Squirrelly Animal Verbs. 'People,' 'Peoples,' and 'Persons': Why It Matters.
8.17 To hog, to ram, to bird dog. We run through a fun list of animal-inspired verbs. Plus, amazingly, it wasn't that long ago that usage experts recommended "persons" instead of "people." And what's ...
1 Apr 202110min
A vast number of words have surprising origins. We talked about some today, including "scientist," "impressionist," "beatnik," and "paradigm."
A vast number of words have surprising origins. We talked about some today with author Ralph Keyes, including "scientist," "impressionist," "beatnik," and "paradigm."Subscribe to the newsletter for re...
25 Mars 202118min
'Normalcy' or 'Normality'? A Punctuation Question from a Famous Movie Line. Taco Cats.
Did you know that in the book "Gone with the Wind," Rhett Butler said "My dear..." instead of "Frankly, my dear..."? Also, are we getting back to normalcy or normality? One of these words came from a ...
18 Mars 202110min
It's Not Just March. Other Months Have 'Ides' Too! Are You on the Pig's Back Today?
Instead of bewaring the ides of March, I'm going to beware engaging with the Roman calendar. What a fascinating mess! In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we also look at some fun Irish phrases. On the pig'...
11 Mars 202111min
813 - The History of National Grammar Day. My Favorite Resources. Anniversity
Have you ever wondered WHY we celebrate National Grammar Day? Who started this thing anyway? And if you want to do your own grammar research, I'll help you get started.Subscribe to the newsletter for ...
4 Mars 202114min
812 - Kibosh. Sidekicks. Misolation.
The origin of "kibosh" is a long-standing mystery in the English language. Yiddish? A whip? Clog-makers tools? We investigate. Also, sidekicks play interesting and important roles in fiction. Does you...
25 Feb 202117min
811 - Inigo Montoya and Coining Phrases. 'Dose' or 'Dosage'?
Coin a phrase? It does not mean what you think it means. And get your dose (or dosage?) right.Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.Join the conver...
18 Feb 202112min
810 - Words out of Time. Why 'OK' Is OK.
Would words and phrases like "operative" and "pump him for information" be out of place in a novel set in the 1800s? We investigate! And we also look at the two spellings of "OK/okay," and I explain w...
11 Feb 202115min
