2018

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

2018/02/12

A second-generation Filipino-American finds that when he speaks English, his personality is firm, direct, and matter-of-fact. But when he speaks with family members in Tagalog, he feels more soft-spoken, kind, and respectful. Research shows that when our linguistic context shifts, so does our sense of culture. • Why do we describe movies that are humorously exaggerated and over-the-top as “campy”? This type of “camp” isn’t where your parents sent you for the summer. It derives from slang in the gay

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53:45

Bun in the Oven - 5 February 2018

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

2018/02/05

How many different ways are there to say you have a baby on the way? You can say you’re pregnant, great with child, clucky, awkward, eating for two, lumpy, or swallowed a pumpkin seed? • The story behind the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. It’s older than the Mary Poppins movie. • Made-up foreignisms, like the one you eat with scrambled eggs: oinkenstrippen! Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A Way with

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53:45

Flying Pickle - 29 January 2018

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

2018/01/29

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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51:45

Happy as Larry - 22 January 2018

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

2018/01/22

New research shows that you may be less influenced by superstitious behavior like walking under ladders or the magic of four-leaf clovers if you're reading about it in another language. And: sometimes not cursing will catch someone's ear even more than a real curse word. Finally, in what sport do you enjoy a glass-off and speck out before getting flushed? Martha brings back a firsthand report from the language of paragliding. Listen to all episodes for free: https://waywordradio.org/ Support the

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51:45

A Shoo In (Rebroadcast) - 15 January 2018

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

2018/01/15

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. Listen to all episodes for free: https://waywordradio.org/

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