Podcasts about Webster

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 22, 2025 is: metonymy • muh-TAH-nuh-mee • noun Metonymy refers to a figure of speech in which a word that is associated with something is used to refer to the thing itself, as when crown is used to mean “king” or “queen.” // Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Hollywood are common examples of metonymy. See the entry > Examples: “The stick used to command the crowd is called a ‘brigadier.' A brigadier is usually used to describe one who commands a military brigade, yes, but does not a stage manager lead his theater brigade? That's the idea, according to organizers. It was a term used so often to refer to a stick-wielding stage manager that, through the magic of metonymy, the stick itself is now referred to as a brigadier.” — Emma Bowman, NPR, 6 Aug. 2024 Did you know? When Mark Antony asks the people of Rome to lend him their ears in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar he is asking them to listen to him, not to literally allow him to borrow their ears. It's a classic example of the rhetorical device known as metonymy, which comes to English (via Latin) from the Greek word of the same meaning, metōnymia: the use of a word that is associated with something to refer to the thing itself. Metonymy often appears in news articles and headlines, as when journalists use the term crown to refer to a king or queen. Another common example is the use of an author's name to refer to works written by that person, as in “They are studying Austen.” Metonymy is closely related to synecdoche, which is a figure of speech in which the word for a part of something is used to refer to the thing itself (as in “need some extra hands for the project”), or less commonly, the word for a thing itself is used to refer to part of that thing (as when society denotes “high society”).

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 21, 2025 is: bloviate • BLOH-vee-ayt • verb To bloviate is to speak or write in an arrogant tone and with more words than are necessary. // The podcaster tends to bloviate endlessly on topics about which he is not particularly knowledgeable. See the entry > Examples: "While other characters bloviate about their lives, Barbara is a much more internal character, her quietness making her seem all the more an outsider in her hometown." — Kristy Puchko, Mashable.com, 13 June 2025 Did you know? Warren G. Harding is often linked to the word bloviate, but to him the word wasn't insulting; it simply meant "to spend time idly." Harding used the word often in that "hanging around" sense, but during his tenure as the 29th U.S. President (1921-23), he became associated with the "verbose" sense of bloviate, as his speeches tended to be on the long-winded side. Although he is sometimes credited with having coined the word, it's more likely that Harding picked it up from local slang while hanging around with his boyhood buddies in Ohio in the late 1800s. The term likely comes from a combination of the word blow plus the suffix -ate.

Baxter Webster and Webster Baxter are two guys that look to creep people out for laughs. Webster can fart, at will, some of the most wretched in history. Sign up for a Backstage Pass and enjoy Hours of exclusive content, Phil's new podcast, Classic podcasts, Bobbie Dooley's podcasts, special live streaming events and shows, and oh so very much more…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 20, 2025 is: gauche • GOHSH • adjective Gauche describes someone or something having or showing a lack of awareness about the proper way to behave. When describing a person or a behavior, gauche can mean “socially awkward” or “tactless”; when describing an object (such as a product with a vulgar image or slogan on it) it can mean “crudely made or done.” // Some people view giving cash in lieu of a wrapped present to be terribly gauche, but I like knowing that my friends and family will be able to pick out something they truly want. See the entry > Examples: “Ignorance of classical music, for many people, is no longer something to be ashamed of, as it was sixty or seventy years ago. If you are indifferent to it, no one will notice; if you hate it, you may even be praised for your lack of snobbery. Almost no one will be so gauche as to tell you that you are missing out on something that could change your life.” — David Denby, The New Yorker, 20 July 2025 Did you know? Although it doesn't mean anything sinister, gauche is one of several words (including sinister) with ties to old suspicions and negative associations relating to the left side and use of the left hand. In French, gauche literally means “left,” and it has the extended meanings “awkward” and “clumsy.” These meanings may have come about because left-handed people could appear awkward trying to manage in a mostly right-handed world, or perhaps because right-handed people appear awkward when trying to use their left hand. Regardless, awkwardness is a likely culprit. Fittingly, awkward itself comes from the Middle English awke, meaning “turned the wrong way” or “left-handed.” On the other hand, adroit and dexterity have their roots in words meaning “right” or “on the right side.”

Kenny Webster interviews AI expert Larry Ward.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 19, 2025 is: serendipity • sair-un-DIP-uh-tee • noun Serendipity refers to luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for, or to an instance of such luck. // They found each other by pure serendipity. See the entry > Examples: “For new music, I rely on ... radio shows like ‘Late Junction,' straight-up luck and serendipity, and my wife, who has impeccable taste.” — Liam Brickhill, LitHub.com, 5 Dec. 2024 Did you know? The word serendipity did not come about by luck; rather, it was intentionally coined by 18th century author Horace Walpole, who was eager to share a happenstance discovery he had made while researching a coat of arms. In a letter to his friend Horace Mann he wrote: “This discovery indeed is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word, which ... I shall endeavor to explain to you: you will understand it better by the derivation than by the definition. I once read a silly fairy tale, called ‘The Three Princes of Serendip': as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of ...” Walpole's memory of the tale (which, as luck would have it, was not quite accurate) gave serendipity the meaning it retains to this day.

Kenny Webster interviews @SteveLovesAmmo and the Higgins Boat Rum crew.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 18, 2025 is: eccentric • ik-SEN-trik • adjective Eccentric usually describes people and things that deviate from conventional or accepted usage or behavior, especially in odd or whimsical ways. It is also used technically to mean "deviating from a circular path" and "located elsewhere than at the geometric center." // He's an endearingly eccentric scientist whose methods are quite inventive. // The dwarf planet Pluto has an eccentric orbit. See the entry > Examples: "The film [Annie Hall] is considered one of the great romantic comedies of all time, with [Diane] Keaton's eccentric, self-deprecating Annie at its heart." — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025 Did you know? Eccentric was originally a technical term at home in the fields of geometry and astronomy. It comes from the Medieval Latin adjective ecentricus, meaning "not having the earth at its center," and ultimately has its root in a Greek noun, kéntron, whose various meanings include "stationary point of a pair of compasses" and "midpoint of a circle or sphere." But its figurative use is long-established too: as far back as the 17th century the word has been used to describe people and things that deviate from what is conventional, usual, or accepted.

Kenny Webster interviews comedian Jesse Peyton.

Looking for the perfect Michigan location that isn't Ann Arbor, Brighton, Dexter, Chelsea, or Northville — but still gives you nature, privacy, convenience, and incredible long-term value? Then the stretch of land between them — Webster Township, Northfield Township, and Salem Township — might be the best area in southeast Michigan that nobody talks about.In this video, I break down why this “forgotten middle rectangle” (I just made that up) is becoming one of the most attractive places for people relocating to Michigan. From rolling farmland and lakes to top-rated schools, easy commutes, lower density living, and strong appreciation trends — this area offers the balance most buyers are chasing but rarely find.We'll cover:• Location & commute times (Ann Arbor, Brighton, South Lyon, Plymouth, Novi)• Lifestyle + outdoor recreation (Hudson Mills Metropark, Whitmore Lake, Independence Lake, trails, farms)• Housing styles, prices, and inventory across the 3 townships• Property taxes by school district (Dexter, Ann Arbor, South Lyon, Plymouth-Canton, Whitmore Lake, Northville)• Utilities, internet, and the true cost of rural Michigan living• Community events, local character, and what makes each township uniqueIf you're researching a move to Michigan and want privacy, space, and an easy commute — but not suburbia — Webster, Northfield, and Salem might check every box.If you're thinking about moving to Michigan anytime soon, whether it's one day or a billion, I help people do just that — and I'd love to help you too. Contact info + my “Find Your Michigan Community” quiz are linked in the description.MENTIONED LINKS ⬇️Whitmore Lake Michigan Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMtKFVVBADsDexter Michigan Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_jhWJ4_BHoChelsea Michigan Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7crPofoye8Salem Michigan Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Mm50xFKOsMichigan Property Tax Estimator: https://treas-secure.state.mi.us/ptestimatorCONTACT ME

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 17, 2025 is: crucible • KROO-suh-bul • noun A crucible, in the word's literal use, is a pot in which metals or other substances are heated to a very high temperature or melted. But crucible is more often encountered in figurative use referring to a difficult test or challenge, or to a place or situation that forces people to change or make difficult decisions. // The bronze was heated to 2,100 degrees in the crucible and then poured into molds designed by the artist. // Her latest novel follows two best friends in a fantastical, battle-ravaged kingdom who emerge from the crucible of war with opposing views and values on what should come next. See the entry > Examples: “... the original film follows four married couples—close friends who reunite once a year for a weeklong vacation together. On the surface, the retreat is meant to help them relax and reconnect, but it quickly becomes a crucible for examining the cracks in their relationships.” — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025 Did you know? Unless you're studying Arthur Miller's The Crucible in school, it may not be crucial to learn the story behind crucible, but it can't hurt! Crucible looks like it should be closely related to the Latin combining form cruc- (“cross”); however, unlike crucial, it isn't. It was forged instead from the Medieval Latin crucibulum, a noun for an earthen pot used to melt metals, and in English it first referred to a vessel made of a very heat-resistant material (such as porcelain) used for melting a substance that requires a high degree of heat. It's possible that the resemblance between cruc- and crucible encouraged people to start using crucible to mean “a severe trial,” as that sense is synonymous with one meaning of cross, but the idea of simmering in a literal crucible also sounds plenty severe. The newest sense of crucible (“a situation in which great changes take place,” as in “forged in the crucible of war”) recalls the fire and heat required to transform some solids into liquids.