Mittens in Moonlight (Rebroadcast) - 13 October 2025

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

Need a slang term that can replace just about any noun? Try chumpie. If you're from Philadelphia, you may already know this handy placeholder word. And there's Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, and . . . The Bronx? Why do we add the definite article to the name of that New York borough? The answer lies in the area's geography and local family lore. Plus, an Australian bullfrog that sounds like a banjo? Yup! It's called a pobblebonk. Also: get the pips, down your Sunday throat, jubous, dinor vs. diner, stepped out of a bandbox, a Carl Sandburg poem, quemacocos, sirsee, and a punny puzzle about doing well.

Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org. Be a part of the show: call or text 1 [phone] toll-free in the United States and Canada; elsewhere in the world, call or text [phone]. Send voice notes or messages via WhatsApp [phone]. Email [email protected]. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation.

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