When 'nice' was bad and 'bully' was good. Is 'preorder' redundant? High-intensity transformer.

When 'nice' was bad and 'bully' was good. Is 'preorder' redundant? High-intensity transformer.

948. Think you know where words like "bully," "nice," and "bimbo" come from? Think again! Join me as we explore surprising origins of common words. We'll see how terms like "bully" and "nice" changed meaning over time, how "bimbo" switched genders, and where oddly violent words like "amok" and "berserk" originated. Plus, did you know "soon" once meant "immediately"? Learn these twists and turns in the curious histories of familiar words!

Plus, we look at the publishing industry meaning of "preordering" books and how it helps authors get on bestseller lists, even though some find the term illogical. And explain why you should preorder books to support your author friends.

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Episoder(1015)

698 - 'Subpoena.' When To Capitalize 'The' in Titles.

698 - 'Subpoena.' When To Capitalize 'The' in Titles.

I could never remember how to spell "subpoena" until I came up with a memory trick! Also, we go over the tricky cases of when to capitalize the word "the" in titles such as The New York Times and The ...

20 Jun 20196min

697 - What Anyone Can Learn From the College Essay Process

697 - What Anyone Can Learn From the College Essay Process

Even if you're not applying to college right now, the format of the college essay has a lot to teach about writing and self-reflection. A college essay can be an exploratory journey that ends up being...

17 Jun 201926min

696 - Hyphens in Ages. The Emphatic 'This.'

696 - Hyphens in Ages. The Emphatic 'This.'

We talk about when to use (and not use) hyphens in ages, and when it's OK to say, "I listen to THIS podcast that covers language" instead of "I listen to A podcast that covers language."LINKS AND SPON...

13 Jun 20198min

695 - 'Armageddon' or 'Apocalypse'? Numbers in Dialogue.

695 - 'Armageddon' or 'Apocalypse'? Numbers in Dialogue.

Watching the new show "Good Omens," we started wondering about the difference between Armageddon and the apocalypse. Also after helping a friend with an editing dispute about numbers in dialogue, we w...

10 Jun 201911min

694 - Country Names and “The”: The Ukraine or Ukraine. Theater Idioms.

694 - Country Names and “The”: The Ukraine or Ukraine. Theater Idioms.

You used to hear people say "the Ukraine," but now it's just "Ukraine." We know why! Plus, in honor of the Tony Awards, we talk about idioms from the theater.LINKS AND SPONSORS |How to Be Yourself Boo...

6 Jun 201913min

693 -  What's Wrong with Saying Something Is 'Very Unique'?

693 - What's Wrong with Saying Something Is 'Very Unique'?

What's wrong with saying something is "very unique"? Plus, autological words like "longer."LINKS AND SPONSORS |Family Ghosts Podcast: https://familyghostspodcast.com/ |Audible: https://audible.com/GG ...

4 Jun 201916min

692 - Godzilla, Cryptids, and Dilemma Comments.

692 - Godzilla, Cryptids, and Dilemma Comments.

Merriam-Webster added the word “cryptid” to its dictionary, and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is hitting theaters, so it seemed like a good time to talk about a few monster words and to answer an i...

30 Mai 201910min

691 - BONUS: Introducing Science Rules! with Bill Nye

691 - BONUS: Introducing Science Rules! with Bill Nye

Bill Nye is on a mission to change the world—one phone call at a time. On his new podcast, Science Rules!, he tackles the curliest questions on just about anything in the universe. Perhaps you’ve wond...

27 Mai 20192min

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