meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over

Takes All Kinds - 18 December 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

🗓️ 18 December 2023

⏱️ 53 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Crossword puzzles are a marvelous mental workout. A delightful new book about them shares plenty of crossword lore and puzzle-solving tips. Also, performers who tell each other break a leg aren’t really hoping someone gets hurt. The phrase stems from an old superstition that involves saying the opposite of what you really wish. And: is conversate a real word? You bet it is! Prepare for some serious conversating about this very useful term. Plus, the origin of quesadilla, kill two birds with one stone vs. feed two birds with one seed, touch base vs. touch bases, the different impact of short stories and novels, no te comas el coco, in bocca del lupo, you ate that haircut!, and a brain teaser about itsy-bitsy anagrams that’ll leave your mind feeling pulled through a knothole backwards. 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

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Everything is fuel for your creativity with the Lenovo Yoga laptop series.

0:04.3

From the people you meet to the creators you follow, it all comes together with

0:08.0

Lenovo Yoga.

0:09.0

Plus, you get a 50 pound travel voucher and a shot at winning an awesome trip to New York and a Motorola

0:14.6

razor 40 Ultra. Check out the Lenovo Yoga series with laptops made for creatives at

0:19.7

Lenovo.com slash Yoga. limited time only terms and conditions apply.

0:23.8

Engineered to do it all. That's a laptop evolved with Intel Evo Platform.

0:27.8

You're listening to Away with Words, the show about language and how we use it.

0:33.7

I'm Grant Barrett. And I'm Martha Barnett. Doing crossword puzzles is a great mental exercise,

0:40.4

and one of the reasons that these puzzles are such a good workout for your brain is that crosswords are less about what you know and more about how you think about what you know.

0:51.0

For example, if I need a three-letter word and the clue is,

0:55.0

it has a certain ring to it, the answer is tub.

1:00.0

It has a certain ring to it. Oh, you it's the dirty ring of soap and and stuff that's left when you're washing the top got it

1:07.1

Yes, yes, so you look at that word ring and you have to think about it in a different way. Or, for example, if you need a four letter word

1:14.7

that means dog holders.

1:17.9

Dog holders, four letter word.

1:21.1

Four letters.

1:22.4

Pause?

1:24.0

Maybe the one I was looking for was Buns.

1:28.0

It's a different kind of dog.

1:30.0

Oh, hot dog holders, Buns.

1:31.0

Haha.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from A Way with Words, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of A Way with Words and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.