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Podcast: A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over
Episode: Hell's Half Acre (Rebroadcast) - 25 September 2017
Description: Hundreds of years ago, the word girl didnât necessarily mean a female child â in the 14th and 15th centuries, it could refer to a child of either sex. Only later did its meaning become more specific. ⢠Some people think that referring to a former spouse as an ex sounds harsh or disrespectful. So what do you call someone you used to be involved with? ⢠The story behind the real McCoy. This term for something âgenuineâ has nothing to do with the famous feud nor an inventor. ⢠Also, hairy at the heels, Spanglish, nose out of joint, punctuating abbreviations, and gaywater....