A flashlight emits a steady beam of light. So what's the flash part of that word about? The earliest flashlights lit up only briefly before the batteries gave out. Also, if you're a Nervous Nellie, you're skittish and indecisive--both characteristics of an American politician who earned that nickname in the 1920s. And, rhinestone: The name of this sparkly fake gem has a history that involves a famous river in Europe. Plus, the many names for toilet paper rolls, pull a seam, a puzzle all about the word it, a blessing and a curse, hitten vs. hit, idea vs. ideal, shaving yak hair vs. shaving gnat hair, Daylo, knocking something galley-west, the evolving meaning of dab, and the role of cultural context in learning languages. All of which you should listen to right smack now. http://waywordradio.org

Smack Dab (Full Episode)

To grok something means "to understand it completely." The word grok comes from a language spoken on the planet Mars -- well, at least according to the science fiction writer who coined the term! Also, we know the meaning of the word trauma, but is there a word that denotes "the opposite of trauma"? Plus, if someone describes something as "wicked good," they mean it's extremely good, especially if they're from New England. All that, plus cut to the chase, super-short town names,  a puzzle that involves lopping off letters, an Ethiopian proverb, hell strip vs. devil strip, words from the Norn language, corny, This wicked good show's as cool as 4-55 air conditioning! http://waywordradio.org

Wicked Good (Full Episode)

So many books and so little time--it's a challenge to choose what to read next! It helps to remember that so-called "reading mortality" is a fact of life--you'll never get to them all, but you can curate your own to-read list that speaks specifically to you. Plus, the sneaky story behind the expression slip someone a mickey, and a new word for walking your dog: Let's go on a sniffari! And: favorite first lines of books, Bohemian, a brain teaser about song titles, how to pronounce aioli, jo-jo potatoes, a cool million, and more. http://waywordradio.org

A Cool Million (Full Episode)

Samantha Harvey's novel Orbital is a sensuous, exhilarating meditation about the strangeness of life on a space station, with its mix of tedious tasks and jaw-dropping views. And: a musician who rode the rails in his youth shares the slang he picked up along the way. For example, the word spanging is a blend of the words spare and changing, and means "panhandling." Plus, what does the doggie say? The sound of a dog barking is often written as Bow wow. But why? Doesn't barking sound more like ruff ruff? Plus, slang on the ski slopes, boodling, a jazzy pangram, larruping good food, avoir le moral dans les chaussettes, a quiz about puzzling store names, ride or die, and a clever answer for when someone inquires as to how you're doing. http://waywordradio.org

Real Corker (Full Episode)

A baby's first word is often a cherished milestone, but some cultures pay more attention to other firsts, like a baby's first laugh. A fascinating new book by a linguist examines language at the beginning and the end of life. Plus, the expression "Murphy's Law" reflects the idea that "anything that can go wrong will go wrong. But is this term a slur against the Irish? And an old word for new life: the verb to whicken involves daylight hours growing longer in springtime. Also, breard, honour bright and honour bright, the long history of groceries, a brain teaser about Pig Latin, sea painter, give someone down the road, give someone down the banks, a different way to write AI, plurale tantem, and how to pronounce rhetoric. http://waywordradio.org

Honor Bright (Full Episode)

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 threatened marriages. The culprit? The national obsession with a new form of entertainment: crossword puzzles. Plus: why are accountants referred to as bean counters? And an old-fashioned way to describe a noisy, new restaurant: You can't hear your ears in this place! Also, alcoholic, vacuum vs. sweeper, swarping and sworping, hove and heave, a quiz about funny surnames, objet trouvé, Wunderkammer, a punny school mascot, and debubiate. http://waywordradio.org

Bean Counting (Full Episode)

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 rare animals. Also: In many languages, the word for "mother" begins with the letter M—but not in all of them. And where are you from, eh? If you phrase a question that way, it's pretty clear where YOU'RE from. Plus, saltigrade and tardigrade, bite the dust and buy the farm, Hoofddorp, a family euphemism, pilkunviilaaja, a letter-lopping brain teaser, and sacar la garra. http://waywordradio.org

The Other Shoe (Full Episode)

English spelling is a hot mess, even for native speakers. But as a new book shows, would-be spelling reformers, including Benjamin Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt, eventually just gave up. Also, what do you call your fellow parent in front of the children? Do you use the same word when the kids aren't around? And: Baseball announcers may refer to a fastball as high cheese, but the reason has nothing to do with dairy products. Plus, "Mairzy Doats," straight and narrow vs. straightened arrow, a puzzle about sound switcheroos, cuando la rana crie pelos, a cute kid coinage, geehaw, quid, teknonomy, and books with great opening lines. http://waywordradio.org

Straight and Narrow (Full Episode)

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 blind.” A popular Swedish TV program shows what you can do about it. Plus, unlocking the mysterious word conclave. And: How did the expression “throw in the towel” come to mean “give up”? Also, pully, visiting firemen, the origin of conclave, how to pronounce grimace, the reason to substitute a different word for substitute, a word challenge involving the letter Y, Shiver me timbers! and Kiss the dealer! http://waywordradio.org

Eat My Hat (Full Episode)

Alright, alright, alright! How do some catchphrases become part of the larger vernacular—to the point where people don’t always know the original reference? And the island of Ocracoke off the coast of North Carolina has a distinctive dialect all its own. A new book shows how tourism is changing how the locals talk.  Plus: Are you binge-watching or stinge-watching? If you’re stinge-watching your favorite TV series, you’re savoring it over a long period of time. Also, smearcase, names for imaginary friends, a disem-voweled puzzle, steen o’clock, the rocky origin of cloud, dreepy, nicknames for days of the week, bag raising, and how to pronounce the word mobile when it refers to that toy that hangs above a crib. http://waywordradio.org

Imaginary Friends (Full Episode)

A Way with Words is a fun and funny public radio program about language examined through history, culture, and family. Its mission is to change the way you think about language. The program is heard by broadcast and podcast across the United States and around the world by more than a quarter-million listeners each week. It's produced by Wayword, Inc., a nonprofit whose mission is to promote lifelong learning, better human communication, and the value of a thing well-said or well-written. Call or write with your language questions at any time: (877) 929-9673 (toll-free in the US and Canada) or just email us: words@waywordradio.org.

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