The rare adjective finifugal describes someone “averse to endings” or “wishing something could go on forever,” whether it’s a book, a beloved TV series, a podcast, or anything else you don’t want to end. It comes from Latin finis, “end,” and fuga...
The word antidisestablishmentarianism first appeared in the 1890s, denoting “opposition to ending the Church of England’s status as the official state church”—the disestablishment of the church, in other words. This word didn’t take off in the U.S...
According to The Little Book of Second Mentions: The Art of Avoiding Repetition (Bookshop|Amazon), a journalist once referred to a watermelon as the pink-fleshed crowd pleaser. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Pink-Fleshed Crowd...
Why would some Spanish speakers use adaptations of certain English words when perfectly good Spanish words for the same thing already exist? Plus, handy terms in a dictionary of the Sussex dialect from 150 years ago: Back then, a dezzick was “a...
A memorable commencement speech by author Kurt Vonnegut celebrates books and “the sweet reluctance of their pages when you turn them with your sensitive fingertips.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “The Sweet Reluctance of Pages”...
The distinctive dialect of Ocracoke Island is lovingly explored in the new book Language and Life on Ocracoke: The Living History of the Brogue (Bookshop|Amazon) by North Carolina State professors Jeffrey Reaser and Walt Wolfram and fourth...