131 Collective Nouns

This week, I have a delightful excerpt from Lynne Murphy's new book "The Prodigal Tongue" about the differences between British and American English, a tip about words for smells, and a tidbit about t...

12 Apr 201818min

This week, we talk about how adverbs can be squishy in what they modify and how that can lead to funny double meanings, about the difference between "noisy" and "noisome," about why people say they "h...

5 Apr 201815min

When famous characters or people like Hercule Poirot and LeBron James refer to themselves by their own name, it's called illeism, and it can actually be a useful psychological technique. Then, we expl...

29 Mar 201814min

Dictionary.com has added emoji definitions to its site, and I have an interview with the lexicographer behind the decision, Jane Solomon. Emoji are a lot more linguistically complex than you may imagi...

22 Mar 201826min

This week, we talk about why some people say "pin" and "pen" the same way, why citizens of the United States call themselves "Americans" when other people live on the American continent too, and why f...

16 Mar 201817min

This week, we talk about why we say "the proof is in the pudding," why "there are" sentences can be so confusing (what the heck is the subject in such as sentence?), and read the winning limerick from...

8 Mar 201811min

Celebrate National Grammar Day (March 4) by forsaking these common language myths. Also, enter our limerick contest and we might read your limerick in the next Grammar Girl podcast. (Details: http://b...

2 Mar 201812min

You're sure to be surprised by the origin of at least one of these idioms that use the word "pull." Plus, we talk about foods that get their names from the dish in which they're cooked and the differe...

22 Feb 201812min