A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
Society & Culture
If someone urges you to spill the tea, they probably don’t want you tipping over a hot beverage. Originally, the tea here was the letter T, as in “truth.” To spill the T means to “pass along truthful information.” Plus, we’re serving up some delicious Italian idioms involving food. The Italian phrase that literally translates “eat the soup or jump out the window” means “take it or leave it,” and a phrase that translates as “we don’t fry with water around here” means “we don’t do things halfway.” Also: a takeoff word quiz, why carbonated beverages go by various names, including soda, coke, and pop; fill your boots, bangorrhea, cotton to, howdy; milkshake, frappe, velvet, frost, and cabinet; push-ups, press-ups and lagartijas; the Spanish origin of the word alligator, don’t break my plate or saw off my bench, FOMO after death, and much more.
Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org/contact. Be a part of the show: call 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free in the United States and Canada; worldwide, call or text/SMS +1 (619) 800-4443. Email words@waywordradio.org. Twitter @wayword. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation.
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Snaggletooth - 11 January 2021
At First Blush (Rebroadcast) - 4 January 2021
Gift Horse (Rebroadcast) - 28 December 2020
Like a Boiled Owl - 21 December 2020
Had the Radish (Rebroadcast) - 14 December 2020
Your Two Cents - 7 December 2020
Abso-Bloomin-Lutely (Rebroadcast) - 30 November 2020
Niblings and Nieflings (Rebroadcast) - 23 November 2020
Sock it to Me - 16 November 2020
Kite in a Phonebooth (Rebroadcast) - 9 November 2020
Strawberry Moon (Rebroadcast) - 2 November 2020
Good Vibrations - 26 October 2020
Spill The Tea (Rebroadcast) - 19 October 2020
Mystery Drawer - 12 October 2020
Dirty Laundry (Rebroadcast) - 5 October 2020
Keep Your Powder Dry (Rebroadcast) - 28 September 2020
One Armed Paper Hanger (Rebroadcast) - 21 September 2020
Deviled Eggs - 14 September 2020
Hair On Your Tongue (Rebroadcast) - 7 September 2020
Play It By Ear - 31 August 2020
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