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 2018.
Yesterday
Scrabble strategy and tournament culture, with John Chew
1153. This week, we look at the high-stakes world of Scrabble tournaments with John Chew, head of the North American Scrabble Players Association. We look at the strict etiquette of the tile bag, why professional players count tiles, and how the official word list is managed for ... Show More
45m 19s
Jan 20
What is a baker’s dozen? Making O-words plural. Wrong pew.
1152. This week, we look at what a baker's dozen is and why it's actually 13. We also look at other "dozen" phrases, like "devil's dozen" and "banker's dozen." Finally, we tackle the inconsistency of making words that end in O plural, from "tomatoes" to "rodeos."🔗 Share your fam ... Show More
13m 20s
Jan 15
Building the Online Etymology Dictionary, with Doug Harper
1151. This week, we look at the deep history of words with Doug Harper, creator of Etymonline. We look at the "gravitational" link between digging a grave and having a grave problem, the surprising 1839 origin of "OK," and why some of our favorite word stories are actually "folk ... Show More
33m 50s
May 2024
How Can We Be More Effective With Language?
Have you ever wondered what’s up with double negation, the history of gender neutral pronouns, or why swearing is taboo? Then get ready for this week’s guest, linguist Anne Curzan! Anne and Jonathan talk about how the English language has evolved since the 1300s and how our words ... Show More
53m 20s
<p><b>E183:</b> 🎙️ Welcome to <b>The English Like a Native Podcast</b>, where each episode is a step towards enhancing your English proficiency! I'm your host, Anna, and you're tuned in to <b>Week 16, Day 4</b> of <b>Your English Five a Day</b>. Join me as we delve int ... Show More
<p><b>E180:</b> 🎙️ Welcome to <b>The English Like a Native Podcast</b> with me, Anna! Tune in to <b>Week 16, Day 1</b> of <b>Your English Five a Day</b>, where we boost your active vocabulary with five new words every weekday.<br/><br/>🌟 Today's list kicks off with "t ... Show More
<p><b>E181:</b> 🎙️ Welcome to <b>The English Like a Native Podcast</b> with Anna! Join us for <b>Week 16, Day 2 </b>of <b>Your English Five a Day</b>, where we dive into enriching your vocabulary with five new words or phrases each weekday. <br/><br/>🔥 Today's lesson begin ... Show More
<p><b>E188:</b> 🎙️ Welcome to <b>The English Like a Native Podcast</b> with me, your host, Anna! Today marks <b>Week 17, Day 2 </b>of <b>Your English Five a Day</b>, where we delve into five new words to expand your vocabulary.<br/><br/>🌟 Kicking off our list is the adjective & ... Show More