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Isn't it ironic? Plus, the man behind the guillotine
Episode 1202
1202. This week, we look at the tricky question of what makes something ironic, including situational irony, verbal irony, and "skunked" words, with …
1 month ago
Saving Canadian lexicography, with John Chew
Episode 1201
1201. In this bonus discussion from January, we look at why Canada has been without a current homegrown dictionary for twenty years and how John Chew…
1 month, 1 week ago
Snowclones: fill-in-the-blank phrases we can’t stop remixing. Plus, is it 'RBIs' or 'RBI'?
Episode 1200
1200. This week, we look at snowclones like “X is the new Y,” including where the name came from and why we find them so satisfying. Then, we look at…
1 month, 1 week ago
Building a beloved resource for word lovers, with Doug Harper
Episode 1199
1199. In this bonus episode first released to Grammarpaloozians in January, we look at what it means to turn a "channeled obsession" into a resource …
1 month, 2 weeks ago
How to answer the question 'What's your book about?'
Episode 1198
1198. This week, we look at how to answer the question every author dreads: "So, what's your book about?" with workplace communications coach Joel Sc…
1 month, 2 weeks ago
Fossil words, eponyms, and a miscellany of weird facts, with Jess Zafarris and Shannon Miller
Episode 1197
1197. This week, guest host Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and talks to Jess Zafarris and Shannon Miller about their new book, "A Miscellany of…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Why 'love' means 'zero' in tennis
Episode 1196
1196. This week, we look at why "love" means "zero" in tennis, from egg-shaped zeros to playing for the love of the game, and how the sport's quirky …
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Tomi Adeyemi: The writing life
Episode 874
874. With her book "Children of Blood and Bone" spending 120 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, Tomi Adeyemi knows what it takes to write a…
1 month, 4 weeks ago
The bouba-kiki effect in baby chicks, with Dr. Maria Loconsole
Episode 1195
1195. This week, we talk to Dr. Maria Loconsole from the University of Padua about her research into the bouba-kiki effect, the near-universal tenden…
2 months ago
The secret code of weather forecasts
Episode 1194
1194. This week, we look at weather forecast terminology, including why "mostly sunny" and "partly cloudy" aren't the same thing, what "oktas" are, a…
2 months ago