A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
Jul 20, 2026 · 54 min · 22 segments
What’s up with ketchup? 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…
Grant BarrettHost_edited.jpg)
Martha BarnetteHostJohn ChaneskiPanelist_edited.jpg)
[gentle music] Mary Serpe of Greensboro, North Carolina, wrote to us to say, "My mom was raised on a farm in Newfoundland, Canada, and when our rooms were messy she used to say, 'A cow couldn't find her calf in here.'" [laughs]
Yeah, it's interesting because there's that special mother-offspring bond, right? She's gonna find her calf-
But, you know, I tried to find that phrase online and I couldn't find that exactly, but, um, there was a f- another phrase that was more popular that went, "A cow couldn't find its calf in this room," and that was popularized by a guy named Addison Mizner, who was an architect from Palm Beach who kept a book full of witticisms, and he co-authored something in 1908 called The Cynic's Calendar, uh, that included such gems as, "Where there's a will there's a lawsuit," and, "The wages of gin is breath."
[laughs] We'd love to hear your catchy aphorisms and sayings and the things that your mother and father pounded into your head when you were a child.
Words at waywordradio.org, or call or text toll free in the US and Canada, 877-929-9673.
[gentle music] Mary Serpe of Greensboro, North Carolina, wrote to us to say, "My mom was raised on a farm in Newfoundland, Canada, and when our rooms were messy she used to say, 'A cow couldn't find her calf in here.'" [laughs]
Yeah, it's interesting because there's that special mother-offspring bond, right? She's gonna find her calf-
But, you know, I tried to find that phrase online and I couldn't find that exactly, but, um, there was a f- another phrase that was more popular that went, "A cow couldn't find its calf in this room," and that was popularized by a guy named Addison Mizner, who was an architect from Palm Beach who kept a book full of witticisms, and he co-authored something in 1908 called The Cynic's Calendar, uh, that included such gems as, "Where there's a will there's a lawsuit," and, "The wages of gin is breath."
[laughs] We'd love to hear your catchy aphorisms and sayings and the things that your mother and father pounded into your head when you were a child.
Words at waywordradio.org, or call or text toll free in the US and Canada, 877-929-9673.
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