Light-hearted conversation with callers from all over about new words, old sayings, slang, family ex
If you think they refer to umbrellas as bumbershoots in the UK, think again. The word bumbershoot ac
She sells seashells by the seashore. Who is the she in this tongue twister? Some claim it's the youn
According to Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, it’s important to master the basics of writing, but ther
A hundred years ago, suffragists lobbied to win women the right to vote. Linguistically speaking, th
Why isn’t “you’re welcome” the default response to “thank you” for everyone? Plus lies that kids tel
One of the most powerful words you'll ever hear -- and one of the most poignant -- isn't in dictiona
You may have a favorite word in English, but what about your favorite in another language? The Spani
The highly specialized vocabulary of people who work outdoors, communicating with sled dogs, a word
The origins of the peace symbol, why we say someone who’s enthusiastic is gung ho, a tasty spin on s
A second-generation Filipino-American finds that when he speaks English, his personality is firm, di
Ribbon fall. Gallery forest. You won't find terms like these in most dictionaries, but they and hund
Today we shoot holes in a story that just won’t die that about "son of a gun" and babies born aboard
The word hipster might seem recent, but it actually originated in the 1930s when it referred to jazz
Martha here with a special minicast of A Way with Words. Today I want to tell you an electrifying st
Is there something inherent in English that makes it the linguistic equivalent of the Borg, dominati
How many different ways are there to say you have a baby on the way? You can say you’re pregnant, gr
Books were rare treasures in the Middle Ages, painstakingly copied out by hand. So how to protect th
How would you like to be welcomed to married life by friends and neighbors descending on your home f
In this episode, books for word lovers, from a collection of curious words to some fun with Farsi. •
The new Downton Abbey movie is a luscious treat for fans of the public-television period piece, but
