Episodes

  • TWTS: When "lickety split" took off

    TWTS: When "lickety split" took off
    Nov 17 2025
    We will share some fun linguistic facts about lickety-split, lickety-split.
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: Here's a tip: "Tip" isn't an acronym

    TWTS: Here's a tip: "Tip" isn't an acronym
    Nov 10 2025
    Here’s a super helpful tip: Be wary of etymologies that seem too fun to be true.
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: The bloody evolution of bloodletting

    TWTS: The bloody evolution of bloodletting
    Nov 3 2025
    Historically, bloodletting and bloodshed have been different things, but the line has blurred. Linguist Anne Curzan breaks down the evolution of words.
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    6 mins
  • TWTS: Smack dab in the middle, give or take a little

    TWTS: Smack dab in the middle, give or take a little
    Oct 27 2025
    When you’re smack dab in the middle of something, you can’t be more in the middle of it.
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: Getting through the history of "gh" is tougher than we thought

    TWTS: Getting through the history of "gh" is tougher than we thought
    Oct 19 2025
    English spelling can be a museum of earlier pronunciations, as we see in words like "night," "through," and "cough."
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: You can tuna fish, but you may not need the "fish"

    TWTS: You can tuna fish, but you may not need the "fish"
    Oct 12 2025
    Given that tuna is a fish, it can seem unnecessary to call that out in the compound tuna fish.
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: Here's what's up with "up"

    TWTS: Here's what's up with "up"
    Oct 6 2025
    When we eat up or fix up or heal up or hurry up, we’re not actually moving in an upward direction.
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    5 mins