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

Mischief Night - 20 July 2026

· PT53M45S

Ebben az epizódban

The shifting history and spelling of the name of this condiment.

For centuries, ketchup was a fishy sauce originating in Asia—the tomatoes came only later!

Plus, a new book shows what’s lost when a language dies: when there are no speakers of that language left, it’s not just about losing a dictionary—a complete encyclopedia goes with it.

Plus, if someone says, “Bring me a couple-three” items, how many exactly should you pick up?

Also:  TL;DR ,  Johnny on the spot  vs.  jolly on the spot , a scintillating spelling game involving the letter  S , also-ran book titles,  la verdad de la milanesa ,  Doctor of Humane Letters , how to complain about the heat like Jane Austen, how to pronounce  default  the noun and  default  the verb, and  brownie points .

Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the  A Way with Words  website:   https://waywordradio.org .

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