Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe Debatables
When we disagree about what a word means or how to pronounce it, how do we know who's right and who's wrong? And what if we're both right?
Published on 2 months, 1 week ago
Dislocate Your Syntax, Not Your Shoulder
After entertaining a few more listener pet peeves, we jump into a discussion on right and left dislocation in syntax, and then touch on the always entertaining world of nominative determinism (wait t…
Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago
Let's Take a Look in the Ol' Grab Bag...
We tackle a range of topics this week, including a brief quiz on winning spelling bee words, a common pet peeve, and some origins of fancy words.
Published on 2 months, 3 weeks ago
I, For One, Do Not Welcome Our Robot Overlords
We wade into the conversation about AI with a look at the effects it's having on our language. Expect some grumbling!
Published on 3 months ago
Pet Peeves, Oxymorons, and Other Unusual Animals
Get ready for some (barely) controlled chaos as we look at phrases that seem to contradict themselves, and others that just get under our skin.
Published on 3 months, 1 week ago
Colorless Green Mailbags Sleep Furiously
We dip back into the mailbag to answer some listener questions, including one about a famous nonsense phrase.
Published on 3 months, 2 weeks ago
The Spell-a-Thon From Hell-a-Thon (Part 2)
This week: The thrilling conclusion of one of the most deceptively difficult spelling tests you're ever likely to come across.
Published on 3 months, 3 weeks ago
The Spell-a-Thon From Hell-a-Thon (Part 1)
Kathy and Ross give Fletcher one of the most deceptively difficult spelling tests you're ever likely to see.
Published on 3 months, 4 weeks ago
Who Gets Credit, Anyway?
This week, we're looking at words with literary origins. You may not know this, but sometimes writers just make words up.
Published on 4 months ago
We're Gonna Party Like It's 1985
1985 may not seem like a long time ago, but people back then had some pretty different ideas about how to speak "properly."
Published on 4 months, 1 week ago