No Bones - 17 November 2025

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

Whippoorwills, bob whites, and chickadees. How do we decide the names of birds and what to call their calls? Plus, the last syllables of Arkansas and Kansas are pronounced differently, but they come from the same etymological root. And: What’s the best word to describe your relationship with someone who’s less than a friend but closer than an acquaintance. Is that person one of your friendlies? Also, knobbly monster, cuate, to have one’s bum in the butter, the meaning of confirming, Kelly days, a quiz about common bonds, to have a goat’s mouth, antidisestablishmentarianism, a Tex-Mex casserole dish, and more. Make no bones about it!

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