Nuclearly (minicast)
Is it acceptable to make a brand-new adverb simply by adding an -ly to an adjective? A scientist wants to know, and specifically a term she uses, nuclearly. Listen here:...
View Article“Oh-ah, Oh-ah”: That’s How We Roll (minicast)
Does your family have a word for the cardboard tube left over from a roll of toilet paper? A caller says his family refers to them Oh-ah, Oh-ahs. Turns out many families have their own terms for them,...
View ArticleThe Prehistoric Mother Tongue (minicast)
Many of the world’s languages apparently derived from a prehistoric common ancestor known as Indo-European. But since no one ever wrote down a word of it, how do we know what it was like? Listen here:...
View ArticleTalking in the Third Person (minicast)
Does it bug you when people talk about themselves in the third person? A caller finds herself mightily annoyed by this habit, which she observes especially among politicians and celebrities. There’s a...
View ArticleHow Do You Pronounce “Etiquette”? (minicast)
If a colleague repeatedly mispronounces a word, what’s the best way to handle it? Should you correct him? Ignore it? Is it possible to discuss the proper way to say something without being rude or...
View ArticleDon’t Give Me Any of That Flannel (minicast)
The English language has no shortage of words that mean nonsensical talk, including one that’s piqued a listener’s curiosity: How did flannel come to mean “empty chatter” or “hot air,” as in “Don’t...
View ArticleMagnolia Mouth, Zero Plurals, and Cluster Simplification (minicast)
An Alabama high-school teacher observes that one of his fellow teachers tends to write words that should be plural as singular, such as “I graded all 50 test” instead of “I graded all 50 tests.” The...
View ArticleTrespasses vs. Debts (minicast)
A caller wonders why some versions of the Lord’s Prayer include the phrase “forgive us our trespasses,” while others substitute the word “debt.”...
View ArticlePostal Abbreviations (minicast)
What’s the deal with using the two-letter postal code abbreviations for states, instead of the longer, more formal abbreviations? That is, why write IN for Indiana instead of good old Ind.? A caller is...
View ArticleA Snarl of Serial Commas (minicast)
Are serial commas always necessary? An English teacher says she was surprised to learn that she and her husband, who’s also an English teacher, are giving their students conflicting advice....
View ArticleThat’s What “Friend” is For? (minicast)
How can the word friend possibly describe both the people you went to school with and the people to whom you are connected through Facebook and MySpace? Are friends on the social sites really friends?...
View ArticleGreat Googly Moogly (minicast)
“Great Googly Moogly!” A caller wonders where that exclamation comes from. http://feeds.waywordradio.org/~r/awwwpodcast/~5/-8Snnys2iK8/090617-AWWW-great-googly-moogly-minicast.mp3 Download the MP3 here...
View ArticleFalling off the Wagon (minicast)
Why do we say someone is on the wagon when they abstain from drinking alcohol? Listen here: http://feeds.waywordradio.org/~r/awwwpodcast/~5/wpOI4cXwT5E/090603-AWWW-falling-off-the-wagon.mp3 Download...
View ArticleWhat’s a “Hobson’s Choice”? (minicast)
If you’re facing a Hobson’s choice, you don’t really have much to choose from. The phrase describes a situation in which your options are either to take what’s offered, or else take nothing at all....
View ArticleTwacking around Duckish (minicast)
Time for another linguistic mystery. Where would you be if you decided to go twacking around duckish, and then you came home and wrote about it in a scribbler? Listen here:...
View ArticleHow About a Game of Meehonkey? (minicast)
In what part of the country would you be likely to hear momicking, meehonkey, and quamish? Listen here:...
View ArticleLove Joe Floggers? So Don’t I! (minicast)
Time to solve another linguistic mystery. You’re in a restaurant. You overhear a conversation at the next table. The woman says to her friend, “You know, I just love the taste of joe floggers.” And her...
View ArticleJust a Dite about Sculch and Dooryards (minicast)
Where in the world would you be likely to find sculch in your dooryard, or ask for just a dite of cream in your coffee? Martha has the answers in this minicast about some distinctive regional terms....
View ArticleAutomobile Words of the Year (minicast)
We’re continuing our look at some of the words of the year of 2008 with words related to automobiles. Listen here:...
View ArticlePUMA (minicast)
The year 2008 produced a new acronym: PUMA. Grant explains how PUMAs began prowling the political landscape. Listen here:...
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