Martha Barnette
Recent Pieces from Martha Barnette
The Rubber Match (#1335)
(00:54:00)
From: A Way with Words
Survey time! Do you call that kind of cap a beanie, a toboggan, or a stocking hat, or something else? What about rubber-soled athletic shoes? Do you call them sneakers or ...
Strange Spelling Bee Words (#1334)
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From: A Way with Words
Why do spelling bees include such bizarre, obsolete words like cymotrichous? And why is New York called the Big Apple? Also, the stinky folk medicine tradition called an ...
Gibberish Language (#1333)
(00:54:00)
From: A Way with Words
What do pigs have to do with piggyback rides? Martha and Grant have the answer. They also get a lesson from a listener in the fine art of speaking gibberish. And what's the ...
By Jingo! (#1332)
(00:54:00)
From: A Way with Words
If your friend says she's coming to town "Sunday week," exactly when should you expect to see her? And what do you call those typographical symbols that cartoonists use in ...
Like a Boss (#1331)
(00:54:00)
From: A Way with Words
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's . . . "witches' knickers"? Well, what do YOU call those stray plastic bags littering the landscape? Also, what it means to do something "like ...
Pickles and Ice Cream (#1315)
(00:54:00)
From: A Way with Words
How about some wind pudding with a dollop of air sauce? What's in a tavern sandwich? Do pregnant women really crave pickles and ice cream? Grant and Martha dig in to colorful ...
Who You Callin' a Jabronie? (#1314)
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From: A Way with Words
Yo! Who you callin' a jabronie? And what exactly is a jabronie, anyway? Also, what do vintage school buses and hack writers have in common? Grant and Martha trace the origins ...
You Bet Your Sweet Bippy (#1316)
(00:54:00)
From: A Way with Words
Why do some puns strike us as clever, while others are plain old groaners? Martha and Grant puzzle over this question. Also, the difference between baggage and luggage, a ...
Bah, Humblebrag! (#1330)
(00:54:00)
From: A Way with Words
What's YOUR choice for the Word of the Year for 2011? What word or phrase best sums up the ideas, events, and themes that speakers of English have been talking about? Grant ...
