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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…
6 months, 3 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…
6 months, 3 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…
6 months, 4 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…
6 months, 4 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 …
7 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…
7 months ago
Rare books, burned letters, and Johnson’s dictionary, with John Overholt
Episode 1149
1149. This week, we look at the life and legacy of Samuel Johnson, the man behind the 1755 Dictionary of the English Language. We talk with John Over…
7 months, 1 week ago
Penny idioms that are still legal tender. The linguistic history of procrastination. Tanner tour.
Episode 1148
1148. This week, we look at penny idioms that are still "legal tender" in our language even as the U.S. penny is retired. We look at the history of p…
7 months, 1 week ago
The Goth letters: why the alphabet goes off the rails after T, with Danny Bate
Episode 1147
1147. In this bonus segment that originally ran in October, we look at the fascinating history of the "new letters" of the alphabet — V, W, X, Y, and…
7 months, 2 weeks ago
War of the dots. Why we say 'pitch black.' Pitch hot.
Episode 1146
1146. This week, we look at the history of Braille, from the tragic accident that inspired Louis Braille's six-dot system to the "War of the Dots"—a …
7 months, 2 weeks ago