It’s cats and dogs, and a few other critters, too. Animals prowl around inside several English words, including sleuth, which was originally sleuth-hound, a synonym for bloodhound. Plus, the language we use with our pets and the ways they communicate with us. Boop a snoot, anyone? And NPR Puzzlemaster Will Shortz stops by to add to the menagerie with a punny ... Show More
Nov 24
Deep Fried Air (Rebroadcast) - 24 November 2025
Eels, orts, and Wordle! Sweden awarded its most prestigious literary award to a book about . . . eels. The Book of Eels reveals the mysterious life cycle of this sea creature and its significance for famous figures from Aristotle to Sigmund Freud. Plus, what's an ort? It's the ... Show More
53m 45s
Nov 17
No Bones - 17 November 2025
Whippoorwills, bob whites, and chickadees. How do we decide the names of birds and what to call their calls? Plus, the last syllables of Arkansas and Kansas are pronounced differently, but they come from the same etymological root. And: What’s the best word to describe your relat ... Show More
53m 45s
Apr 2023
#215 Animal Idioms You Can Use in Daily Conversation
<p>In this week's episode, we're exploring the fun topic of animals, except we're not learning simple animal words or noises they make. This is more advanced.<br/><br/>We'll be looking at a few animal idioms, expressions and phrasal verbs that you can use in y ... Show More
32m 38s
Nov 2021
How To Get Your Dog to Stop Barking (Without Barking Back)
Approximately 23 million families in the US got a pet during the pandemic, many of them puppies. At their best, dogs truly are “man’s best friend,” providing real comfort and companionship. But it can be tough when your new dog isn’t adapting as well as you’d hoped. Whether it’s ... Show More
33m 42s
Jan 2019
Doggo and Kitty Do Their Laundry (Beginner Level)
Buy me a coffee to say thank you for the podcast!
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Once, there was a dog and a cat. The dog was called Doggo. He had long, thick hair. The cat was called Kitty. She had soft, thin hair. Doggo and Kitty lived together in a small house. Their house was beside a forest. Doggo a ... Show More
21m 38s