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When you were a child and wanted to lay claim to something, what did you say? Did you call "dibs"? Or "hosey" it? A caller is curious about another verb used in such situations: "finnie." Grant explains this word's meaning and origin.

Martha reminisces about her family's mountain roots while dipping into the delicious vocabulary of Southernisms found in The Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English. Listen to this one, ya'll, and you find out what a "cackleberry" is, and why you don't want to drink milk that's "blinky."

What's the name for that little dent in your upper lip? It's called a "philtrum." Martha reveals the erotic origins of this word, and proves once again that etymology is nothing if not sexy.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: The results of the "A Way with Words" Collective Noun Contest! What collective noun would you apply to groups of 1) tennis players, 2) aliens from outer space, and 3) language-loving word hosts? You sent us a cleverness of witty entries, and Martha has the winners.

Do you know what a "buffet flat" is? Is it A) a type of shoe you wear to all-you-can-eat dinners, B) a lull in economic growth predicted by Warren Buffet, or C) a squalid apartment found in the Rocky Mountain States? Find out when Grant gives you the whole megillah.

The Pod Couple - also known as Martha and Grant - consider just when is "next week," anyway? A husband and wife with a long running dispute turn to Martha and Grant for help.

You've heard of earmarking, trademarking, bookmarking, and benchmarking. But what in the world is "phonemarking"? Mark our words: Grant has the answer. This week, take his slang quiz to find out.

Martha's been putting together a collection of your favorite collective nouns. Plus, Martha and Grant swat around a caller's question about what to call a game of tennis when you have only three players.

The heat of summer has Grant thinking of "gardentoolism." But what is it, exactly? You can dig up the answer when you put on your garden gloves and take Grant's slang quiz.

Martha and Grant spend lots of time debunking linguistic myths. But what about the word "debunk" itself?

Grant answers questions about the word "agio," the expression "bleeding edge", and whether the word "email" is singular or plural. Also: Martha and Grant talk with a caller peeved about the seemingly salacious wording of a public-service announcement he hears during his daily train commute.

In June, Grant attended the biennial meeting of the Dictionary Society of North America. One of the highlights was the New Word Open Mic where anybody was invited to step up to the microphone and submit a new word they had coined or found. Grant was one of the judges, and shares some of the new words submitted in this bonus podcast from A Way with Words.

Martha's musing about the secret lives of flowers this week. She's been pondering the lexical legacy of Carolus Linnaeus, the great Swedish botanist who nearly 300 years ago was criticized for his fascination with what was a new discovery at the time: The fact that plants reproduce sexually. Prepare to fan yourself as Martha reveals her thoughts about lex and the single flower.

While rummaging through the mailbag, Grant answers questions about the military cry "Hooah!" and what to call a person from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Also: A caller has spent a lot of time searching for the origin of the word "loo."

This week Martha's been obsessing about shrews. You know, the furry little creatures with the beady eyes and sharp teeth. Did you know some species of these little animals are smaller than a dime? Even better, they've burrowed deep inside a familiar English word.

Grant's been poring over police reports this week, and he's hot on the trail of cop lingo and criminal slang. He's been following the tracks of the term "quail car." Don't know what a "quail car" is? Find out during his slang quiz.

"No lemons, no melon." "Was it a car or a cat I saw?" "Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo." This week, Martha's running backwards and forwards, rhapsodizing about her favorite palindromes. So, "Sit on a pan, Otis!" - this podcast is "too hot to hoot."

The end of the school year has Grant musing about a certain slang term: "Walking school bus." So, is a "walking school bus" a raunchy new dance? Or something else entirely? Find out during Grant's slang quiz. Just be sure to look both ways first.

Martha's grappling with a bad case of Grammar Rage. The serial comma - that last comma separating items in a series - is under attack - and she's not happy about it. See how this tiny piece of punctuation can spare you some serious bloopers.

Martha introduces the first-ever "A Way with Words" summer podcast edition. (Woohoo!) Each week during the show's summer hiatus, Martha and Grant will keep you informed about what's on their minds. And they'll share what's on your mind, presenting some of your emails and insights about words. These weekly mini-broadcasts are our way of keeping in touch and saying thanks for subscribing. Let us know what you think!

Calling all blogophiles! Martha and Grant discuss some of their favorite online reading. A caller asks if there's a word for "fear of palindromes." Grant explains the origins of the expression "don't have a cow." Martha rhapsodizes about her favorite collective nouns. Grant reveals the meaning of the slang term "hockey hair."

Did you memorize the colors of the rainbow using the mnemonic "Roy G. Biv"? Martha and Grant discuss how word combinations can help you recall passwords and other information. Grant explains the origin of the phrase "Who's Your Daddy?" Martha reveals why there's a devil in "deviled eggs." Quiz Guy John Chaneski presents a "cryptic" crossword puzzle.

Did Prince William drop his girlfriend because of her mum's less-than-genteel locutions -- like using the word "toilet" instead of "lavatory"? Martha and Grant discuss the mini-scandal that tabloids are calling "Toiletgate." Martha rants about a dictionary entry dubbing this decade "the Noughties." A fan of TV's smash hit "The Office" wants to know if "disadulation" is a real word.

What, ho! Researchers in England report that reading Shakespeare "positively excites" your brainwaves. To which Martha and Grant say: "Duh!" Also, Martha explains why we say "the cat's pajamas" and "the bee's knees." Grant discusses whether "dis" is a real word. Puzzle guy John Chaneski presents a novel quiz about -- what else? -- novels.

A few choice words landed deejay Don Imus in lots of trouble. But is it realistic to police people's word choices? Martha and Grant kick around that question, and then kibitz about the word . . . "kibitzing." Grant explains why we sign love letters with "xoxo" and Martha advises a caller who wants to know the grammatically proper way to brag about making more than one "hole in one."

What do you get when you cross a spelling bee with "American Idol," and mix all that with a few rounds of "Jeopardy!"? Why, the National Vocabulary Contest, of course! Martha and Grant discuss this nail-biting, mind-expanding event. Grant explains why people yell "Geronimo!" when they jump out of planes, and Martha muses about how many soldiers there have to be before you have a "troop." Quiz Guy John Chaneski leads everyone on cross-country chase with cryptic clues.

Are you guilty of adjective abuse? Martha and Grant talk about the new book that takes its title from Mark Twain's advice to writers: "When you catch an adjective, kill it." Meanwhile, a caller bemoans the death of the adverb, while another gets to the bottom of the word "scuttlebutt." Arrrrrrrrrrrrrre you ready to talk like a pirate? Quiz Guy John Chaneski drops by with a puzzle based on a newly discovered dictionary of pirate lingo (or so he says, anyway). What does "Uff da" mean, and why are so many Lutherans saying it? Should you worry if your car is parked "antigoglin"?