Decoding the Chinese character paradox, with Dr. Charles Kemp
1203. In this bonus discussion with Dr. Charles Kemp, we look at why the Chinese writing system has actually become visually more complex over thousands of years. Dr. Kemp explains how his team used "...
16 Jul 12min
Isn't it ironic? Plus, the man behind the guillotine
1202. This week, we look at the tricky question of what makes something ironic, including situational irony, verbal irony, and "skunked" words, with help from psychologist and author Roger Kreuz. Then...
14 Jul 11min
Saving Canadian lexicography, with John Chew
1201. In this bonus discussion from January, we look at why Canada has been without a current homegrown dictionary for twenty years and how John Chew is leading the charge to fix it. We look at how Jo...
9 Jul 37min
Snowclones: fill-in-the-blank phrases we can’t stop remixing. Plus, is it 'RBIs' or 'RBI'?
1200. This week, we look at snowclones like “X is the new Y,” including where the name came from and why we find them so satisfying. Then, we look at how to make abbreviations like “RBI” plural, inclu...
7 Jul 9min
Building a beloved resource for word lovers, with Doug Harper
1199. In this bonus episode first released to Grammarpaloozians in January, we look at what it means to turn a "channeled obsession" into a resource used by millions of language fans. Doug Harper shar...
2 Jul 27min
How to answer the question 'What's your book about?'
1198. This week, we look at how to answer the question every author dreads: "So, what's your book about?" with workplace communications coach Joel Schwartzberg. We look at the difference between descr...
30 Jun 10min
Fossil words, eponyms, and a miscellany of weird facts, with Jess Zafarris and Shannon Miller
1197. This week, guest host Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and talks to Jess Zafarris and Shannon Miller about their new book, "A Miscellany of Weird and Wonderful Facts for Curious Humans." The...
25 Jun 38min
Why 'love' means 'zero' in tennis
1196. This week, we look at why "love" means "zero" in tennis, from egg-shaped zeros to playing for the love of the game, and how the sport's quirky 15-30-40 scoring system came to be. 🔗 Join the Gra...
23 Jun 8min
