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A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

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Title of A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language: "A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language!"

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Whether it’s a Rubik’s cube or a round of Wordle, why do so many of us find puzzles irresistible? A new book celebrates the allure and psychological benefits of brain teasers. Plus, powerful language for talking about the chronic illnesses and invisible disabilities that sap a person’s energy and focus. And what would you wear to a wet dress rehearsal? (Hint: You’ll need a he...


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Every subculture has its own secret lingo, whether you’re talking about surfers, cab drivers, or coffee-shop baristas. A new book uncovers the slang of everyone from stunt performers to department-store Santas and more. Plus, why is English so darn weird? Those odd spellings and weird pronunciations form a fascinating fossil record. And: a quiz where the actual object of the ...


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Candace from Memphis, Tennessee, wonders about the phrase You’re eating me out of house and home. The emphatic doublet house and home is part of a long tradition that includes scared out of house and home and chased out of house and home. Even earlier than that, eaten out of house and harbor communicated the same idea. In Italian, someone may be described with the equivalent ...


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Yasha, who grew up speaking Russian, recalls phrase used to comfort a child after a small mishap like a skinned knee. The phrase translates as “It will heal in time for the wedding,” and Yasha had assumed it was solely Slavic. So he was surprised to hear a South Carolinian use the English expression It’ll heal in time for the wedding in similar circumstances. In fact, version...


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Jane Alberdeston is a poet who lives in Norfolk, Virginia, but she’s originally from Puerto Rico, and notes that in the capital of Puerto Rico, San Juan, there’s a famous statue of Christopher Columbus with his finger pointing toward the horizon. In Puerto Rico, if you want to express skepticism that something will ever happen, you can say so with the jocular phrase cuando Cr...


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