Episodes

  • Finding the true history of words, with Ben Zimmer

    Finding the true history of words, with Ben Zimmer
    Oct 30 2025
    1129. This week, we talk with Ben Zimmer about the linguistic detective work of antedating words — finding earlier usages than those published in dictionaries. We look at the surprising origins of "Ms.," "scallywag," and the baseball history of "jazz."Find Ben on his website: Benzimmer.comVietnam Graffiti Project at Texas Tech's Vietnam Center: https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/graffiti/The interface for searching the text on the canvas bunk bottoms: https://vva.vietnam.ttu.edu/#graffitiSearchBen's post that includes the Daily Orange article where Helen Herman’s claims she coined "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." March 10, 1931: https://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/tracking-down-the-roots-of-a-super-word/🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat or at 833-214-4475.🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.🔗 Take our advertising survey. 🔗 Get the edited transcript.🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475).| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.Audio Engineer: Dan FeierabendDirector of Podcast: Holly HutchingsAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    27 mins
  • ‘Ghost words’ and their history. Rules for ‘between’ and ‘among.’ Wilsoning.

    ‘Ghost words’ and their history. Rules for ‘between’ and ‘among.’ Wilsoning.
    Oct 28 2025

    1128. This week, in honor of Halloween, we look at “ghost words” and phrases, from “ghost runners” in baseball to “ghost forests” made by earthquakes. We also look at the difference between “between” and “among” for collective groups.

    Episodes mentioned in this episode:

    734 - Ghost Words

    1056 - How to be a ghostwriter, with Dan Gerstein

    🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.

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    🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475).

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
    • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    14 mins
  • How to be a ‘feisty freelancer,’ with Suzanne Bowness

    How to be a ‘feisty freelancer,’ with Suzanne Bowness
    Oct 23 2025

    1127. This week, we talk with Suzanne Bowness about creating a successful life as a writer. We look at high-value industries that are good targets for freelance work and the best job titles to pitch. Suzanne provides practical advice on tracking projects and follow-ups and explains why established freelancers should use their downtime to experiment and learn new tools.

    Find Suzanne on her website, Codeword Communications.

    Get the book, "Feisty Freelancer."

    🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.

    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

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    🔗 Get the edited transcript.

    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475).

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
    • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    28 mins
  • Why Q needs U and how hieroglyphics created our alphabet, with Danny Bate

    Why Q needs U and how hieroglyphics created our alphabet, with Danny Bate
    Oct 16 2025
    1125. This week, we talk with linguist and author Danny Bate about his book, "Why Q Needs U." We look at the ancient origins of our alphabet, tracing its conceptual leap from Egyptian hieroglyphs to symbols that represent sounds. Danny explains the "acrophonic principle" (one sound from a picture) and why the letter A was originally a consonant, not a vowel. Find Danny Bate on his website, Bluesky or on X. Get the book, "Why Q Needs U."Listen to Danny's podcast, "A Language I Love Is..."🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.🔗 Take our advertising survey. 🔗 Get the edited transcript.🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475).| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.Audio Engineer: Dan FeierabendDirector of Podcast: Holly HutchingsAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    38 mins
  • The political, royal and obscene meanings of blue. The differences in ‘plumb’ and plum.’

    The political, royal and obscene meanings of blue. The differences in ‘plumb’ and plum.’
    Oct 14 2025

    1124. This week, we look at blue idioms, including the political history of "blue states," the medical reason for being "blue in the face," and the astronomical reason for a "blue moon." Then, we look at the difference between 'plumb' (with a B), and 'plum' (without a B).

    🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.

    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

    🔗 Take our advertising survey.

    🔗 Get the edited transcript.

    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475).

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
    • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    15 mins
  • The fight for the modern dictionary, with Stefan Fatsis

    The fight for the modern dictionary, with Stefan Fatsis
    Oct 9 2025
    1123. This week, we talk with author and self-described “word freak” Stefan Fatsis about his book "Unabridged." He shares his experience embedding at Merriam-Webster to become a lexicographer, sharing the contrast between the company's 1940s headquarters and the modern digital business. We look at the tension between updating old words (like the surprising original meaning of "pompom girl") and the need to add new, "sexy" words to generate web traffic.Find Stefan Fatsis on his website, Bluesky or Facebook. Get the book, Unabridged.🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.🔗 Take our advertising survey. 🔗 Get the edited transcript.🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475).| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.Audio Engineer: Dan FeierabendDirector of Podcast: Holly HutchingsAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    33 mins
  • ‘Math’ versus ‘maths’ and other British differences. ‘Spendthrift’ means what?

    ‘Math’ versus ‘maths’ and other British differences. ‘Spendthrift’ means what?
    Oct 7 2025

    1122. This week, we look at two subtle but persistent differences between American and British English: why Americans say "math" and Brits say "maths," and why Americans are "in the hospital" while Brits are "in hospital." Then, we look at the historical meaning of the word "spendthrift" and introduce some wonderfully obsolete insults like "dingthrift" and "scrapethrift."

    The "maths" segment was written by Samantha Enslen, who runs Dragonfly Editorial. You can find her at dragonflyeditorial.com.

    The "spendthrift" segment was written by Karen Lunde, a career writer and editor. These days, she designs websites for solo business owners who care about both words and visuals. Find her at chanterellemarketingstudio.com.

    🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.

    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

    🔗 Take our advertising survey.

    🔗 Get the edited transcript.

    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475).

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
    • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    13 mins
  • Why ‘Useless Etymology’ gives you super powers, with Jess Zafarris

    Why ‘Useless Etymology’ gives you super powers, with Jess Zafarris
    Oct 2 2025

    1121. This week, we talk with Jess Zafarris about her book “Useless Etymology.” We look at three ways she says etymology gives you superpowers. We also look at the origins of simple words and learn why “girl” didn't always mean a female child, the unexpected historical figures behind “fedora” and “sideburns,” and why the word “outrage” has nothing to do with “rage.”

    Find Jess Zafarris online: Useless Etymology, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram

    🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.

    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

    🔗 Take our advertising survey.

    🔗 Get the edited transcript.

    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475).

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    • Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
    • Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    • Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    33 mins