Hog On Ice (Rebroadcast) - 2 August 2021

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

🗓️ 2 August 2021

⏱️ 51 minutes

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Summary

One secret to writing well is … there is no secret! There’s no substitute for simply sitting down day after day to practice the craft and learn from your mistakes. Plus, childhood mixups around word definitions can lead to some funny stories. After all, if you didn’t know any better, why wouldn’t you assume a thesaurus is a prehistoric creature? And did you know the word groovy wasn’t always positive. In the 1880s, it meant just the opposite: someone stuck in a rut or in a groove. Plus: in the meantime, jetty, thick as inkle-weavers, keg of nails, sauna, sofa vs. couch, chirurgeon, fat chance, a newfangled brain teaser about archaic words, and 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to a way with words, the show about language, and how we use it.
0:03.6	I'm Grant Barrett.
0:04.5	And I'm Martha Barnett. We got an email from Resoul, he lives in Iran,
0:09.3	and he's been listening to us there in the city of Meshad for several years,
0:13.5	for help in learning English. And he wanted to ask a question about the expression fat chance.
0:19.3	He writes,
0:20.3	The word fat implies a sense of abundance, and,
0:23.6	biblically speaking, I've heard that fat people were considered blessed in the past.
0:28.0	But what has happened to this idiom that when we say fat chance,
0:31.4	we mean no chance.
0:33.2	Oh, yes, that's a very good question.
0:35.4	It is a really good question.
0:37.0	When we say fat chance, you don't really mean that something is likely, right?
0:41.8	Right, right. You can't stare English directly in the eyes.
0:44.1	It's like looking too closely at the sun.
0:46.4	I have to shield yourself from it.
0:49.4	Yeah.
0:49.8	We have other things like that English.
0:51.4	We say, um, um, big deal.
0:53.6	Well, we don't mean big deal.
0:54.9	Exactly.
0:55.6	Something in the tone that you, the way you signal that big deal,
	...

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