Slate Debates

The earliest known citation for “shit show” is from an English-language translation of a 1970s criminal trial in Germany. But what was the word or phrase being translated? Join Slate Plus! Members get...

4 Apr 201629min

A salty phrase with roots in Ancient Rome has confounded English speakers for centuries. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial...

8 Mar 201631min

Donald Trump calls people (and publications) he doesn’t like “sad.” When did that word become an insult? Lexicon Valley is brought to you by Blue Apron. For less than $10 per meal, Blue Apron delivers...

22 Feb 201630min

A peculiar insult from the north of England has the Oxford English Dictionary stumped. Lexicon Valley is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus, a new video service with more than 5,000 lectures. As...

8 Feb 201634min

A pronoun that English borrowed from its Scandinavian neighbors gets new life as a gender neutral alternative to he and she. Lexicon Valley is brought to you by Blue Apron. For less than $10 per meal,...

27 Jan 201638min

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk about a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Lexicon Valley is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus, a new video learning service with more than 5...

11 Jan 201638min

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to editors at Oxford, Merriam-Webster, and Dictionary.com about their picks for Word of the Year. Lexicon Valley is brought to you by Headspace. If you've ever been cu...

28 Des 201534min

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the early 20th-century origins of a bizarre food-industry code with lexicographer Ben Zimmer. Lexicon Valley is brought to you by The Message, an original science f...

14 Des 201532min