A Moniker for Your Monitor - 12 Jan. 2009

[This episode first aired October 18, 2008.]<br/><br/>This week on A Way with Words: Fess up: Do you have a pet name for your car? How about your computer? Martha and Grant discuss the urge to give nicknames to inanimate objects in our lives. Also, why do we speak of 'vetting' a political candidate? And what in the world is a 'zoo plane'?<br/><br/>Fess up, now: Do you have a pet name for your car? Or maybe you spend so much quality time with your computer that you've given it a particularly affectionate moniker? What is it about inanimate objects--particularly technological gadgets--that inspires us to give them special nicknames? Martha raises these questions, and Grant reveals the name he selected for his own computer. <br/><br/>'If I had my druthers...' A former Texan says the youngsters he works with in his adopted home of Ohio don't understand this expression meaning 'If I had my way.' He wants to know its origin. If you still can't get enough of the word 'druthers,' this video should cure you pretty quickly: <br/><br/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EToqIxHfXo<br/><br/>How can I improve my vocabulary, and remember the words I do learn? When a San Diego listener asks that question, Grant and Martha share some practical tips on how to boost your vocabulary. For starters, forget the flash cards, and reach for a library card instead.<br/><br/>We hear a lot about vetting candidates for political office, but where'd we get the verb 'to vet'? Does vetting have to do with 'veterans,' or 'veterinarians,' or something else entirely?<br/> <br/>John Chaneski's latest puzzle is 'The Yo-Yo Quiz,' and it's not about famous cellists or first person pronouns in Spanish. The object is to guess the missing word that can be paired with either 'up' or 'down' to mean different things. For example, try to guess the one-word answer here: 'With 'up,' it means 'to laugh uncontrollably.' With 'down' it means 'to become more strict about an issue.''<br/><br/>If someone is poor as Joe's turkey, he's impoverished. A caller raised in the