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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 text1 (877) 929-9673toll-free 24/7. Send a voice note or message via

society & culture language learning

All Episodes

53:45

Just Skylarking (Rebroadcast) - 28 September 2026

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

2026/09/28

The art of the invitation can be tricky. An inviter’s idea of invitation may be taken by an invitee as merely mentioning an event while they’re nearby. One such a misunderstanding went on for months! Plus, George Saunders, winner of the Booker Prize, says some of the best advice about crafting a story comes from Dr. Seuss. And the icebreaker that doubles as a Dad joke: Do you live around here or ride a bicycle? Wait, what??? Also, stodgy, claggy, undertaker, a fill-in-the-blanks brain teaser, funny

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53:45

Carpe Diem - 21 September 2026

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

2026/09/21

Carpe diem! A new book reveals the surprisingly unfamiliar stories behind familiar quotations. Also: Rock climbers have gumbies, and surfers have kooks. What do those words say about beginners who have more confidence than experience? Plus, if you’re planning a night on the tiles, where exactly are you headed? And doggerel from a century ago, canine hassling, kerfuffle, oofless, a quiz about Greek letters, Lucky lucky white horse ding dong day, whatever I wish, bring me today, sending newbies for

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53:45

Folding Money (Rebroadcast) - 14 September 2026

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

2026/09/14

Barbara Kingsolver’s book Demon Copperhead is a retelling of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield set in today’s Appalachia. Martha shares memories of a long-ago visit to Kingsolver’s family farm in Virginia, where they discussed many of the same issues covered in this Pulitzer-winning novel. Plus, how could the Carp River in Michigan have that name long before carp existed in the area? The answer is in the history of immigration. And a high-schooler asks how throwing someone under the bus became a

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53:45

Takes the Cake (Rebroadcast) - 7 September 2026

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

2026/09/07

What do you call a long sandwich filled with lots of ingredients? Whether you call it asub, ahoagie, agrinder, or something else entirely depends on where you’re from. And: Martha’s visit to an Alaskan reindeer ranch reveals why you really do hearclick, click, clickwhen reindeer walk, and how these elegant animals got their name. Plus, if it’s time tododoyour baby, what will you need to do next? Also,whippersnapper,rangiferine,sidesaddle gift, a quiz about missing links,gatsby,spuckie,

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53:45

Secret Code - 31 August 2026

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

2026/08/31

“Are we ready to order yet?” Why do restaurant servers use the word “we” when they’re not eating with you or helping you pay the bill? And a story of Cold War intrigue: A young saxophone player’s clever ruse to smuggle information past KGB agents by encoding it in sheet music. Plus: colorful bird names, includingbananaquit,ticking doradito, andinvisible rail! Also,woods colt, a word game about letters smushed together,calidor,yell like a fishwife, whetherbowlandbullsound alike, flabbergasted,

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53:45

Blessing Box (Rebroadcast) - 24 August 2026

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

2026/08/24

Is there such a thing as a “neutral” accent, and if so what does it sound like? And that quirk in the way southern Californians talk about freeways. They’ll say things liketake the 405andget on the 8. Why the definite article? Plus, those Little Free Libraries filled with books have inspired another kind of giving: little free pantries stocked with canned foods and other household items for anyone in need. They’re calledblessing boxes. Also,Kabelsalat,vigesimal, a take-off puzzle,red rag,s’occuper

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53:45

Apple Turnover - 17 August 2026

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

2026/08/17

Critters, co-workers, and clothes: What do you call your favorite mixed-breed dog? There areHeinz 57 muttsandTexas brown dogsin the U.S., while in parts of the Caribbean they’re calledpotcakesandcoconut retrievers. Plus, among firefighters, if you’re not pulling your weight, you’re called abagger, a term with military origins. And: if your clothes are piled high on the floor and not in the closet, that’s what you call afloordrobe. Also,curbstone sitters,sky-blue pink, a poem about cornbread,the

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53:45

Fair Dinkum (Rebroadcast) - 10 August 2026

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

2026/08/10

A magnificent new book celebrates the richness and diversity of 450 years of written and spoken English in what is now the United States. It’s calledThe People’s Tongue, and it’s a sumptuous collection of essays, letters, poems, lyrics, and much more, from colonial times to the present. Plus, the story behind the phrasewhat are the odds? And speaking of odds, what’s the chance that you might see anastrobleme? Well, whatever you do, don’t look up! Also:cut a chogi,yeti de freezer,far venire il latte

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53:45

Wired for Sound - 3 August 2026

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

2026/08/03

If someone tells you it’sfliskyorflobbyoutside, do you need to take an umbrella? A new book about England’s soggy climate includes 188 terms for rainy weather. Americans have their own joking names for local weather, fromJune Gloomin Southern California toSnowvemberon the East Coast. And: Does it seem like automobiles are getting bigger lately? They are indeed, and there’s a new word for that: carspreading. Plus,no soldiering,drisk,kelsher, a musical puzzle,Fogust,esophagastroduodenoscopy,my

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53:45

By a Landslide (Rebroadcast) - 27 July 2026

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

2026/07/27

How do you transform ancient Chinese script for use in the modern age? English uses a keyboard with just 26 letters, but the first Chinese typewriter looked like a small table under a huge disk with more than 4,000 characters. A new book chronicles the innovators who adapted the Chinese writing for use with modern technology. Plus, in poker, why is a pair of aces and a pair of eights known as adead man’s hand? And some people credit Winston Churchill with the phraseNever pass up the chance to sit

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53:45

Mischief Night - 20 July 2026

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

2026/07/20

What’s up with ketchup? The shifting history and spelling of the name of this condiment. For centuries, ketchup was a fishy sauce originating in Asia—the tomatoes came only later! Plus, a new book shows what’s lost when a language dies: when there are no speakers of that language left, it’s not just about losing a dictionary—a complete encyclopedia goes with it. Plus, if someone says, “Bring me a couple-three” items, how many exactly should you pick up? Also:TL;DR,Johnny on the spotvs.jolly on the

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53:45

Big Dog (Rebroadcast) - 13 July 2026

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

2026/07/13

If you’re ever near a sundial, step closer and look for a message. Many sundials bear haunting, poetic inscriptions about the brevity of life. Plus, language development in toddlers: why and how little ones pick up the exclamationUh-oh!And a new Japanese term for making the most of your time in the modern age: The Japanese wordtaipacomes from English and means “time performance.” Also, a punny puzzle about married names,quidnunc,peart,It takes a big dog to weigh a ton,Chamber of Commerce weather,

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53:45

Cheese Toasties - 6 July 2026

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

2026/07/06

If you mistype something, that’s a typo. But what do you call it when your voice-to-text program mistypes as you’re dictating? Is that amico, as inmicrophone? Plus, the wordsycophanthas a long and surprising history that goes all the way back to ancient Greece. If you order acheese toastiein the Midwest, they’ll probably know what you mean. Other places, not so much. Also, the Hawaiian state fishhumuhumunukunukuapuaʻa, how to pronounceintegral, a word game about connections,whistlebit, lexical

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53:45

Hot Gossip (Rebroadcast) - 29 June 2026

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

2026/06/29

Gossip goes by many names: the poop, the scoop, the lowdown, the dope, the scuttlebutt, the 411, the grapes, the gore, and hot tea. Plus, John Donne’s love poems are among the greatest in the English language, even as they’re famously difficult to unravel. A new biography hails the genius of the man who penned the phrases no man is an island and for whom the bell tolls. And Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. But what about Muphry’s Law? Also: how to organize your

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53:45

Flash in the Pan - 22 June 2026

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

2026/06/22

It’s the ultimate road trip: A father and son retrace the journey of Odysseus and find a way to navigate their own relationship. Plus, the story behind the phrase a flash in the pan: It has nothing to do with cooking or gold mining. Also, what’s a gongoozler? If you’re a gongoozler, you’re a big fan of people-watching. And: umarell, a geography puzzle, Hi Bettys, just a tad, Hobelspäne, what it means to take a constitutional, what it means to take a ball, bingo wings, and pickle.Hear hundreds of

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53:45

In the Ballpark (Rebroadcast) - 15 June 2026

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

2026/06/15

Novelist Charles Dickens and the musician Prince were very different types of artists, but they also had a lot in common. A new book chronicling their extraordinary careers becomes a larger meditation on perfectionism and creativity itself. Plus, the military origins of the term ballpark estimate. And when two people say the same thing simultaneously, why do we yell jinx!? There’s a magical story behind this word. Plus, banging-out, flip-flops and zoris, agua de calcetín, the groundhogs are making

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53:45

Outer Space - 8 June 2026

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

2026/06/08

A writer stumbles upon a tiny, motionless creature on a country road and, against all good advice, takes it home. The resulting memoir, Raising Hare, is a lovely meditation on nature and our relationship to it. And: have you ever invented a fake swear word to hide the real ones from little ears? One family’s secret code was bandoozer—and it almost worked. Plus: what do these words have in common: elver, spat, smolt, and leveret? Also, candle bat, hobbyless, jan-ken-pon and Rochambeau, thick as

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53:45

Stub Your Toe (Rebroadcast) - 1 June 2026

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

2026/06/01

Advice about college essays from the winner of a top prize for children’s literature: Kelly Barnhill encourages teens to write about experiences that are uniquely their own, from a point of view that is theirs and no one else’s. Plus, why do we say that someone who’s fortunate has the luck of the Irish? And the latest edition of the Official Scrabble Dictionary will liven up your game! Now you can rack up points with words pranayama, fauxhawk, and even embiggen. Also, knockin’ dog, a word puzzle

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53:45

Snookums and Snicklefritz (Rebroadcast) - 25 May 2026

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

2026/05/25

A new book about how animals perceive their environment reveals immense worlds beyond our own. A bee can see ultraviolet light, catfish have taste buds all over their bodies, and manatees use highly sensitive lips to examine nearby objects. Also, what’s the relationship between romantic novels and Romance languages? Plus, sometimes buying gingerbread isn’t just about the baked goods. In one part of the United States, buying gingerbread has to do with voter fraud

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53:45

If Grandma Had Wheels (Rebroadcast) - 18 May 2026

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

2026/05/18

While compiling the Oxford English Dictionary, lexicographer James Murray exchanged hundreds of letters a week with authors, advisors, and volunteer researchers. A new collection online lets you eavesdrop on discussions about which words should be in the dictionary and why — including words that might offend Victorian sensibilities. Also why are some words more pleasurable to say than others? And: the German saying that means “If Grandma had wheels, she’d be a bus.” Did something get lost in

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