A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
Imaginary Friends - 21 July 2025
Alright, alright, alright! How do some catchphrases become part of the larger vernacular—to the point where people don’t always know the original refe...
Forty Eleven Zillion (Rebroadcast) - 14 July 2025
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 YOYO ...
Mystery Date (Rebroadcast) - 7 July 2025
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 F...
Eat My Hat - 30 June 2025
Have you lived in your home so long that you don’t notice its flaws? In Sweden, they have a name for this condition: It’s hemmablind—literally, “home ...
Sour Pickle (Rebroadcast) - 23 June 2025
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 Ridgeway...
Straight and Narrow - 16 June 2025
English spelling is a hot mess, even for native speakers. But as a new book shows, would-be spelling reformers, including Benjamin Franklin and Theodo...
Not My Circus (Rebroadcast) - 9 June 2025
Throwing cheese and shaky cheese are two very different things. In baseball, hard cheese refers to a powerful fastball, and probably comes from a simi...
The Other Shoe - 2 June 2025
So you think you can spell? Youngsters in modern spelling bees are expected to memorize a wide range of words, from chemical processes to names of rar...
Scooter Pooting (Rebroadcast) - 26 May 2025
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 de...
Bean Counting - 19 May 2025
In the 1920’s, Americans were warned of a new danger sweeping across the country. This menace that harmed people’s health, ruined minds, and threatene...