Grant reveals the surprising origin of the term lunatic fringe. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Origin of Lunatic Fringe” Here’s a here’s a did you know martha a did you know okay you know the expression...
Everyone knows old ones, but what about modern proverbs? Here’s an aphorism attributed to William Gibson: “The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed.” The hosts discuss some others. This is part of a...
Grant recommends the new book, OK: The Improbable Story of America’s Greatest Word by Allan Metcalf. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Allan Metcalf Book Recommendation” Martha, I want to share this book with you...
Obamamania, Obamabot, Obamathon, Obamamentum— the list of variations on the name “Obama” goes on and on. Is there an English word that means “the in-laws of your son or daughter”? And what does it mean when someone...
We’re continuing our look at some of the words of the year of 2008 with words related to automobiles.
“Nuke the fridge”? We kick off our series on contenders for 2008’s “Word of the Year” with a look at this new slang phrase.