Welcome to another newsletter from A Way with Words!
This past weekend we listened to the episode which featured "layers for meddlers and crutches for lame ducks" and "you buy 'em books, you give 'em books, and all they do is eat the covers!” Judging by the outpouring of email, these were popular calls.
https://www.waywordradio.org/pixels/
This morning we posted the online-only minicast bonus (it's like the prize in your Cracker Jack), in which we answer the question, "Do singers have accents?" Why is it, in other words, that people sound like they have a different accent when they sing? Give it a whirl:
https://www.waywordradio.org/do-singers-have-accents-minicast/
We would be negligent if we failed to point out this calendar featuring a variety of charming (and clothed) female geeks. Lorinne, the red-headed knitter lounging on the lawn, is a friend, so we know she is as lovely in person as she is in print. They don't show all the calendar ladies on the site, so we can only hope that there's a dictionary geek in their somewhere.
http://calendargeeks.com/samples.html
You can find out more about Lorinne, who is an actress, here:
Another friend of ours that we'd like to talk about is David Dickerson, a contributor to This American Life who appeared on TAL just this past weekend. He's also writing a book about his time in the greeting card industry so on his blog he has explained some of the shorthand language used in the business.
Finally, two articles of interest from Slate:
1. Has modern life killed the semicolon?
http://www.slate.com/id/2194087/
2. Which catchphrases should be thrown under the bus?
http://www.slate.com/id/2194425
Best wishes from your radio pals,
Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett
