Cliches. Organic. Bully pulpit. Fimfy.

Cliches. Organic. Bully pulpit. Fimfy.

951. In honor of National Cliché day, we uncover why some overused phrases rub us the wrong way. What is the boundary between idioms, slang, and clichés—and should we give "adulting" a break? Then, we trace the 700-year history of "organic," from bodily organs to natural growth, and ask whether using a bully pulpit makes someone a bad person.

The "cliche" segment was written by Kirk Hazen, a professor of linguistics at West Virginia University, and Jordan Lovejoy, a visiting assistant professor of American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It first appeared on The Conversation and appears here through a Creative Commons license (BY-ND 4.0).

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Episoder(970)

129 Assure Versus Ensure Versus Insure

129 Assure Versus Ensure Versus Insure

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25 Aug 20085min

127 Begs the Question

127 Begs the Question

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19 Aug 20084min

126 - Through, Threw, and Thru

126 - Through, Threw, and Thru

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14 Aug 20084min

125 Comparatives Versus Superlatives

125 Comparatives Versus Superlatives

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12 Aug 20084min

124 Better Versus Best

124 Better Versus Best

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8 Aug 20086min

122 Is "Have Got" Acceptable English?

122 Is "Have Got" Acceptable English?

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1 Aug 20083min

120 He Said, She Said

120 He Said, She Said

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25 Jul 20083min

118 Writing Accents and Dialects

118 Writing Accents and Dialects

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18 Jul 20085min

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