Snaggletooth - 11 January 2021

<p>Many of us struggled with the Old English poem "Beowulf" in high school. But what if you could actually hear "Beowulf" in the English of today? There's a new translation by Maria Dahvana Headley that uses contemporary language and even internet slang to create a fresh take on this centuries-old poem -- right down to addressing the reader as Bro! Also, what's a word for feeling desperately lonely, but also comfortable in your solitude? And: the story of the word nickname. It comes from words that literally mean "an additional name." Plus laundry list, snaggletooth, breakfast, desayuno, circus lingo, gaffle, a search-engine brain teaser, hogo, logomachy, Waldeinsamkeit, and a book about book burning that's bound in asbestos!</p> <p>Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the <em>A Way with Words</em> website: <a href= "https://waywordradio.org/">https://waywordradio.org/</a>. Email <a href="mailto:words@waywordradio.org">words@waywordradio.org</a>. Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/wayword">@wayword</a>. Our listener phone line <a href="tel:+18779299673">1 (877) 929-9673</a> is toll-free in the United States and Canada. Elsewhere in the world, call <a href="tel:+16198004443">+1 (619) 800-4443</a>; charges may apply. From anywhere, text/SMS <a href= "sms:+16195679673">+1 (619) 567-9673</a>. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation.</p>