That's What They Say

We can be bereaved, we can be bereft, and sometimes we can be both bereaved and bereft.

There are a few different ways to be wonky, some of which are positive and some of which, ... more

The way some people use "resonate" doesn't resonate with all of our listeners.

If we’re involved in a hurry-scurry retreat or a harum-scarum dash, perhaps things are als... more

If you’re not up to snuff, you’re not up to scratch and maybe you don’t get a cigar.

This week’s question has not been a recurring one, by which we mean it has occurred once a... more

If it seems unlikely that crotchety people are related, at least etymologically, to those ... more

Given how much we’re talking about AI right now, it’s no surprise that AI-related words fe... more

Sometimes we don’t realize that we’re using a trademarked term differently from those arou... more

We can pepper our food or pepper our speech or, if the mood strikes us, we can be peppy in... more

‘Tis the season to talk about "‘tis" and "‘twas" and, while we’re at it, "hap."

If you’re too big for your britches, maybe you’re all mouth and trousers.

The word "pants" has oodles of good linguistic stories to tell, and that’s no pile of pant... more

It's a time of year when many of us are cooking and eating big meals together which may in... more

Now that we can "download" some "mashups," we should talk about how these words have chang... more

As we merrily roll along, we might be moving and shaking, with maybe some shaping in there... more

We will share some fun linguistic facts about lickety-split, lickety-split.

From 17th-century England to modern-day gratuities, the evolution of "tip" is a story of l... more

Historically, bloodletting and bloodshed have been different things, but the line has blur... more

When you’re smack dab in the middle of something, you can’t be more in the middle of it.