Sometimes you gotta break the rules.
Jan 22
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
Jan 2023
the rules we learned as kids... are BS?
remember when you were a child and constantly had adults telling you what the rules were? don’t lie, don’t steal... don’t do this, don’t do that. when we’re children, we’re constantly being reminded of certain rules and principles that we’re supposed to follow no matter what. and ... Show More
53m 12s