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
Tomi Adeyemi: The writing life
874. With her book "Children of Blood and Bone" spending 120 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, Tomi Adeyemi knows what it takes to write a great book. Listen in on my conversation with this...
20 Jun 42min
The bouba-kiki effect in baby chicks, with Dr. Maria Loconsole
1195. This week, we talk to Dr. Maria Loconsole from the University of Padua about her research into the bouba-kiki effect, the near-universal tendency to associate round shapes with "bouba" sounds an...
18 Jun 17min
