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What's Square About a Square Meal? How to Use Parentheses, Brackets, and Braces. Guck.
Episode 863
The idea of a square meal goes back to the 1800s and possibly mining towns, but the word "square" itself has a longer history. Plus, admit it! You do…
4 years, 4 months ago
Are People Using 'Commiserate' Wrong? The Origin of (the Word) 'Influenza.' Hersband.
Episode 862
How the "Witch of Wall Street" relates to the word "commiserate." Plus, the interesting origin of "influenza" and other disease names.
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4 years, 4 months ago
Do You Call In, Out, or Off Sick? How Kids Learn Language. Hexaboobiated.
Episode 861
People often tell me they hear others say they'll be absent from work in a different way than they're used to hearing, so I looked into who says what…
4 years, 4 months ago
Tips for Learning a New Language: The Fluent Show
Episode 860
Kerstin Cable, host of "The Fluent Show" shares her tips and enthusiasm for learning new languages. We talked about what to do if you're stalled lear…
4 years, 5 months ago
Why 'Tiny' Sounds Smaller Than 'Huge.' Nixing the Horrid 'Of.' Kokopelli.
Episode 859
The sounds of certain words make us think of things that are big or small, round or spiky, and the tendency is nearly universal. For example, people …
4 years, 5 months ago
'Strollout,' 'Insurrection,' 'Yassify,' and Other Words of the Year for 2021
Episode 858
"Strollout," "insurrection," "yassify," "hard pants" and other words of the year for 2021.
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4 years, 5 months ago
Cardsharp. The Old-New Singular 'They.' Grignug.
Episode 857
Was that uncle who wiped the floor with you in a card game a cardsharp or a card shark? Also, we look at what it is about using "they" as a singular …
4 years, 5 months ago
Questions, Questions, So Many Questions!
Episode 856
I have a big metaphorical pile of questions from listeners in which the answers are too short to be a whole podcast segment, so today, I'm going to …
4 years, 6 months ago
Is "Milk and Cookies" One Thing or Two? A New Language Term: The Santaback. Shoedabakers.
Episode 855
Today we use milk and cookies for Santa to figure out when compound subjects are singular or plural. We also invent a new language term: santaback. W…
4 years, 6 months ago
How Lori Rader-Day Wrote a Historical Novel About War Evacuees in Agatha Christie's Vacation Home
Episode 854
Accomplished mystery writer Lori Rader-Day was drawn to the story of children who were evacuated to Agatha Christie's vacation home during WWII, but …
4 years, 6 months ago