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 competitive play.
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
Jan 13
Using ‘impact’ as a verb. ‘Sympathy’ versus ‘empathy.’ Big help, Irving.
1150. This week, we look at "impact" as a verb and why it's a pet peeve for so many editors and readers. Then, we look at the linguistic shift between sympathy and empathy, exploring how "sympathy" began to sound patronizing and how "empathy" expanded to fill the gap.Links to Get ... Show More
15m 6s
Mar 2025
AEE 2372: Ghosting and Dating Culture in the U.S.
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19m 24s
Feb 2025
AEE 2353: How to Call People Out on Their Quirks
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Do you love All Ears English? Try our other podcasts here:
Business English Podcast: Improve your Business English with 3 episodes per week, featuring Lindsay, Michelle, and Aubrey
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18m 8s
Sep 2025
Short Story Ep #2 - A Stonehenge Adventure with Hugo, Chris & Mike
📥 Grab the FREE PDF with 20+ advanced expressions from this episode, complete with quizzes and example sentences , to learn today’s vocabulary 3x faster. Plus, get the script from today's story included! 🎓 Join my weekly online group lessons Welcome to a series of shor ... Show More
23m 28s
Oct 23
AEE 2501: Just Your Presence Not Your Presents! Gifting Etiquette in American Culture
Take our free English-level quiz here to find out what your current English level is. Do you love All Ears English? Try our other podcasts here: Business English Podcast: Improve your Business English with 3 episodes per week, featuring Lindsay, Michelle, and Aubrey IELTS Energy ... Show More
17m 45s