Podcast appearances and mentions of Lynne Murphy

Lynne Murphy, MS, RN, shares her journey to leadership in nutrition support and public policy advocacy through ASPEN, highlighting her work on nursing certifications, public policy initiatives, and Capitol Hill advocacy.

Today, we sit down with Lynne Murphy, a professor of linguistics at the ...

American English and British English aren't different languages. But they're not the same either, even if they're getting closer. There are all those different words for things: diaper/nappy, faucet/tap and so on. More challenging are common words used in subtly different ways: sure, reckon, middle class. Who better to ask about these and other terms than UK-based American linguist Lynne Murphy and her British husband and daughter? Spoiler alert: They don't always agree. Lynne Murphy is the author of The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English. Music in this episode by Josef Falkensköld, Stationary Sign, Rebecca Mardal and Luella Gren. Photo courtesy of Wellcome Images/Creative Commons. Read a transcript of this episode here. Sign up for Subtitle's newsletter here.

American English and British English aren't different languages. But they're not the same either, even if they're getting closer. There are all those different words for things: diaper/nappy, faucet/tap and so on. More challenging are common words used in subtly different ways: sure, reckon, middle class. Who better to ask about these and other terms than UK-based American linguist Lynne Murphy and her British husband and daughter? Spoiler alert: They don't always agree. Lynne Murphy is the author of The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English. Music in this episode by Josef Falkensköld, Stationary Sign, Rebecca Mardal and Luella Gren. Photo courtesy of Wellcome Images/Creative Commons. Read a transcript of this episode here. Sign up for Subtitle's newsletter here.

928. Listen to the interview that got me playing Wordle again. Lynne Murphy shared all sorts of things you probably didn't know about this game!Lynne Murphy is professor of linguistics at the University of Sussex in England, the author of the book "The Prodigal Tongue," and the writer of the long-running Separated by a Common Language blog.| Transcript:  https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/wordle/transcript| Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.| Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.| Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) or https://sayhi.chat/grammargirl| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.Audio engineer: Nathan SemesEditor: Adam CecilAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly HutchingsIntern: Kamryn Lacy| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.| Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

Show notes for Episode 30 Here are the show notes for Episode 30, in which Jacky, Dan and Lisa talk to Dr Jessica Norledge, Assistant Professor in Stylistics at the University of Nottingham, about: Stylistics - what it is and how we can use it The language of and in dystopia ‘Text worlds' and cognitive linguistics Her favourite dystopian novels Jess has just published The Language of Dystopia with Palgrave (see here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-93103-2) - (40% off until Oct 31st 2022 with HAL40 code!) We also talk in our regular Lang in the News segment about recent news stories on emojis, the ‘word gap' and how ‘culture wars' news stories are framed, with advice about reading them critically. Jessica Norledge's University of Nottingham webpage: Jessica Norledge Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessnorledge The book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-93103-2 (40% off until Oct 31st with HAL40 code) Lang in the News links Thumbs up emojis get the thumbs down from Gen Z (or not): Daily Mirror: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/thumbs-up-emoji-branded-inappropriate-28219379 NY Post: Gen Z has canceled the thumbs-up emoji because it's 'hostile' emoji thumbs up NYPost Oct 2022.pdf Thread here: https://twitter.com/EngLangBlog/status/1580276631473516544 The non-story aspect of all this is covered here: https://twitter.com/RottenInDenmark/status/1580348731215740928 But also the link to other non-stories about generational outrage is worth discussing: Linguists say full stops ‘intimidate young people' as they seem angry | Metro News Another emoji story this week: geek emoji Article here: geek emoji Nottingham Post Oct 2022.pdf and also covered briefly in Telegraph and Mail Links to an older story in summer about generational use of emojis: Mail emojis generations July 2022.docx Ian Cushing gets the Daily Mail treatment for his critiques of ‘word gap' discourses Ian's thread: https://twitter.com/ian_cushing/status/1579731095884820481 The Mail article: Schools branded 'racist' for trying to improve pupils' vocabulary | Daily Mail Online Cushing Mail + later comments Oct 2022.docx Ian's paper: Full article: Word rich or word poor? Deficit discourses, raciolinguistic ideologies and the resurgence of the ‘word gap' in England's education policy Ian's thread on this: https://twitter.com/ian_cushing/status/1551555550395129856?s=20&t=dNK7RVsA-DrIIgr4C7VXPQ Ian and Julia Snell's Ofsted paper: The (white) ears of Ofsted: A raciolinguistic perspective on the listening practices of the schools inspectorate | Language in Society | Cambridge Core Discussion of standardised English and Ofsted in the TES: Ofsted: Teaching pupils to speak standard English is 'social justice' Lynne Murphy's emagazine article ‘How To Read the Language News – Sceptically' is in emagazine 82 and available (if you have an emag subscription) through this link: emagazine For Advanced Level English Students Contact us @LexisPodcast. Subscribe: Lexis Podcast | Podcast on Spotify Contributors Matthew Butler Twitter: https://twitter.com/Matthewbutlerwy Lisa Casey blog: https://livingthroughlanguage.wordpress.com/ & Twitter: Language Debates (@LanguageDebates) Dan Clayton blog: EngLangBlog & Twitter: EngLangBlog (@EngLangBlog) Jacky Glancey Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackyGlancey Music: Freenotes End music: Serge Quadrado - Cool Guys Cool Guys by Serge Quadrado is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. From the Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/serge-quadrado/urban/cool-guys

Meet the Mesdames and Messieurs of Mayhem! Join us weekly for this great series of short interviews with the authors who make up our collective, the Mesdames of Mayhem, and our “Coming Soon!” anthology, In the Spirit of 13. This week we feature Lynne Murphy, author of Potluck and Other Stories. Lynne will discuss her… Continue reading S 5, E 93: The Mesdames of Mayhem, In the Spirit of 13. Ft: Lynne Murphy

Dr. Lynne Murphy is an American linguist who moved to England in 2000 to teach at the University of Sussex. Over the past 21 years, Dr. Murphy has studied the key differences in language, behavior, and politeness between Brits and Americans. Listen as she discusses the history of different pronunciations and explains why she believes Americans are saving the English language.

Today I'm talking to Nate Ritter, an American travel enthusiast who, after a somewhat aborted attempt at living in France, describes himself as a "failed expat". We're talking about his adventures trying to live in France with his wife, why no failure is really a failure, and how his experiences have contributed to him setting up his hotel room savings business, Room Steals. We talk about the big topic of learning a new language and some tricky pronunciations (if you're listening to this with young children around, be warned: we do mention a certain male body part...). And of course, we also throw in quite a few French stereotypes for good measure! Nate's message: keep trying, learn from your mistakes, and don't settle for just one country when there's a whole world to explore.The book I mention is Lynne Murphy's The Prodigal Tongue. Lynne Murphy also has a blog, Separated by a common language.Nate Ritter

Are you a published author? Would you like to be featured on our podcast? Email Donna at carrickpublishing@rogers.com – subject line: Schedule an Interview on Dead to Writes. All music featured on Dead to Writes is brought to you courtesy of songwriter, composer and performer Ted Carrick. Keep up with all of his new music… Continue reading Dead to Writes: S3 E72, author Lynne Murphy

May 13, 2019 at the Boston Athenæum. In conjunction with The English-Speaking Union “English accents are the sexiest.” “Americans have ruined the English language.” Such claims about the English language are often repeated but rarely examined. Professor Lynne Murphy is on the linguistic front line. In The Prodigal Tongue she explores the fiction and reality of the special relationship between British and American English. By examining the causes and symptoms of American Verbal Inferiority Complex and its flipside, British Verbal Superiority Complex, Murphy unravels the prejudices, stereotypes and insecurities that shape our attitudes to our own language. With great humo(u)r and new insights, Lynne Murphy looks at the social, political and linguistic forces that have driven American and British English in different directions: how Americans got from centre to center, why British accents are growing away from American ones, and what different things we mean when we say estate, frown, or middle class. Is anyone winning this war of the words? Will Yanks and Brits ever really understand each other?

In today's episode, I interview linguist, professor, blogger, and author Lynne Murphy about her book, The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English. We talk about topics such as the British media's take on "Americanisms," nonsensical prescriptivism, national attitudes toward language, and so much more.  Lynne's blog, Separated by a Common Language: https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/ To purchase The Prodigal Tongue: https://theprodigaltongue.com/      

Lynne Murphy, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sussex, talks to us about some of the differences between American and British English. We discuss her book "The Prodigal Tongue" and her blog "Separated by a Common Language".  The Prodigal Tongue (US version) The Prodigal Tongue (UK version) Separated by a Common Language Observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK The Brigham Young University Corpus of Contemporary English To contact Cherryleaf: info@cherryleaf.com www.cherryleaf.com  Cherryleaf's advanced technical communication course

Our Johnson columnist, Lane Greene, decodes the language of 2018 with Lynne Murphy, author of “The Prodigal Tongue” and Anton La Guardia, keeper of The Economist’s style guide. Which words best sum up the closing year? They debate “woke bros” versus “iron snowflakes”, the pros and cons of Americanisms and the key to great writing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our Johnson columnist, Lane Greene, decodes the language of 2018 with Lynne Murphy, author of “The Prodigal Tongue” and Anton La Guardia, keeper of The Economist’s style guide. Which words best sum up the closing year? They debate “woke bros” versus “iron snowflakes”, the pros and cons of Americanisms and the key to great writing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donald Trump declares himself Sun-King to make up for not being invited to the royal wedding, American Airlines bans insects as comfort animals, Meghan & Harry have to live with their relatives, like, forever, and Lynne Murphy tells us of the linguistic difficulties they may face in The Prodigal Tongue

Australian and Canadian English don’t sound much alike, but they have one big similarity: they’re both national varieties that tend to get overshadowed by their more famous siblings. In this episode of Lingthusiasm, your hosts Lauren Gawne and Gretchen McCulloch use Lynne Murphy’s new book The Prodigal Tongue as a guide to the sometimes prickly relationship between the globally dominant British and American varieties of English, give a mini history of English in our own countries, and discuss our national quests to find space between and around US and UK nationlects. On the way, we ask the big, country-dividing questions like, is soup more likely to be brothy or puréed? Does “please” make a request ruder or more polite? What’s a prototypical bacon? Where on your face is a frown? This month’s bonus episode on Patreon is about what you should know if you’re considering linguistics grad school: whether to apply, tips on applying and choosing a school, and some of the differences between the North American and UK/Australian systems. We also announced that our Patron goal bonus art will by done by Lucy, who is not only a great artist but also an English language teacher with a Masters in Applied Linguistics. Go to patreon.com/lingthusiasm to listen to the bonus episodes and see behind-the-scenes updates about the art. To see this episode's shownotes, go to https://lingthusiasm.com/post/173999864106/lingthusiasm-episode-20-speaking-canadian-and

In this episode, we focus on how to empower learners as researchers by making them specialists on a sub-topic within their discipline. This approach is simple but effective. Start by dividing aspects of the subject you are teaching into sub-topics or research areas. Each student is assigned one of these to pursue as a personal research project throughout the module, compiling a portfolio of their reflections and findings along the way. Their final portfolio submission demonstrate an application of the general content studied (common to all students) to their specific research area (unique to them). Tab Betts talks to Professor Lynne Murphy, who is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sussex, and Dr. Paolo Oprandi, who is a Senior Learning Technologist at the University of Sussex. Lynne has recently published a book, entitled The Prodigal Tongue, which explores the love-hate relationship between British and American English (https://theprodigaltongue.com). Paolo has recently joined our team in Technology Enhanced Learning at the University of Sussex, after working as an E-learning Developer in IT Services. Links: Professor Lynne Murphy - Lynne Murphy at the University of Bradford (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/115259) - Lynne Murphy on Twitter (twitter.com/lynneguist) - Lynne Murphy's latest book: The Prodigal Tongue (https://theprodigaltongue.com/) - Lynne Murphy's Blog: Separated by a Common Language (https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.co.uk/) Dr. Paolo Oprandi - Paolo Oprandi at the University of Sussex (http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/125778) - Paolo Oprandi on Twitter (https://twitter.com/paolo_oprandi)

This week, I have a delightful excerpt from Lynne Murphy's new book "The Prodigal Tongue" about the differences between British and American English, a tip about words for smells, and a tidbit about the term "battle royale." FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl SPONSORS http://juicebeauty.com/grammar (use the promo code Grammar20) http://mrclean.com/grammargirl GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPop GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page

Michael Rosen is joined by writer Matthew Engel and linguist Dr Lynne Murphy to discuss the Americanisation of English. Is the pace of Americanisation of British English really increasing? Why do Americans say eggplant and sidewalk, rather than aubergine and pavement? Why does your spellchecker insist it's 'color' not 'colour'? Do Americans complain about the 'Britishisms' creeping into use in the States as much as we complain about Americanisms in use in the UK? Does it really matter if British and American English begin to be used interchangeably and could we stem the flow if we tried? Producer: Mair Bosworth.

Books for sale, books for free, and wisdom passed down through the ages. Libraries aren't just repositories for books -- they're often a great place to find gently used volumes for sale. Or you can always visit a "little free library," one of those neighborhood spot dedicated to recycling your own books, and picking up new ones for free. Plus: "When two elephants fight, it's the grass that suffers" -- weighty proverbs from East Africa. Finally, the United States and the UK are separated by more than a common language: the way we talk about numbers is also surprisingly different, depending on which side of the pond you're on. Also: I don't know him from Adam, stargazy pie, my dogs are barking, and cheiloproclitic. Ruminate on that! FULL DETAILS The stunning play Our Lady of Kibeho, set in Rwanda, includes some powerful East African proverbs gathered by playwright Katori Hall, such as A flea can bother a lion, but a lion cannot bother a flea, and When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. A caller from Deer River, Minnesota, has lots of experience raising ruminants and wonders if the word ruminate, as in "to ponder or muse about something" stems from the image of such an animal chewing regurgitated cud. Indeed it does. In classical Latin, the word ruminare could mean either "to chew cud" or "to turn over in one's mind." Similarly, the English verb to browse originally referred to the action of an animal feeding on the buds and leaves of trees and bushes. The phrase I don't know him from Adam suggests that if the person were standing next to the person in Western tradition thought to be earliest human being, the two would be indistinguishable. The phrase I don't know her from Adam can be used to refer to a woman who is similarly unrecognizable, but it's less common. Another variation: I wouldn't know him from Adam's off ox. Quiz Guy John Chaneski invites us to a party to meet all of his dear "aunties" -- as in the "auntie" who makes sure your oily hair doesn't mess up the furniture. Since the 1930's the term punch list has referred to a list of things to do, or a list of problems to fix. Although there are many proposed explanations for the origin of this term, none is definitive. A caller from Tampa, Florida, talks about the eerie feeling she had when she heard an audio interview recorded with a speaker who at the time was unaware of his imminent death. She'd like a word to describe that feeling. Postalgia, maybe? An Alabama woman says Minnesota-born husband has never heard an expression she's used all her life. The phrase is smell the patching, as in If he's not careful, he's going to smell the patching. The idea is that if you do something bad, it will catch up with you. In the early 19th century, patching was the piece of cloth used to tamp down gunpowder in firearms. If you're close enough to a battle to smell the patching, you're pretty darn close. The Little Free Library movement offers a great way to unload some of your old books and discover some ones that someone else has left for the taking. A listener in Hartford, Connecticut, is sure he's heard a word that means "an erotic attraction to lips." The word is cheiloproclitic, from ancient Greek words that mean "inclined toward lips." Grant offers a couple of other terms, jolie laide, French for "beautiful ugly," and cacocallia, from Greek words that mean roughly the same thing. Those of us in the United States and Britain may be separated by a common language, but we're also separated when it comes to how we indicate numbers. A Numberphile video featuring linguist Lynne Murphy explains this in more depth. If you think stargazy pie sounds romantic, you'd better be charmed by egg-and-potato pie with fish heads sticking out of it. My dogs are barking means "My feet hurt" or "My feet are tired." As early as 1913, cartoonist Tad Dorgan was using the term dogs to mean "feet." If your "dogs" in this sense are "barking," it's as if they're seeking your attention. In an earlier episode, we discussed visual signals used in deafening environments such as sawmills. One signal, developed in a textile mill, was holding up both hands, fingertips up and palms out, miming a gesture of pushing. That pushing motion translated to, of course, The boss, as in The boss is coming, so look sharp! This episode is hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett. -- A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donate Get your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time: Email: words@waywordradio.org Phone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673 London +44 20 7193 2113 Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771 Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donate Site: http://waywordradio.org/ Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/ Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/ Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/ Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2016, Wayword LLC.

How did the word "gay" go from meaning "happy" to "homosexual"? Martha and Grant discuss the evolution of this word. Also, why are elementary schools sometimes called grammar schools? Plus, imeldific, gone pecan, random Scrabble words, and the difference between borrow and lend. And the etiquette of striking up a conversation with a stranger in an English pub: Whatever you do, don't introduce yourself or try to shake hands. FULL DETAILSWhen you're playing Scrabble or Words with Friends, do you ever try random letters and hope they stick? One listener scored a few points when he managed to play the word haverels that way. Turns out it's an old term from Scotland and Northern England meaning "those who talk foolishly or without sense."Why are elementary schools sometimes called grammar schools? The earliest schools, called scolae grammaticales, were connected to monasteries. They were meant for teaching Latin grammar. The term declined in popularity during the 1960's.What's the plural of cyclops? If you have a group of those one-eyed mythical monsters, your best bet is cyclopes, pronounced "sye-KLOH-peez."If something's gaudy and excessive, Filipinos might call it imeldific. It's a slang term inspired by Imelda Marcos and her legendary shoe collection.What's the difference between borrow and lend, or between borrow and loan? The real difference between these verbs is which direction the thing is traveling. Something similar happens with teach vs. learn and bring vs. take.Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a puzzle called "I Don't Think So, M-W." The name is a nod to Merriam-Webster's word of the day email, which often uses puzzling example sentences, like this one: "Lying in my tent that night, I could hear the campfire crackling and the crickets __________ and none of the city sounds I was accustomed to." Good luck filling in that blank.If a command begins or ends with the word please, does that make the order optional? The hosts agree that generally it's polite to honor such a request despite the phrasing.How did the word gay come to mean both "happy" and "homosexual"? In the late 1800's, the term gaycat was used in hobo culture to refer to an inexperienced hobo who might take on an older mentor for help, often another male. Over time, there was a convergence between gay as slang for "homosexual" and "gay" from the French term for "happy." Paronomasia's just another word for pun, and Martha can't resist offering an example.What is a road warrior? This term for someone who travels a lot or commutes a long distance is also used by some to refer to military personnel who are retired on active duty, also known as r.o.a.d.Grant pops a riddles from an 1835 collection titled The Choice Collection of Riddles, Charades, and Connundrums by Peter Puzzlewell. Hmmmm.Step into a traditional English pub, it'll be a while before everyone knows your name. A long while, in fact. The rules of conversational engagement are different in the UK from what you'd find in a place like Cheers. Kate Fox's Passport to the Pub: The Tourist's Guide to Pub Etiquette spells out many of the customs. For example, at English pubs, it's better not to go for a handshake when a simple "Hi" will do. Lynne Murphy, an American linguist living in the UK addresses these differences in her blog Separated By a Common Language.If someone's gone pecan, they're doomed, defeated, and down on their luck. This idiom, common in New Orleans, probably caught on because of its rhyme.Here's a slang word for being drunk you might not have heard of: high-lonesome.When someone talks about Hollywood or Wall Street, they're probably not talking about a California city or a Manhattan street. It's an example of what rhetoricians call metonymy. Metonyms like The White House or Downing Street are often used as substitutes for a group of people or an industry.What is a bingo? If you're a taxi driver, a bingo is someone you don't pick up because your cab is already occupied. Another bit of cabbie slang is bunco. That's when they arrive at an agreed-upon address but no passenger shows up.The term dried plums has come into vogue since prune seems to have some negative connotations. Why do some town names end in ham? Effingham, Illinois; Birmingham, Alabama; Gotham City, U.S.A. They all derive from the Old English ham meaning "home" or "homestead." This episode was hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett.....Support for A Way with Words also comes from National University, which invites you to change your future today. More at http://www.nu.edu/.And from The Ken Blanchard Companies, whose purpose is to make a leadership difference among executives, managers, and individuals in organizations everywhere. More about Ken Blanchard's leadership training programs at kenblanchard.com/leadership.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2012, Wayword LLC.

How did the word "gay" go from meaning "happy" to "homosexual"? Martha and Grant discuss the evolution of this word. Also, why are elementary schools sometimes called grammar schools? Plus, imeldific, gone pecan, random Scrabble words, and the difference between borrow and lend. And the etiquette of striking up a conversation with a stranger in an English pub: Whatever you do, don't introduce yourself or try to shake hands. FULL DETAILSWhen you're playing Scrabble or Words with Friends, do you ever try random letters and hope they stick? One listener scored a few points when he managed to play the word haverels that way. Turns out it's an old term from Scotland and Northern England meaning "those who talk foolishly or without sense."Why are elementary schools sometimes called grammar schools? The earliest schools, called scolae grammaticales, were connected to monasteries. They were meant for teaching Latin grammar. The term declined in popularity during the 1960's.What's the plural of cyclops? If you have a group of those one-eyed mythical monsters, your best bet is cyclopes, pronounced "sye-KLOH-peez."If something's gaudy and excessive, Filipinos might call it imeldific. It's a slang term inspired by Imelda Marcos and her legendary shoe collection.What's the difference between borrow and lend, or between borrow and loan? The real difference between these verbs is which direction the thing is traveling. Something similar happens with teach vs. learn and bring vs. take.Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a puzzle called "I Don't Think So, M-W." The name is a nod to Merriam-Webster's word of the day email, which often uses puzzling example sentences, like this one: "Lying in my tent that night, I could hear the campfire crackling and the crickets __________ and none of the city sounds I was accustomed to." Good luck filling in that blank.If a command begins or ends with the word please, does that make the order optional? The hosts agree that generally it's polite to honor such a request despite the phrasing.How did the word gay come to mean both "happy" and "homosexual"? In the late 1800's, the term gaycat was used in hobo culture to refer to an inexperienced hobo who might take on an older mentor for help, often another male. Over time, there was a convergence between gay as slang for "homosexual" and "gay" from the French term for "happy." Paronomasia's just another word for pun, and Martha can't resist offering an example.What is a road warrior? This term for someone who travels a lot or commutes a long distance is also used by some to refer to military personnel who are retired on active duty, also known as r.o.a.d.Grant pops a riddles from an 1835 collection titled The Choice Collection of Riddles, Charades, and Connundrums by Peter Puzzlewell. Hmmmm.Step into a traditional English pub, it'll be a while before everyone knows your name. A long while, in fact. The rules of conversational engagement are different in the UK from what you'd find in a place like Cheers. Kate Fox's Passport to the Pub: The Tourist's Guide to Pub Etiquette spells out many of the customs. For example, at English pubs, it's better not to go for a handshake when a simple "Hi" will do. Lynne Murphy, an American linguist living in the UK addresses these differences in her blog Separated By a Common Language.If someone's gone pecan, they're doomed, defeated, and down on their luck. This idiom, common in New Orleans, probably caught on because of its rhyme.Here's a slang word for being drunk you might not have heard of: high-lonesome.When someone talks about Hollywood or Wall Street, they're probably not talking about a California city or a Manhattan street. It's an example of what rhetoricians call metonymy. Metonyms like The White House or Downing Street are often used as substitutes for a group of people or an industry.What is a bingo? If you're a taxi driver, a bingo is someone you don't pick up because your cab is already occupied. Another bit of cabbie slang is bunco. That's when they arrive at an agreed-upon address but no passenger shows up.The term dried plums has come into vogue since prune seems to have some negative connotations. Why do some town names end in ham? Effingham, Illinois; Birmingham, Alabama; Gotham City, U.S.A. They all derive from the Old English ham meaning "home" or "homestead." ....Support for A Way with Words also comes from National University, which invites you to change your future today. More at http://www.nu.edu/.And from The Ken Blanchard Companies, whose purpose is to make a leadership difference among executives, managers, and individuals in organizations everywhere. More about Ken Blanchard's leadership training programs at kenblanchard.com/leadership. We're also grateful for support from the University of San Diego. Since 1949, USD has been on a mission not only to prepare students for the world, but also to change it. Learn more about the college and five schools of this nationally ranked, independent Catholic university at http://sandiego.edu.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2012, Wayword LLC.

Subscribe via RSS / iTunes | Download | All podcasts 32 minutes Listen now to the latest programme, featuring linguistics expert Dr Lynne Murphy talking about the differences between UK and US English. Further reading Hear something you want to know more about? Here are some useful links. Check out Lynne’s excellent blog Separated by [...]

SHOW SUMMARYYo! Who you callin' a jabronie? And what exactly is a jabronie, anyway? Also, what do vintage school buses and hack writers have in common? Grant and Martha trace the origins of famous quotes, and a listener offers a clever new way to say "not my problem." All that, plus winklehawks, motherwit, oxymorons, word mash-ups, and a quiz about palindromes. FULL DETAILSIs that a winklehawk in your pants? A listener shares this word for those L-shaped rips in your trousers, from an old Dutch term for "a carpenter's L-shaped tool." And Grant has a new favorite term, motherwit, meaning "the natural ability to cope with everyday life." You could say a mark of wisdom is showing some motherwit in the face of life's winklehawks.Ever heard a school bus called a school hack? Grant and Martha explain the etymology of hack, beginning with hackney horses in England, then referring to the drivers of the horse-drawn carriages, then the carriages themselves, and finally the automobiles that replaced them. A museum in Richmond, Indiana, has a vintage yellow school hack, once used in the 19th and early 20th centuries to bring rural children to their schoolhouse. Incidentally, the contemporary term hack, meaning a tired old journalist, comes directly from the original term for the tired old horse.http://bit.ly/mfS08TO heavy lightness! Serious vanity! Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms! A listener senses something awfully good about oxymorons, from the Greek for "pointedly foolish". Grant shares this favorite example from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, while Martha picks a modern classic: airline food. What are your favorites?In the U.K., they don't count their seconds as one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi, because, well, they have no Mississippi. Instead, they say one-elephant, two-elephant. Lynne Murphy, author of the blog Separated by a Common Language, points out this difference between English speakers on opposite sides of the pond. http://bit.ly/pZxYGOur Quiz Guy Greg Pliska has a game called Welded Palindromes, with two-word phrases spelled the same forwards and backwards. What do you call your first appearance on TV? A tube debut. What kind of beer does a king drink? Why, a regal lager, of course.A listener wonders about the origin of the phrase your father's mustache, akin to the phrase go jump in a lake, or your mamma wears combat boots. Grant explains that it may sound more familiar as your fadda's mustache, circa 1930s, Brooklyn. The borough's own jazz musician Woody Herman had a hit song in 1945 called Your Father's Mustache, but those in the know pronounced it "FAH-dah."http://bit.ly/lCbNwLA listener named Meagan from Wisconsin uses the term flustrated, combining flustered and frustrated--one of many mashed together words she deems Meaganisms. Though Grant applauds her innovation and creativity, Martha points out that flustrate actually does pop up in English texts as far back as the 18th Century. Though dictionaries with entries for flustrate note that it's usually a jocular term, a conversation could always use more Meaganisms. Grant gives Martha a little Greek test with the word leucomelanous. Leuco, meaning "white," and melano, meaning "black," together refer to someone with a fair complexion and dark hair, like Snow White or Veronica from the Archie comics.How do you say "not my problem"? A listener shares his go-to: Not my pig, not my farm. It means the same thing as I don't have a horse in that race, or I don't have a dog in that fight. Douglas Adams, in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, created the SEP Field, or the Somebody Else's Problem field. Though examples are boundless, there doesn't seem to be a standard or definite origin. http://douglasadams.com/A cowboy loves a ranch that's pecorous, meaning abundant with cattle. Just something worth knowing.There's an old joke running around that goes as follows, "Lost: Bald, one-eyed ginger Tom, crippled in both back legs, recently castrated, answers to the name of 'Lucky.'" Nigel Rees of The Quote Unquote Newsletter has been tracking down this oft-quoted joke, and so far he's found it as far back as 1969. On another front, Fred Shapiro of the Yale Book of Quotations has made progress in tracing the origins of famous quotes, often to people other than those who made them famous. And the folks at quoteinvestigator.com are doing their share in researching the history of those quips and aphorisms that do so much to frame our essays and speeches. http://bit.ly/dgveSDhttp://bit.ly/lz1qRphttp://bit.ly/8nWlviA violin maker wonders about the origin of a practice in his trade known as purfling, where a black and white line is inlaid into a tiny channel along the edge of the instrument. Martha traces the word back to the Latin filum, meaning "line" or "thread." Purfling is also a practice in guitar-making, furniture-making, and embroidery, and it shares an etymological root with profile. A fun fact: purfling is also just "profiling" said with a mouth full of marshmallows. When someone admiringly called a woman "outspoken," Dorothy Parker is said to have cynically replied, "Outspoken by whom?" Well, according to quoteinvestigator.com, the line pre-dates Parker's quip.Why do we call our biceps guns? The slang lexicographer Jonathon Green suggests that the metaphor first pops up in baseball around the 1920s, when players referred to their throwing arms as guns. Believe it or not, the early baseball pitchers actually threw the ball intending for the batter to hit it. It wasn't until later that a strong arm, or gun, was needed to throw a pitch too fast to hit. A listener shares a Russian saying that translates I am going there where the Tsar goes on foot, meaning "I am going to the bathroom." It's the equivalent of we all put our pants on one leg at a time, or we're all just human.Who you calling a jabronie? And what exactly is a jabronie? Grant traces this playful insult, meaning a "rube" or "loser," to the 1920s, when Italian immigrants brought over a similar-sounding Milanese term for "ham." Jabronie is also commonly used in professional wrestling, referring to those guys set up to lose to the superstars. A decade is ten years. A century is a hundred. But what do you call a period of five years? It's a lustrum, borrowed whole from Latin. So you might say a decade is two lustra.--A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donateGet your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donateSite: http://waywordradio.org/Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/Skype: skype://waywordradio Copyright 2011, Wayword LLC.