Brass Tacks - 29 September 2025

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

A Way with Words

Education, Language Learning, Society & Culture

4.6 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why would some Spanish speakers use adaptations of certain English words when perfectly good Spanish words for the same thing already exist? Plus, handy terms in a dictionary of the Sussex dialect from 150 years ago: Back then, a dezzick was “a day’s work” and January butter was another term for “mud.” And: you can’t judge a book by its cover, but the outer sides of its pages may impress you. A new trend in publishing features colorful patterns and images that look gorgeous when the book is closed. These decorations are called spredges, from the words “sprayed” and “edges.” Also: brass tacks, beevers, a punning puzzle for cinephiles, shmutzing, lonche, go chalk, archaic names for ladybugs, close-toe vs. close-toed vs. closed-toe, denominalization, mucksig, God Almighty’s cow, and more. Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org. Be a part of the show: call or text 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free in the United States and Canada; elsewhere in the world, call or text +1 619 800 4443. Send voice notes or messages via WhatsApp 16198004443. Email [email protected]. 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	Here's the truth about AI. AI is only as powerful as the platform it's built into.
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0:27.8	slash UK slash AI for people. You're listening to Away with Words, the show about language and how we use
0:33.4	it. I'm Grant Barrett. And I'm Martha Barnett. Grant, as you know, one of my favorite
0:38.5	things to do is to find old dictionaries and just dig through them. Yeah, dictionary diving, Martha.
0:45.8	Yes, yes. Not necessarily the mainstream ones. But for example, I was looking at a dictionary
0:52.1	of the Sussex dialect. That's from down there on the southeastern coast of England, right there on the English Channel.
0:59.9	A dictionary of the Sussex dialect by Reverend W.D. Parrish, this was from 1875.
1:07.6	And what I love about looking at dictionaries like this is that they give you a little peak at daily life from back in the day, you know, whether it's about food and drink or beliefs and superstitions or opinions or gossip.
1:24.0	I mean, one of the words that I came across almost immediately under the bees was the word beaver, B-E-E-V-E-R, which means an 11 o'clock luncheon. I just love that, you know, come over for a beaver. Oh, nice. It's because you eat some of the beaves. Exactly. I was thinking, does this have to do with drinking? But no, I'm pretty sure that you're right.
1:45.1	That's plural beef. Yes. Yes, I think you're right. Let me share one more with you that just, I don't know, it just set my imagination off. There's a term in the dictionary, Bishop Barnaby.
1:59.0	Bishop Barnaby. So not a real person, but...
2:02.3	Correct.
2:03.1	Is this just like the name for the head goat in the herd?
2:07.6	Right.
2:08.2	I don't know.
2:09.4	The bellwether.
2:11.6	No, in parts of Sussex, the ladybug, the insect, is called a Bishop Barnaby.
2:17.8	And it goes on to say that in other parts, it's called the flygolding, or get this God's
	...

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