778 - Do We Say 'Red Skies at Night, Sailor's Delight' Because of the Saharan Dust Plumes? Also, 'Yoiks!'
The Saharan dust plumes can make the sky red, but they aren't the source of the old saying "Red skies at night, sailor's delight. Red skies in the morning, sailor take warning." That comes from clouds...
2 Juli 202014min
777 - How to Write Fight Scenes (and How to Get Started as a Fiction Editor)
Fiction editor Joshua Essoe gives his best tips for writing fight scenes (hint: it's not about the fighting). And he describes how he got his first editing gig, which has led to a solid career as a fr...
25 Juni 202029min
776 - Why a Detective Searched for 'Clews' in a 1929 Novel. ‘Systemic’ or ‘Systematic’?
Our writer was surprised when he came across "clew" instead of "clue" in a detective novel from 1929, and the explanation includes a great story about the origin of the word "clue." Also, people have ...
18 Juni 202011min
775 - Why We Talk About 'Bad Apples.' 'A Few' Versus 'a Couple'
We started to wonder why people seem to forget the second half of the saying about bad apples. Plus, we settle a dispute about the difference between "a couple" and "a few."Read the transcripts: Bad A...
11 Juni 202011min
774 - Roy Peter Clark on Civic Clarity
Roy Peter Clark has been teaching writing at the Poynter Institute since 1977 and regularly offers up some of the best writing advice I see. Today, we talked about Writing differently during the pande...
4 Juni 202033min
773 - Postal Zones. Reenter. Bougie.
How postal zones led to ZIP codes. Why I like to put a hyphen in "re-enter." How "bougie," which today has a negative connotation, came from an older word that meant simply "middle class."Read the tra...
28 Maj 202011min
772 - The History of ZIP Codes and Addresses (Plus How to Write Them)
If you've ever wondered how to capitalize 'ZIP Code' (or is that 'ZIP code' or 'zip code'?), this one is for you. Plus, I have an interview with Deirdre Mask about this history and importance of addre...
21 Maj 202021min
771 - Writing Lessons from Bad Job Applications
Our guest, Lindsay McMahon of the All Ears English podcast, recently hired and now shares the lessons she learned going through a lot of bad résumés and cover letters.Read the transcripts: Dos and Don...
14 Maj 202015min
