Famous quotes we've been getting wrong, from Robert Frost to 'Don't mess with Texas,' with Eli Burnstein
1227. This week, we talk to Eli Burnstein, author of "Phrased & Confused." We look at why Robert Frost's "road less traveled" wasn't really...
Radio and PodcastLive Radio & Podcasts
Education
Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
You'll get fun and friendly doses of writing advice in three short chunks: a Quick and Dirty Tip, a meaty middle, and a final tidbit. Grammar Girl covers everything from punctuation and gram...
Episodes
20 of 1,067 episodes
Is it 'try and' or 'try to'? What does an epilogue do?
1226. This week, we look at why so many people say "try and" instead of "try to," including why it may be the older form, why it turns up mo...
'Rizz,' 'lost in the sauce,' and Dictionary.com's newest words, with Steve Johnson
1225. This week, we talk to lexicographer Steve Johnson from Dictionary.com. We look at how slang like "no cap" and "throw hands" works its...
Why are ships called 'she'?
1224. This week, we look at why English speakers call ships "she," even when the ship is named Henry. Then we have a follow-up on "maxxing"...
What's in a word? Mapping America's regional vocabulary and the Linguistic Atlas Project, with Allison Burkette
1223. This week, Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and sits down with linguist Allison Burkette of the Linguistic Atlas Project at the Un...
How often do you use 'the'? Meet Zipf's law
1222. This week, we look at Zipf's law, a pattern that shapes how often you use your most common words, and why SETI researchers think it co...
Min-maxxing, looksmaxxing, and Nixon-maxxing, with Roger Kreuz
1221. This week, we talk to Roger Kreuz, associate dean at the University of Memphis, about the "maxxing" craze. We look at how it started w...
Why do pirates say 'Arr'? Is it 'none is' or 'none are'?
1220. This week, in honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, we look at the history of eight pirate words, and then we look at whether the right pai...
Stray Russian words and made-up style rules, with Daniel Heuman and Chris Ryder
1219. This week, we talk to Daniel Heuman and Chris Ryder from Intelligent Editing about the errors hiding in AI writing that looks flawless...
Who's a good boy? The science behind 'dog voice.' Is it 'bated breath' or 'baited breath'?
1218. This week, we look at "dog-directed speech" — the high-pitched, sing-songy register people love to use with dogs — and what the resear...
How we got from no spaces between words to the interrobang, with Florence Hazrat
1217. This week, we talk to Florence Hazrat, author of "On the Mark," about how punctuation evolved over 2,000 years. We look at why ancient...
Why do so many last names sound like jobs?
1216. In honor of Labor Day, we look at occupational surnames — why Baker, Cooper, and Fletcher sound like jobs, and why Wainwright, Chandle...
Explosions, chemistry, and dictionary 'spite,' with Kory Stamper
1215. This week, we talk to Kory Stamper about why color science is surprisingly dangerous. We look at the literal chemical explosions at Du...
It's Greek to me: Why is the language of 'The Odyssey' shorthand for all that we don’t understand?
1214. This week, we look at why we say, "It's all Greek to me" when we don't understand something. We trace the phrase from medieval monks w...
Sarah L. Kaufman on the shared rhythm of dance, critical writing, and finding better verbs
1213. Pulitzer-Prize-winning dance critic Sarah L. Kaufman goes deeper into her journey from the "Washington Post" copy desk to the world of...
What 'kith and kin' and 'beck and call' have in common
1212. This week, we look at fossil words — old words like "kith," "beck," and "hue" that survive only inside phrases like "kith and kin," "b...
Word wagons and bobbasheelys: Life at DARE, with Joan Houston Hall
1211. Today, we look at the behind-the-scenes history of the Dictionary of American Regional English with Joan Houston Hall. We look at her...
Why does 'shh' mean the same thing in so many languages, and what's 'broad' about daylight?
1210. This week, we look at why the sound "shh" means "be quiet" in so many different languages, and we trace the phrase "broad daylight" ba...
How comics are made, with Glenn Fleishman
1209. Glenn Fleishman discusses the mechanical journey of a comic strip, from the cartoonist’s ink to the final newspaper page. We look at w...
Why does the U.S. have so many regional accents?
1208. This week, linguist Valerie Fridland explains why the U.S. has so many regional accents — tracing New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southern,...