A caller sends Grant and Martha off on a slang-infested trip about ways of saying a fast good-bye. Listen as they blow pop, popcorn, and taco stands by way of author Jim Harrison, the comic strip Funky Winkerbean, and a Warhol hanger-on.
gayborhood n.— «“The Castro, and to a lesser extent the West Village, was where you went to express yourself,” said Don F. Reuter, a New York author who is researching a book on the rise and fall of gay neighborhoods, or “gayborhoods...
alternadad n.— «Gen Xers, Y’s and young baby boomer dads have fueled the cool dad gear trend by taking a much more active role in parenting than their fathers. These “alternadads,” a term coined by author and blogger Neal Pollack, want to...
whimperative n. a command or request phrased as a polite or indirect question. Also wh- imperative. Editorial Note: This word is especially used in the linguistic study of discourse. Thanks to Ben Zimmer for helping to clarify this definition...
A Way with Words is a lively hour-long public radio show about language, on the air since 1998. Co-hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett delve into word histories, solve grammar disputes, give and answer quizzes, and take calls from listeners...
emosogynist n.— «Welcome to “Crap Email From A Dude,” a Jezebel public service campaign in which we run actual emails, in all their ellipses-laden glory, from actual dudes. Because they are actual, we do not provide...