The 2 Best A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over Podcast Episodes
1) Loaded For Bear - 16 September 2019
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-chee...Show More
2) There's Something About A Way with Words... - 14 September 2016
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3) Catch My Drift - 27 April 2026
If you work in tech support, you might use snarky slang for problems caused by computer users themselves. There’s the acronym PEBCAK, for example, which stands for Problem Exists Between Chair and Key...Show More
4) Funny Papers (Rebroadcast) - 20 April 2026
There are word nerds, and then there’s the woman who set up a folding chair on sidewalks throughout the country, cheerfully dispensing tips about grammar. She recounts her adventures in a new book. An...Show More
5) Buttons on Ice Cream - 13 April 2026
How do dictionaries define colors? And why are some of those definitions so confusing, like “stronger than carmine” and “bluer than fiesta”? Dictionary editor Kory Stamper explains it all in her new b...Show More
6) Go Bananas (Rebroadcast) - 6 April 2026
A caller wonders if she’s being hypersensitive about the way her boss addresses her in emails. Can the use of an employee’s first name ever reflect a power differential? And: a community choir directo...Show More
7) What in Tarnation (Rebroadcast) - 30 March 2026
This week on A Way with Words: Language is always evolving, and that's also true for American Sign Language. A century ago, the sign for "telephone" was one fist below your mouth and the other at your...Show More
8) Tip of the Iceberg - 23 March 2026
Why does the term vegetarian cause so much confusion? Some people assume it means avoiding red meat but still eating chicken. And is there a term for a vegetarian who also eats fish and poultry? Plus,...Show More
9) Blue Streak (Rebroadcast) - 16 March 2026
How long can a newly married woman be called a bride? Does bride apply only as long as her wedding day, or does it extend right on through the couple's silver anniversary and beyond? Plus, insightful ...Show More
10) Color Me Surprised - 9 March 2026
Over the centuries, the meaning of happiness has traveled a long way. Today we speak of the pursuit of happiness, but it used to be that the word happiness suggested something that occurs only by chan...Show More