Blessing Box - 17 April 2023

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over

A Way with Words

Language Learning, Society & Culture, Education

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 April 2023

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is there such a thing as a “neutral” accent, and if so what does it sound like? And that quirk in the way southern Californians talk about freeways. They’ll say things like take the 405 and get on the 8. Why the definite article? Plus, those Little Free Libraries filled with books have inspired another kind of giving: little free pantries stocked with canned foods and other household items for anyone in need. They’re called blessing boxes. Also, Kabelsalat, vigesimal, a take-off puzzle, red rag, s’occuper de ses oignons, a holiday left on a wall, snake’s honeymoon, powdered it, throwing smoke, and why married couples may persist in calling each other Mother and Father long after their children are grown. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You know it, and ModyBody knows it, leaks suck, which is why they've dropped a new collection of life-changing period underwear in collaboration with Puma, designed to absorb up to two to three tampons without leaking.
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0:29.0	You're listening to Away with Words, the show about language, and how we use it. I'm Grant Barrett.
0:35.0	And I'm Martha Barnett, and I've chanced upon a handy word for that awful mess of cables under my desk.
0:42.0	The German word for that is cobble-solid.
0:45.0	A cable-solid?
0:47.0	Exactly.
0:48.0	Or giving your choice of operating system maybe apple-solid.
0:53.0	It's a mess under there. I'm sure you have the same problem.
0:57.0	Or apple spaghetti.
0:59.0	Yeah, some people do call it cable spaghetti.
1:03.0	Cable spaghetti.
1:04.0	The highway spaghetti is a name for a really complicated interchange.
1:08.0	Yeah, there's spaghetti junction in Louisville.
1:12.0	There's another Japanese term for this that translates as octopus leg wire, Takawashi Heisen.
1:20.0	And I gather that sometimes electricians call a mess of wires like that a snake's honeymoon.
1:25.0	Snake's honeymoon.
1:27.0	Ooh, that's nice.
1:29.0	Well, we'd love to hear your funny names for some old moments.
1:33.0	Give us a call about that or anything related to language in your life.
1:37.0	Language is everywhere.
1:39.0	877-929-9673 is toll-free throughout the United States and Canada.
	...

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