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
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Martha and Grant have book recommendations, including a collection of short stories inspired by dictionaries, and a techno-thriller for teens. Or, ...

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


  • Added: May 05, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
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The game of baseball has always inspired colorful commentary. Sometimes that means using familiar words in unfamiliar ways. The word "stuff," for e...

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


  • Added: Apr 28, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
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How colors got their names, and a strange way to write. The terms "blue" and "orange" arrived in English via French, so why didn't we also adapt th...

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


  • Added: Apr 21, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
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The adjective canine refers to dogs, and feline refers to cats. But how does English address other groups of animals? Plus, cabin fever has been ar...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KOJB 90.1 FM The eagle, KVSC and more


  • Added: Apr 13, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
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There's a proverb that goes "Beloved children have many names." That's at least as true when it comes to the names we give our pets. "Fluffy" becom...

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


  • Added: Apr 06, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
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Cat hair may be something you brush off, but "cat hair" is also a slang term that means "money." In the same way, cat beer isn't alcoholic -- some ...

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


  • Added: Mar 30, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
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Vocabulary that trickles down from the top of the world. Malamute, kayak, and parka are just some of the words that have found their way into Engli...

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


  • Added: Mar 23, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
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Have you ever googled your own name and found someone else who goes by the very same moniker? There's a word for that: googleganger. Plus, the lang...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KQRU FM LP, KVSC, WYAP and more


  • Added: Mar 18, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 10
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Funny cat videos and cute online photos inspire equally adorable slang terms we use to talk about them. When a cat leaves its tongue out, that's a ...

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


  • Added: Mar 09, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
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One secret to writing well is . . . there is no secret! There's no substitute for simply sitting down day after day to practice the craft and learn...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, KTXK, WYAP and more


  • Added: Mar 02, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
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If you think they refer to umbrellas as bumbershoots in the UK, think again. The word bumbershoot actually originated in the United States! In Brit...

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


  • Added: Feb 24, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
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She sells seashells by the seashore. Who is the she in this tongue twister? Some claim it's the young Mary Aning, who went on to become a famous 19...

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


  • Added: Feb 17, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
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According to Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, it's important to master the basics of writing, but there comes a time when you have to strike out on y...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, KTXK, WYAP and more


  • Added: Feb 10, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
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A hundred years ago, suffragists lobbied to win women the right to vote. Linguistically speaking, though, suffrage isn't about "suffering." It's fr...

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


  • Added: Feb 03, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
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Ever wonder whatever happened to responding to "Thank you" with the words "You're welcome"? A listener asks why so many radio interviews end with t...

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


  • Added: Jan 27, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
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One of the most powerful words you'll ever hear -- and one of the most poignant -- isn't in dictionaries yet. But it probably will be one day. The ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, WYAP, WPCA-LP and more


  • Added: Jan 20, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
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You may have a favorite word in English, but what about your favorite in another language? The Spanish term ojala is especially handy for expressin...

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


  • Added: Jan 13, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
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The highly specialized vocabulary of people who work outdoors, like farmers and fishermen, can bring us closer to the natural world. Also, a woman ...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, KVSC, WYAP and more


  • Added: Jan 06, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 13
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The stories behind symbols and expressions around the world. The peace symbol popular during 1960's antiwar demonstrations had been around for deca...

Bought by KUAT, Tri States Public Radio, KTSW 89.9, KTXK, KNVC Carson City Community Radio and more


  • Added: Dec 31, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11
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Ribbon fall. Gallery forest. You won't find terms like these in most dictionaries, but they and hundreds like them are discussed by famous writers ...

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


  • Added: Dec 16, 2019
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 13