A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over

SUMMARYAnagrams, rebuses, cryptograms, Jumble -- Martha and Grant swap stories about the games that first made them realize that playing with words and letters can be fun. Also this week, what's a jitney supper and where do you eat graveyard stew? The hosts explain the origin of the term “hang fire” and why Alaskans sound like they're from the Midwest, and take on a debate about whether an egregious falsehood is a bald-faced lie or a bold-faced lie.FULL DETAILSWhat games first made you realize that words and letters make great playthings? Martha describes puzzling, as a child, over the odd combination of letters, F-U-N-E-X, until she finally figured out the joke. Grant talks about discovering anagrams as a youngster, and how word puzzles in the newspaper became a daily ritual.An office worker in Indianapolis is mystified when a British colleague sends an email telling her to "hang fire." The hosts explain the expression has to do with faulty firearms. "Call up to 24 hours in advance to make a reservation." Do those instructions mean you can call until 24 hours before the deadline, or that you should call within 24 hours of it. When a San Diego listener assumed it was the former, she had an unpleasant surprise. Did you know the POTUS (President of the United States) has a BOTUS? Grant explains what a BOTUS is.Quiz Guy Greg Pliska's game this week is "Name Dropping."  The answer for each set of clues will be a word that has a common first name hidden somewhere in it; when that name's removed, the remaining letters spell a new word. For example, the first clue is "one of the seven deadly sins," the second is "the grain consumed by one-fifth of the world's inhabitants." Subtract the latter from the former, and you get a woman's name.A Charlottesville, Virginia, caller says that when she was a child and recovering from an illness, her mother fed her a kind of milk toast she called graveyard stew. Is that strange name unique to her family?During the health care debate in Congress, there was lots of talk about an up-or-down vote. A Montana listener finds this expression annoying.  What's wrong with plain old "vote"?In youth slang, "totes" is short for "totally." Grant talks about new, lengthened version of this slang shortening.A Carlsbad, California, couple has a running debate over whether an egregious whopper is correctly called a bold-faced lie or a bald-faced lie.The Library of Congress is archiving the entire content of Twitter. Grant explains why that's a gold mine for language researchers like David Bamman at Tufts University. You can see some of the results Bamman's compiled at Lexicalist.com.http://www.lexicalist.com/What do you eat at a jitney supper? Jitney?Why do people from Alaska sound like they're from the Midwest?A caller who grew up in Arkansas says his mother used a colorful expression instead of "mind your own business," which was “tend to your own rat-killing.” Grant talks about that and a similar phrase, go on with your rat-killing, meaning "Finish what you were saying." --A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SUMMARYNews reports that the makers of Scrabble were changing the rules to allow proper names left some purists fuming. The rumors were false, but they got Grant thinking about idiosyncratic adaptations of the game's rules. Also this week, the origins of the terms picket lines and hooch, why actors go up on their lines, terms for diarrhea of the mouth, and what we mean when we say there's an 800-lb. gorilla in the room.FULL DETAILSSome families have their own idiosyncratic rules for Scrabble. Grant talks about the rules in his house.What do we mean when we say there's an 800-lb. gorilla in the room?An Indianapolis listener says her family often refers to strong liquor as hooch, and wonders where that term comes from. The hosts trace the term's path from an Indian village in Alaska. Grant follows up on his chickpea vs. garbanzo poll, and shares an email on the subject from the U.S. Dry Bean Council.Quiz Guy Greg Pliska reprises his game called Initiarithmetic. The object is to guess a set of items associated with certain numbers, as in "There are 12 m__________ in the y___________." Here's another: "76 t___________ in the b__________ p____________." If you missed the first Initiarithmetic game, it's here:http://www.waywordradio.org/like-a-duck-on-a-june-bug/An SAT prep teacher in Santa Cruz, California, hears lots of teen slang in his work, and is struck by a new use of the term legit.What's a synonym for diarrhea of the mouth? A caller swears she heard the word on an earlier episode, but can't recall it. The hosts try to help. Tumidity? Multiloquence? Logorrhea?Several decades ago, the expression tickety-boo was commonly used to mean "all in order," "correct," or "just dandy." Although it's rarely heard, a caller who once lived in Florida says her boss there often used it. Does it derive from Hindi? By the way, if you just can't get enough of this expression, check out Danny Kaye singing "Everything is Tickety-boo."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzVCahrtaWIGrant quizzes Martha about some odd terms: three sisters garden, weak-hand draw, and strimmer.In the theater, actors who forget their lines are said to go up or to go up on their lines. But why go up?A listener from Bethel, Maine, calls with a riddle she heard at summer camp: The maker doesn't want it, the buyer doesn't use it, and the user never sees it. What is it? She proceeds to stump the hosts with a puzzle: What adjective requires five letters to form the superlative? A Fort Worth listener wonders about a claim she saw in a 1930s magazine. The article said that traditionally, a picket line was an area between the front lines of two opposing armies where soldiers might safely venture out to pick berries without fear of being attacked. Might that be connected to the modern sense of picket line meaning a group of striking workers or protesters? --A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[This episode first aired May 1, 2010.] SUMMARY Digital timepieces may be changing the way we talk, at least a little. There's Bob o'clock (8:08), Big o'clock (8:19), and even Pi o'clock. Also this week, what do you call that gesture with your fingers when you want to make an image larger on an iPhone? Does anyone use the expression fat chance any more? And do the expressions graveyard shift, saved by the bell, and dead ringer has anything to do with weird Victorian burial practices?FULL DESCRIPTIONAs members of the Bob o'clock Facebook group know, the expression "It's Bob O'clock!" means, "It's 8:08!" The hosts discuss this and other silly ways to tell time inspired by the boxy numbers on a digital clock. http://bit.ly/cufbDxWhat's the word for that gesture you make with your fingers when you want to make an image larger on an iPhone? Unpinch? Fwoop?A Wisconsin man says he learned an expression that sounds like quixibar from his father to describe something confusing or befuddling. But he's never heard anyone else use it. Is it unique to his family?Does anyone use the expression fat chance any more? Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a puzzle about heteronyms, words that have the same spelling, but different meanings, like "moped" as in "acted glum" and "moped" as in a motorized bike.A San Diego caller wonders about the expression a-gogo, as in the name of a local restaurant, Hash House A-Gogo. Where'd it come from?You look like death eatin' a cracker walkin' backwards. In Appalachia, this phrase means, "you look terrible." A caller wants to know its origin.A Dallas listener is struck by the fact that Texans talk about East Texas, North Texas, South Texas, and West Texas. So why, she wonders, do people in other states say things like Southern Indiana and Northern California? Grant talks about his daily work as a lexicographer.A Wellesley College student has been reading about the Victorian fear of being buried alive -- also known as taphophobia -- and the bizarre 19th-century burial practices associated with it. She's heard that they gave rise to such expressions as dead ringer, graveyard shift, and saved by the bell. Martha and Grant debunk those linguistic myths. By the way, here's a cool article about those weird Victorian "escape coffins."http://obit-mag.com/articles/escape-coffins-the-fear-of-being-buried-aliveA listener in Buford, Ga., says his mother's maiden name was Barnett, and reports that he was told that the addition of an "e" to a last name was once an indication that the person was descended from slave families. Why do physicians speak of turfing an undesirable patient?--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordrad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[This episode first aired April 10, 2010.]SUMMARYA few pickles short of a jar, a few peas short of a casserole, two French fries short of a Happy Meal -- this week, Martha and Grant discuss these and other full-deckisms, those clever ways to describe someone who falls short in some way. Also, what's the story behind the old phrase "fish or cut bait"? When does the word "it's" have an apostrophe? And is "That's a good question" really a good response?FULL DISCRIPTION"Not the brightest bulb in the Christmas tree lights," "The wind is blowing but nothing's moving," "A few tacos short of a combo platter." After Grant tells a story on himself, the hosts discuss euphemistic ways of saying someone's not playing with a full deck.Is it ever okay to write the word it's to indicate the possessive? Is the correct sentence "The dog is chewing its bone," or "The dog is chewing it's bone"?  It's easy to figure out once you know the formula: It's = it is. By the way, Grant mentions that there's an ice cream called "It's It." Here "it" is:  http://www.itsiticecream.com/media.cfmFish or cut bait. What does it mean, exactly? Stop fishing and cut your line, or stop fishing and do something else useful, like cutting bait?In an earlier episode, we discussed linguistic false friends, those words in foreign languages that look like familiar English words, but mean something quite different.Martha reads an email response from a listener who learned the hard way that in Norway "Tann Paste" is not the same as "tanning cream."http://www.waywordradio.org/a-gazelle-on-the-lawn/Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a puzzle called "Categorical Allies." After he says a word, you must come up with second word that's in the same category, and begins with the last two letters of the original word. For example, if he says "Sampras," then the category is tennis, and the second word is "Ashe." Now try this first clue: "Sacramento." The second word would be . . . ?If someone says, "That's a good question," do you find it annoying or insincere?A Texas caller wonders about the origin and meaning of the term ultra-crepidarian.Grant shares an entomological--not etymological--riddle.The expression It'll never be seen on a galloping horse means "Don't be such a perfectionist." But why? A caller remembers an even odder version: It'll never be seen on a galloping goose.In an earlier episode, a caller named Todd said that people are forever calling him Scott. He wondered if there was some linguistic reason that people so often confused these names. Grant does a follow-up on why people sometimes mix up names.http://www.waywordradio.org/sailors-delight/You're struggling to live on a budget. Are you trying to make ends meet, or make ends meat?The hosts offer some more full-deckisms, such as "He doesn't have all his cornflakes in one box" and "She thought she couldn't use her AM radio in the evening."A San Francisco man confesses he routinely pronounces the word "both" as "bolth." Grant gives him the results of an informal online survey that shows the caller he's not alone -- some 10 percent of respondents said they do the same thing.Is there a single word that sums up the idea of morbid fascination?--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2011, Wayword LLC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[This episode first aired March 6, 2010.]"Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky at morning, sailor take warning." Martha talks about this weather proverb, which has been around in one form or another since ancient times. Grant shares a favorite weather word: slatch http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/slatch. Also this week: Is there a better alternative to the word "mentee"? What's "pooflapoo pie"?A Dallas listener and her boss have a dispute. The boss says the staff should get "on the stick." The caller and her co-workers say the correct phrase is "on the ball." Grant gives her an answer, then suggests a third option used in Hawaii: "on the kinipopo." http://bit.ly/bHw1F6What's the best term for "someone who's being mentored"? A woman in a mentoring program at church thinks the word "mentee sounds like "manatee." She's hoping for an alternative.Grant shares another weather-related word from Britain: parky.http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=57638Quiz Guy John Chaneski offers a puzzle in honor of the hosts' initials. Every clue prompts a two-word answer beginning with the letters M and B or G and B. For example: "Paper or plastic?"A caller named Todd says that when people meet him for the first time, they sometimes call him Scott, even if he's wearing a nametag with his real name on it. It's happened too many times to be a coincidence, he says, and wonders if there's something about the double letters that registers the wrong name in people's minds. Why do we get other people's names wrong?Whip up a big batch of pistachio pudding, then add pineapple, walnuts, Cool Whip, and marshmallow bits, and what do you have? A Los Angeles woman says her grandmother used to make a dish with those ingredients that she called "pooflapoo pie." Is that just her family's name for it, or do other people refer to it that way? Other people call it "Watergate salad" or "ambrosia."Have trouble remembering the difference between stalagtites and stalagmites? Martha shares a mnemonic that will help.A police officer says that the prosecutor edits out the word "that" from the reports he submits, as in, "The subject stated that he met the co-defendant at a party." Is the word "that" necessary here? Martha and Grant disagree. Also, the cop also has a brain-teaser for the hosts: Can you use the word "that" five times consecutively in a sentence correctly?The hosts talk about the tricks they use to remember how to spell certain words.Why do we say that someone finely attired is "dressed to the nines"?A woman says that when playing hide-and-seek with a small child, her mother-in-law says "peep-eye"!" instead of "peekaboo"!" Is that usage limited to certain parts of the country? And where do they say "pee-bo"!"?Grant talks about two other weather-related terms, "frontogenesis" and "aeromancy."When comparing one item with the rest of the items in a group, "which is better: more or most"?--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2011, Wayword LLC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[This episode first aired February 27, 2010.]What's in a pet's name? Martha and Grant swap stories about how they came up with names for their dogs. Also this week: Have you ever been called a "stump-jumper"? How about a snicklefritz? And what's the last word in the dictionary? Depending on which dictionary you consult, it might be "zythum," "zyzzyva," "zyxomma," or "zyxt."Sometimes the process of naming a pet takes a while. The hosts talk about how their dogs' names evolved.A native Japanese speaker is mystified by the expression "happy as a clam." In Japanese, she says, if you had a good night's sleep you might say you "slept like a clam" or "slept like mud." So why do English speakers think clams are content? What's the very last word in the dictionary? Depending on which dictionary you're using, you may see "zythum," "zyzzyva," "zyxomma," or "zyxt."This week's word puzzle from Quiz Guy Greg Pliska involves taking a word, adding an "i" to the beginning, as if creating an Apple product, to get an entirely new word. For instance: "This is how Steve Jobs begins a card game."A caller from Princeton, Texas, remembers that after a satisfying meal, her late father used to push back from the table and say, "I am sufficiently suffonsified. Anything more would be purely obnoxious to my taste. No thank you." What heck did he mean by that?A Vermonter says he's sometimes called a "stump-jumper." Should he be flattered or insulted?Martha shares a couple of "Tom Swifties," those funny sentences that make great punny use of adverbs, like "'My bicycle wheel is damaged,' Tom said outspokenly."Why do we say that someone who's happy is in "hog heaven"?Martha tells the story behind the term "Tom Swifty." Grant shares some more funny examples from the "A Way with Words" discussion forum http://www.waywordradio.org/discussion/episodes-1/a-whole-nother-full-episode/."Gradoo" is a word for something undesirable, the kind of thing you'd rather scrape off your shoe. A man who grew up in Louisiana wonders about the term, which he heard from both English and Cajun French speakers. Someone who says, "I'll be there directly," may not necessarily get there right away. How did the meaning of "directly" change in some parts of the country to mean "by and by"?"You little 'snickelfritz'!" An Indiana man says his mother used to call him that when she meant "You little rascal!" Although the term's meaning has changed over time, its original meaning was a bit naughty.--A Way with Words is supported by its listeners. Drop a few bucks in the guitar case: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone:United States an Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Site: http://waywordradio.org/Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donate/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradioCopyright 2010, Wayword Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SUMMARYWhat would you serve a plumber who comes over for dinner? How about ... leeks? The hosts play a word game called "What Would You Serve?" Also, how can you correct someone's grammar without ruining a new relationship? And is there an easy way to remember the difference between who and whom?FULL DETAILSWhat would you serve a plumber for dinner? How about leeks? (We didn't say it had to be appetizing.) What would you serve a jeweler? Carats. Martha and Grant play the "What Would You Serve?" game.A Little Rock, Ark., caller has been going out with a Chinese woman. Her English is pretty good, but he wonders about the most polite way to correct a minor grammar mistake without ruining a new relationship.What's the origin of the expressions "Word!" and "Word up!"? Grant shares a theory from the book "Black Talk" by Geneva Smitherman.http://bit.ly/gLhqdoBy the way, here's that 1980's-era song "Word Up."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZjAantupsAWhat would you serve a chronic procrastinator? Ketchup. What would you serve a fertility specialist? Eggplant. Martha serves up those and others.Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a quiz based on news events of the last several months, all in limerick form.A woman in Gainesville, Fla., says her father and his partner have an ongoing Scrabble feud over rebeheaded. Is it a word?"Anymore, I play golf instead of tennis." Grant explains that this grammatical construction is known as the "positive anymore."What would you serve to people separated by six degrees? Bacon!A sign-language interpreter found herself translating the word doldrums. She wonders if it has to do the area of the ocean known by that name.What would you serve a group of musicians and cardiologists? How about beets?Martha shares some collective nouns sent in by listeners in response to a recent show on the topic.http://www.waywordradio.org/roberta-of-flax/What does nonplussed mean, exactly? Does it mean "unflappable" or "at a loss." Martha and Grant disagree about its use.Is there some kind of snappy jingle for knowing when to use who and whom? Grant shares some familiar proverbs that supposedly arose from African-American English. The book he mentions is Proverbs, by Wolfgang Mieder.http://bit.ly/dQVxmQNeed a word for "lover of the underdog"? It's infracaninophile.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2011, Wayword LLC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[This episode first aired February 6, 2010.]If you're inappropriately focused on the minutiae of a project instead of the bigger picture, you're said to be "bike-shedding." Grant talks about that modern slang term and Martha discusses a word that goes way back in time, right back to "In the beginning," in fact. The word is "tohubohu," and it means a "mess" or "confusion."Grant and Martha discuss a new term, "bike-shedding," and an old one, "tohubohu."Where'd we get the term "swan song"? A caller says this expression came up in conversation just before her retirement and she wonders about its origin. Martha reads email from listeners suggesting alternatives to the word retirement.Is the word "criteria" singular or plural? Quiz Guy John Chaneski's puzzle is about phrases that suggest a pair of words that are spelled alike, except that in one of them, a letter is doubled. Try to guess the two nearly identical words suggested by this phrase: "Wagered on a root vegetable." It's likely America's greatest linguistic export: "O.K." A caller raised in the Philippines is curious about its origin. The hosts give him an answer, and also point out a familiar word in English that derives from the caller's native language, Tagalog.When is it more appropriate to use the word female as opposed to woman?David Pogue http://www.davidpogue.com/, technology columnist for the New York Times, grapples with a slang quiz. First he shares own his favorite slang term, "nonversation," then tries to guess the meaning of the archaic technological slang terms "planktonocrit," "phenakistoscope," and "sphygmograph."What's the correct pronunciation of crayon? Is it cray-on? Cran? Crown? Here's a dialect survey map http://www4.uwm.edu/FLL/linguistics/dialect/staticmaps/q_9.html that shows the distribution of these pronunciations.A Green Bay, Wisconsin, caller is curious about her mother's playful interjections. If someone said, "Well," her mother would add, "Well, well. Three holes in the ground." If someone started a sentence with "So..." she'd interject, "Buttons on your underwear!" Or if someone said, "See," she'd add "Said the blind man as he picked up a hammer and saw." And if they were watching a movie and the dramatic tension rose, she'd declare, "The thought plickens!" The caller wonders if those expressions date back to a particular era or context, and says she's now taught them to her Indonesian husband. --A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2010, Wayword LLC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SUMMARYIs the term "Oriental" offensive? Many people think so. Martha and Grant discuss the reasons why. Also, where do we get the phrase "not one iota"? Why do we tell someone to "take a gander"? And who coined the word "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"? FULL DETAILS"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." This kind of sudden, surprising turn in a sentence is called a paraprosdokian. Martha and Grant trade some examples.Instead of crying "uncle," an Indiana woman's family cries calf-rope! She wonders if this expression of submission is unique to her family.Why do we say take a gander for "have a look"?Will Rogers was a master of paraprosdokians. Martha shares a favorite.Too much sugar for a dime can mean either "too good to be true," or "more trouble than it's worth." Merle Travis and Judy Hayden sing about it here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvkppduB5d0Quiz Guy John Chaneski reprises his popular "Puzzle Hunt" game.A Chinese-American says she's not offended by the term "Oriental," but she's been told she should be. Who's right?The expression not one iota means not one bit. Martha explains that it goes back to ancient Greek, and explains its connection to the Sermon on the Mount.A caller was taught that peruse means to examine closely and carefully, but increasingly hears people use it to mean skim quickly. "Evolving English: One Language, Many Voices" is a new exhibit at the British Library in London featuring the earliest printed versions of Beowulf, the Wycliffe and King James Bible, and the oldest known example of written English.http://www.bl.uk/evolvingenglish/A physicist is curious about the term learning curve. He pictures it as a pair of axes. But if that's the case, what's X and what's Y?Who coined Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?Martha shares another paraprosdokian.What's the correct adjective to describe something associated with the Democrats? Is it Democrat or Democratic?Blueberry buckle is a dessert with cake batter, fruit, and a streussel topping. What does that have to do with buckles?--A Way with Words is a self-supporting independent production. It receives no financial support from NPR, PRI, PBS nor any radio station.Support the show with your tax deductible donation: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone:United States an Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Site: http://waywordradio.org/Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donate/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradioCopyright 2010, Wayword Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[This episode first aired November 9, 2009.] All aboard! This week, a bit about the musical language of railroad conductors' calls: 'Anaheim, Azusa, and Cu-ca-monga!' Also, the origin of the military slang term 'cumshaw,' tips for learning Latin, the influence of Spanish immigrants on English, and the funny story behind why plain-talking Texans say, 'We're going to tell how the cow ate the cabbage.'A trip to the California State Railroad Museum http://www.csrmf.org/ has Grant musing about the way language can change in the mouth of a single individual -- in this case, railroad conductors. He recommends a collection of sound files from metros and subways around the world http://mic-ro.com/metro/announcements.html. For different type of stroll down mem'ry lane, check out Mel Blanc's version of a train conductor here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygVFbz6AsnE.Does anyone still say 'Shut UP!' to mean 'No way!'? A forty-something riding instructor says this Seinfeldian locution confuses some of her younger students.A caller wonders why his North Carolina-born partner uses the phrase 'I'd have liked to' instead of 'I almost' or 'I nearly,' as in 'I'd have liked to died laughing.'Quiz Guy John Chaneski starts a whole lotta shakin' with his puzzle about dances with rhyming names. How about the dance that involves many missteps while dancing to the music of Johann Strauss?Is 'ouch!' a universal word, or does what you say when you stub your toe depend on what language you speak?A Seattle-area veteran remembers that in Vietnam he and others like him were known as 'cumshaw artists.' They were the guys who scared up and permanently borrowed whatever their unit needed -- gasoline, vehicle parts, or whiskey for a party. He's always wondered about the appellation.The phrase 'Let's talk about how the cow ate the cabbage means' 'Let's talk frankly.' The hosts talk plainly about the naughty tale that may be behind it.It's never too late to start learning Latin, a language that will deepen your understanding and appreciation of English. Martha offers tips on how to begin: 'Getting Started with Latin' http://www.gettingstartedwithlatin.com/preview01.php, by William E. Linney, and 'Virent Ova! Viret Perna!' http://www.amazon.com/Virent-Viret-Perna-Green-Latin/dp/0865165556 ('Green Eggs and Ham') by Dr. Seuss, with translation help from Jennifer and Terence Tunberg.A riddle: There's a place where yesterday follows today, and tomorrow's in the middle. Where is it?The word 'scarf,' meaning 'to eat rapidly and greedily,' has a long, winding history. Grant helps a listener unravel it.A die-hard Tyler Perry fan is curious about an emphatic expression she's heard in some of his movies: 'Hell-to-the-no.' What's up with the extra words?A second-generation Mexican-American wonders how much the English language is being influenced by Spanish, especially after a misunderstanding when he turned to his date in the passenger seat and asked if she wanted to 'get down.'Another riddle: I stand on one foot, and my heart is in my head. Who am I?--A Way with Words is a self-supporting independent production. It receives no financial support from NPR, PRI, PBS nor any radio station.Support the show with your tax deductible donation: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone:United States an Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Site: http://waywordradio.org/Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donate/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradioCopyright 2010, Wayword Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices