Penultimate. Veni, Vidi, Vici. Smidge.
In this week's podcast, we discuss why you should never call your girlfriend your penultimate friend. Plus, we have fun and fascinating facts about Caesar and some of the phrases he gave us, such as "...
18 Nov 202113min
New Words from WWII. How Places Like Featherstonehaugh Get Their Names. Uncoming.
WWII was a rich source of new words for the English language. Before the 1940s, you couldn't tell an eager beaver to shut his pie hole while you were being debriefed by the head honcho. And you'll be ...
11 Nov 202118min
Editing an Anthology: 'Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed'
Today, I talked with Saraciea Fennell, who works in publishing, is behind the Bronx Book Festival, and is also the editor of a new anthology, "Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed," featuring essays from an al...
4 Nov 202128min
Is That a Tombstone, Gravestone, or Headstone? Why Is the Sound of a Human Scream So Terrifying?
The words tombstone and gravestone used to refer to large stone slabs that served as a lid for a tomb or covering for a grave. Also, the human scream has a very particular sound that makes it especial...
28 Okt 202112min
Using Present Tense in a Story About the Past. Beck and Call. Tie-Dye Trees.
Have you noticed people switching to the present tense when they're telling stories? It actually has a name: It's called the "historical present tense."This is the article we mentioned if you want to ...
21 Okt 202116min
Surprise! These Names Are Trademarks. How to Write 'Dos and Don'ts' (or Is That 'Do's and Don'ts'?). Wording Your Mixes.
Many words we use every day are actually trademarks. Did you know about all the words we talked about today? Plus, we talk about some really weird spellings and dunk on "Eats, Shoots & Leaves."Subscri...
14 Okt 202111min
The Hedonometer and Your Feelings. What Does 'Schnozz' Mean?
Researchers and companies are harnessing computers to identify the emotions behind our written words. While sentiment analysis is far from perfect, it manages to distill meaning from huge amounts of d...
7 Okt 202120min
How Do You Pronounce 'Tomato'? Why Is 'Chiropractic' Singular. Fish.
In the world of great debates, there is one that has been long enduring and still keeps language prescriptivists awake at night: Is it "tom-ay-to" or "tom-ah-to"? Now, this may not seem as pressing a...
30 Sep 202111min
