Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
Episode: The Other Shoe - 2 June 2025
Description: So you think you can spell? Youngsters in modern spelling bees are expected to memorize a wide range of words, from chemical processes to names of rare animals. Also: In many languages, the word for âmotherâ begins with the letter M â but not in all of them. And where are you from, eh? If you phrase a question that way, itâs pretty clear where youâre from. Plus, saltigrade and tardigrade, bite the dust and buy the farm, Hoofddorp, a family euphemism, pilkunviilaaja, a letter-lopping brain teaser, sacar la garra, and a whole lot more.
Hear hundreds of...