TWTS: Careful how you're using that
Jul 17, 20265m
Sometimes new slang jumps out in front of you, waving its hands, or thumbs, so that you can’t help but notice it. Sometimes it just sneaks up on you.
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Hosted by Anne Curzan, Rebecca Hector · 🇺🇸 US · EN · 20 episodes
Established thought leaders with verified media credentials.
Funner, snuck, and LOL are all things that we're hearing people say these days.That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan studies linguistics and the history of the English language. Each week she'll discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Public All Things Considered host Rebecca Hector.That's What They Say airs Fridays at 4:45 p.m. and Sundays at 9:35 a.m. on Michigan Public and you can podcast it here.Do you have an English or grammar question? Ask us here!
Anne Curzan, Rebecca Hector hosts That's What They Say, a education show with 20 episodes published.
Sometimes new slang jumps out in front of you, waving its hands, or thumbs, so that you can’t help but notice it. Sometimes it just sneaks up on you.
We can count fathoms when we’re measuring things. We can also metaphorically fathom or not fathom things.
This is a bespoke segment of That’s What They Say that focuses on “bespoke.”
If it’s up your alley, it might also be up your street. And perhaps it’s down rather than up.
You say "lieutenant," I say “leftenant” but let’s not call the whole thing off.
There’s more than one way to be wonky, and not all of them are bad.
Adverbs don’t always get a lot of love, captured powerfully in the writing tip “Abolish the adverbs.”
We scrimp and we save, and we skimp and we still save, which makes one wonder whether scrimping is different from skimping
Cheesemongers sell cheese, and gossipmongers usually start the gossip or spread it, rather than sell it.
Many of us don’t talk about doornails very often, but sometimes we will when things are really, well, dead.
If you know how the sound "f" worked in Old English, it suddenly isn’t mysterious why the "f" in "leaf" turns into a "v" in the plural form "leaves."
If I say I’m gonna do it, I don’t necessarily mean I’m headed out the door right now to do it.
2025 had lots of people talking about sixes and sevens, but not in the loose ends kind of way.
Next time you’re hanging out with friends, you can debate just how slangy the phrasal verb ‘hang out’ is.
This may be one of the only times that throw pillows, golf, and curling all get wrapped into the same discussion.
When we get schooled at something, we may feel humbled by the experience; but when we win something, we may also say we feel humbled by the experience.
When terror rains down, we suddenly have a spelling question.
The Declaration of Independence could readily have been the Declaration of Independency.
We can be bereaved, we can be bereft, and sometimes we can be both bereaved and bereft.
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That's What They Say is hosted by Anne Curzan, Rebecca Hector. The show is categorised under education (language) and has published 20 episodes.
That's What They Say has published 20 episodes.
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