Deciphering crazy English idioms.
Today
The sinful fork (and other dinner-table surprises)
<p>1136. This week, we go full Thanksgiving, talking about the origin of butter knives, forks, and more. You'll love all the tidbits you can share with your family or friends during dinner.</p><p>🔗 <strong>Share your familect recording via </strong><a href="https://www.speakpipe ... Show More
14m 49s
Nov 20
Why print dictionaries still matter, with Peter Sokolowski
<p>1135. This week, we talk with Peter Sokolowski, editor at large at Merriam-Webster, about the new print 12th Collegiate Dictionary. We look at why print still matters, how the dictionary used lookup data to decide which words to drop (least looked-up compounds), and the import ... Show More
35m 31s
Nov 18
Personification in language and AI. Dictums, maxims, and proverbs. Expensitive.
<p>1134. This week, we look at the poetic power of personification (the language quirk that gives human traits to nonhuman things) and why style guides advise against using it for AI. Then, we look at the different names for common sayings, defining a proverb and breaking down th ... Show More
17m 26s