Do Me a Solid - 27 October 2014

<p>This week on "A Way with Words": What's in YOUR spice rack? Say you're cooking up a pot of chili, and you need to add more of that warm, earthy, powdered spice. Do you reach for a bottle of KOO-min? KYOO-min? Or are you going to add KUMM-in? The pronunciation given in dictionaries may surprise you. Also: some people have a problem with using the word issue instead of problem. And if you're talking to a group of men and women, be careful about using the term you guys. Plus, sharp as a marshmallow sandwich, the phrase of an evening, what your paycheck has to do with salt, and tips for breaking bad grammar habits.<br /><br />FULL DETAILS<br /><br />Cumin, a spice often used in chili powder, is easy to think of as an exotic ingredient with an equally exotic pronunciation. But many dictionaries insist that its pronunciation rhymes with comin.'<br /><br />Someone on the dull side might be described as sharp as a marshmallow sandwich.<br /><br />If you're talking to group of people of mixed genders, it's fine to address them as You guys. After all, English lacks a distinctive second-person plural. Still, if the usage offends someone, it's best to address them in whatever way makes them feel comfortable.<br /><br />The gold or silver light you see shimmering on the water at night is called moonglade or moonwake. Similarly, the sun shining on the water is called sunglade or sunwake.<br /><br />Broken pieces of pottery, commonly known as shards, are also referred to as sherds by professional archaeologists. <br /><br />What word is both a verb meaning to make shiny and clean and a demonym for the people of an Eastern European country? Our Quiz Guy John Chaneski asks this and other questions in his game, Word Olympics.<br /><br />Dutch people are no more prone than anyone else to splitting the bill at a restaurant, so why is that practice called going Dutch? <br /><br />Listener K.C. Gandee, a whitewater rafting guide from Bethel, Maine, tipped us off to lingo from his world. Dead-sticking is when the guide is doing all