Good Egg, Bad Apple - 1 September 2025

If you like to use emojis, you have some 3800 to choose from—and the organization that approves them is about to announce even more. But do we really need a purple splatter emoji? Or one that looks like Sasquatch? Plus: If you’re retired in the US, you may jokingly call yourself a “geezer.” In the UK, though, the term is more derogatory. Also, why good eggs make much better company than bad apples. And, how to pronounce macabre, the difference between mass nouns and count nouns, an Italian phrase about foolishness, alight from the front, Japanese pager slang, a brain teaser for bookworms, vermilion, crimson, carmine, cochineal, You thought like Nelly, and more. 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 [e-mail]. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices