A Way with Words

Series produced by A Way with Words

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A Way with Words is a national, lively, hour-long public radio show about language, on the air since 1998. Author/journalist Martha Barnette and linguist/lexicographer Grant Barrett take listener calls about slang, grammar, old sayings, word origins, regional dialects, family expressions, and speaking and writing well. There are no carriage fees.

Learn more about the show, its hosts, and its history, and read station and listener testimonials on the A Way with Words website.


220 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Keep Your Powder Dry (#1519)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
Jacuzzi and silhouette are eponyms – that is, they derive from the names of people. An Italian immigrant to California invented the bubbly hot tub ...

Bought by KUAT, KQRU FM LP, KTXK, WSLR, WMMT and more


  • Added: Sep 22, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
One-Armed Paper Hanger (#1518)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
The emotional appeal of handwriting and the emotional reveal of animal phrases. Should children be taught cursive writing in school, or is their ti...

Bought by KUAT, KQRU FM LP, Tri States Public Radio, KTXK, WCMU Michigan and more


  • Added: Sep 15, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 18
Deviled Eggs (#1554)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
Some TV commercials launch catchphrases that stick around long after the original ads. The exclamation Good stuff, Maynard! is still a compliment a...

Bought by KUAT, KQRU FM LP, Tri States Public Radio, KTXK, Royalton Community Radio and more


  • Added: Sep 08, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
Hair on Your Tongue (#1517)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
If you speak both German and Spanish, you may find yourself reaching for a German word instead of a Spanish one, and vice versa. This puzzling expe...

Bought by KUAT, KQRU FM LP, KTXK, Royalton Community Radio, WRFA-LP and more


  • Added: Sep 01, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Play It by Ear (#1553)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
How does social context shape our perception of language? When hiking the Appalachian Trail, a young woman from Wyoming found that fellow hikers a...

Bought by KUAT, KQRU FM LP, Tri States Public Radio, KAWC / Border Radio - KOFA, Royalton Community Radio and more


  • Added: Aug 24, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
Train of Thought (#1516)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
Chances are you recognize the expressions Judgment Day and the root of all evil as phrases from the Bible. There are many others, though, some of w...

Bought by KUAT, KQRU FM LP, Tri States Public Radio, KTXK, Royalton Community Radio and more


  • Added: Aug 17, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Moon Palace (#1552)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
What happens in a classroom of refugee and immigrant youngsters learning English? Their fresh approach to language can result in remarkable poetry ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTXK, KZMU Moab Community Radio, WCMU Michigan and more


  • Added: Aug 10, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 18
Space Cadet (#1514)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
We have books that should be on every language lover's wish list, plus a couple of recommendations for history buffs. Plus: how did the word boondo...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTXK, KQRU FM LP, WCMU Michigan and more


  • Added: Aug 04, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Howling Fantods (#1513)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
Are there words and phrases that you misunderstood for an embarrassingly long time? Maybe you thought that money laundering literally meant washing...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTXK, RadioStPete Florida and more


  • Added: Jul 27, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 18
Cherry Bombs (#1551)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
An ornithologist says there's a growing movement to change the name of a pink-footed bird currently called the flesh-footed shearwater. The movemen...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTXK, KTSW 89.9 and more


  • Added: Jul 20, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 18
Bottled Sunshine (#1512)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
If you catch your blue jeans on a nail, you may find yourself with a winklehawk. This term was adapted into English from Dutch, and means "an L-sha...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTXK, KTSW 89.9 and more


  • Added: Jul 13, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 18
Queen Bee (#1550)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
An artist asks strangers to write haiku about the pandemic, and gets back poetic, poignant glimpses of life under lockdown. Plus, the new book Quee...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTXK, WSLR and more


  • Added: Jul 06, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
Cootie Shot (#1510)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
Perfect sentences and slang that tickles your mind. A new book of writing advice says that a good sentence "imposes a logic on the world's weirdnes...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTXK, KTSW 89.9 and more


  • Added: Jun 29, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
Navel-Gazing (#1549)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
In 1971, when a new public library opened in Troy, Michigan, famous authors and artists were invited to write letters to the city's youngest reader...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, WSLR, KTSW 89.9 and more


  • Added: Jun 23, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
Ding Ding Man (#1509)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
In 1803, a shy British pharmacist wrote a pamphlet that made him a reluctant celebrity. The reason? He proposed a revolutionary new system for clas...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTXK, KTSW 89.9 and more


  • Added: Jun 15, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
Take Tea for the Fever (#1508)  
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
Silence comes in lots of different forms. In fact, says writer Paul Goodman, there are several kinds: There's the noisy silence of "resentment and ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, WSLR, Royalton Community Radio and more


  • Added: Jun 08, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Yak Shaving (#1548)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
There was a time when William Shakespeare was just another little 7-year-old in school. Classes in his day were demanding -- and all in Latin. A ne...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTSW 89.9, Royalton Community Radio and more


  • Added: Jun 02, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Sun Dog (#1507)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
A clever pun can make the difference between a so-so phrase and a memorable one. The phrase "the last straw" refers to an old fable about too many ...

Bought by KUAT, WUOT 91.9 FM, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTSW 89.9 and more


  • Added: May 26, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Oh For Cute (#1506)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
A stereotype is a preconceived notion about a person or group. Originally, though, the word stereotype referring to a printing device used to produ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTXK, KTSW 89.9 and more


  • Added: May 18, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
Coinkydink (#1505)
From: A Way with Words
Series: A Way with Words
Piece image
Sometimes it's a challenge to give a book a chance: How many pages should you read before deciding it's not worth your time? There's a new formula ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KTSW 89.9, Royalton Community Radio and more


  • Added: May 12, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16

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