&lt;p&gt;[This episode first aired November 9, 2009.]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; All aboard! This week, a bit about the musical language of railroad conductors&#039; calls: &#039;Anaheim, Azusa, and Cu-ca-monga!&#039; Also, the origin of the military slang term &#039;cumshaw,&#039; tips for learning Latin, the influence of Spanish immigrants on English, and the funny story behind why plain-talking Texans say, &#039;We&#039;re going to tell how the cow ate the cabbage.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A trip to the California State Railroad Museum http://www.csrmf.org/ has Grant musing about the way language can change in the mouth of a single individual -- in this case, railroad conductors. He recommends a collection of sound files from metros and subways around the world http://mic-ro.com/metro/announcements.html. For different type of stroll down mem&#039;ry lane, check out Mel Blanc&#039;s version of a train conductor here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygVFbz6AsnE.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Does anyone still say &#039;Shut UP!&#039; to mean &#039;No way!&#039;? A forty-something riding instructor says this Seinfeldian locution confuses some of her younger students.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A caller wonders why his North Carolina-born partner uses the phrase &#039;I&#039;d have liked to&#039; instead of &#039;I almost&#039; or &#039;I nearly,&#039; as in &#039;I&#039;d have liked to died laughing.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Quiz Guy John Chaneski starts a whole lotta shakin&#039; with his puzzle about dances with rhyming names. How about the dance that involves many missteps while dancing to the music of Johann Strauss?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Is &#039;ouch!&#039; a universal word, or does what you say when you stub your toe depend on what language you speak?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A Seattle-area veteran remembers that in Vietnam he and others like him were known as &#039;cumshaw artists.&#039; They were the guys who scared up and permanently borrowed whatever their unit needed -- gasoline, vehicle parts, or whiskey for a party. He&#039;s always wondered about the appellation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The phrase &#039;Let&#039;s talk about how the cow ate the cabbage means&#039; &#039;Let&#039;s talk frankly.&#039; The hosts talk plainly about the naughty tale that may be behind it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&#039;s never too late to start learning Latin, a language that will deepen your understanding and appreciation of English. Martha offers tips on how to begin: &#039;Getting Started with Latin&#039; http://www.gettingstartedwithlatin.com/preview01.php, by William E. Linney, and &#039;Virent Ova! Viret Perna!&#039; http://www.amazon.com/Virent-Viret-Perna-Green-Latin/dp/0865165556 (&#039;Green Eggs and Ham&#039;) by Dr. Seuss, with translation help from Jennifer and Terence Tunberg.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A riddle: There&#039;s a place where yesterday follows today, and tomorrow&#039;s in the middle. Where is it?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The word &#039;scarf,&#039; meaning &#039;to eat rapidly and greedily,&#039; has a long, winding history. Grant helps a listener unravel it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A die-hard Tyler Perry fan is curious about an emphatic expression she&#039;s heard in some of his movies: &#039;Hell-to-the-no.&#039; What&#039;s up with the extra words?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A second-generation Mexican-American wonders how much the English language is being influenced by Spanish, especially after a misunderstanding when he turned to his date in the passenger seat and asked if she wanted to &#039;get down.&#039;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Another riddle: I stand on one foot, and my heart is in my head. Who am I?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;--&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A Way with Words is a self-supporting independent production. It receives no financial support from NPR, PRI, PBS nor any radio station.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Support the show with your tax deductible donation: http://waywordradio.org/donate&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Get your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Email: words@waywordradio.org&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Phone:&lt;br /&gt;United States an Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673&lt;br /&gt;London +44 20 7193 2113&lt;br /&gt;Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Site: http://waywordradio.org/&lt;br /&gt;Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donate/&lt;br /&gt;Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/&lt;br /&gt;Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/&lt;br /&gt;Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/&lt;br /&gt;Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/&lt;br /&gt;Skype: skype://waywordradio&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Copyright 2010, Wayword Inc.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;feedflare&quot;&gt;
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