A high-school teacher in Los Angeles, California, says many of his teaching colleagues have different opinions about how to handle profanity among teenagers. The simplest solution is to prohibit all taboo language in the classroom, but acknowledge...
During a visit to Lee High School in Huntstville, Alabama, we collect a treasure trove of slang, including a term that seems to be particular to the Huntsville area: forf, which as a verb means to fail to follow through on commitments, and as a noun...
Students at Lee High School in Huntstville, Alabama use the slang terms snack and whole meal. A snack is an attractive person and if you’re better than a snack, you’re a whole meal! This is part of a complete episode.
When writing textbooks about slavery, which words best reflect its cold, hard reality? Some historians are dropping the word slave in favor of terms like enslaved person and captive, arguing that these terms are more accurate. And raising a...
Madison East High School in Madison, Wisconsin, is the proud home of the Purgolders. That school mascot resembles a golden puma in purple attire, with a portmanteau name that combines those two colors. This is part of a complete episode.
Give a tax-deductible donation to A Way with Words right now. Not long ago, I made a speech to a high school in San Diego. I was asked by those in charge to talk about careers. How I got to be a dictionary editor, a journalist, a radio show host...
