WORDS and Their Stories

That is why the VOA broadcasts the Special English program, "Words and Their Stories". It helps people around the world better understand many of the colorful words and expressions that Americans use everyday. And in the process, it gives some ideas about past and present life in America.
This book is a collection of radio scripts. In them, we seek to explain how the words and expressions became part of our language. Sometimes, there are several explanations. Sometimes, the story behind the expression has been lost and one can only guess at how it began. When possible, we try to one examples to make the meaning clear....