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Writing for ‘civic clarity’ (plus, the power of short sentences), with Roy Peter Clark
Episode 1159
1159. This week, we look at "civic clarity" with writing instructor Roy Peter Clark in a newly edited version of our 2020 conversation. We look at th…
1 month ago
How bored tourists invented an Olympic sport. Centigrade or Celsius? Piqua
Episode 1158
1158. This week, we go full Winter Olympics, tracing the origin of "ski," "luge," "toboggan," and more. Then, we look at why we say "Celsius" instead…
1 month, 1 week ago
Why AI loves em dashes, with Sean Goedecke
Episode 1157
1157. This week, we look at AI em dashes with Sean Goedecke, software engineer for GitHub. We talk about why artificial intelligence models frequentl…
1 month, 1 week ago
Why 'forte' has three pronunciations. What is 'playing the dozens'? Ornish
Episode 1156
1156. This week, we look at the pronunciation chaos surrounding "forte" and "pianoforte," from the French fencing term meaning "strong point" to the …
1 month, 2 weeks ago
How can there be hundreds of words for snow? with Dr. Charles Kemp
Episode 1155
1155. This week, we look at whether it’s actually true that Inuit languages have hundreds of words for snow with Dr. Charles Kemp. We look at how res…
1 month, 2 weeks ago
Scarecrows and other 'cutthroat' compounds. Reading versus listening. Squirrel Hill Tunnel.
Episode 1154
1154. This week, we look at "headless" nouns like "scarecrow," "pickpocket," and "breakfast." We look at why these "cutthroat compounds" break the no…
1 month, 2 weeks ago
Scrabble strategy and tournament culture, with John Chew
Episode 1153
1153. This week, we look at the high-stakes world of Scrabble tournaments with John Chew, head of the North American Scrabble Players Association. We…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
What is a baker’s dozen? Making O-words plural. Wrong pew.
Episode 1152
1152. This week, we look at what a baker's dozen is and why it's actually 13. We also look at other "dozen" phrases, like "devil's dozen" and "banker…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Building the Online Etymology Dictionary, with Doug Harper
Episode 1151
1151. This week, we look at the deep history of words with Doug Harper, creator of Etymonline. We look at the "gravitational" link between digging a …
2 months ago
Using ‘impact’ as a verb. ‘Sympathy’ versus ‘empathy.’ Big help, Irving.
Episode 1150
1150. This week, we look at "impact" as a verb and why it's a pet peeve for so many editors and readers. Then, we look at the linguistic shift betwee…
2 months ago