The Wonderful Words of Christmas
906. A'wassailing. Noel. Mistletoe. Trolling the ancient Yuletide carol, and more. We look into the wonderful words of Christmas and their origins — as delightful as a Christmas cookie. You'll be sho...
13 Dec 202215min
We found the book!
905. Bonus Episode! You helped solve the mystery of my father's favorite childhood book. I also share quick and dirty tips from my email newsletter, my favorite social media posts, and some of my fav...
6 Dec 202213min
What's a Honeyfuggler? 'Through' vs. 'Throughout.' Arriversary.
903. "Through" and "throughout" may seem interchangeable, but they're not. We have some creative memory tricks to help you remember the difference. Plus, we have fun with the word "honeyfuggler."| Tr...
2 Dec 202212min
A Strange Use of 'Said.' Kith and Kin. New Scrabble Words!
903. A listener heard some jargon, and then got annoyed by "said" jargon, so we explored why. Plus, who the heck are your kith? And finally, we got excited about the first new Scrabble words since 20...
25 Nov 202212min
Why Today's 'Thank You' Is Different from an Ancient 'Thank You.' Gerunds.
902. Language reflects culture, so it's no surprise that giving thanks hundreds of years ago was different from giving thanks today. We have the fascinating history. Plus, since "Thanksgiving" is a ge...
18 Nov 202216min
WWII Words. A 'bit' of an Issue. Kleenex.
901. WWII spawned a bunch of new words, including "boffin" and "bonkers." We'll look into the history of these fun words and more in honor of Veterans Day. Plus, we'll talk about why an Australian cal...
11 Nov 202214min
The Medieval Origins of the @ Symbol. Hyphens in Dual-Heritage Terms. Pitch.
900. The story of the @ symbol is much bigger than email. In fact, it was used for hundreds of years before being saved from obscurity by the invention of electronic communication. I explore the medie...
4 Nov 202214min
The Difference Between Magic and Magick. Some Fascinating Spooky Words. Holy Fagachi!
899. Believe it or not, "magick" isn't just a funky way of spelling "magic." The two spellings have different meanings. Plus, we look at the unusual origins of other cool words that make us think of H...
28 Okt 202214min
