Amanda in Evansville, Indiana, says for some reason her family always referred to their garbage disposal as George, a name that functioned as both noun and verb, as in Just put it in George or You can George it now. Might that be something inherited...
Following our conversation about listeners’ favorite independent bookstore names, a Massachusetts listener shares hers: Yellow Umbrella Books in Chatham, Massachusetts. This is part of a complete episode.
What happens in a classroom of refugee and immigrant youngsters learning English? Their fresh approach to language can result in remarkable poetry — some of which is collected in the anthology England: Poems from a School. Also, new language among...
Just as books at independent bookshops are carefully curated and hand-sold, the names of the stores themselves often reflect the owner’s personal vision and preferences, such as The Wild Detectives in Dallas, Texas; Wild Rumpus and Moon Palace...
You may have a favorite word in English, but how about one from another language? Martha likes the Spanish term ojalá because it’s handy for expressing hopefulness, and has an interesting history, deriving from inshallah, Arabic for “God...
Grant shoots holes in a story that just won’t die that about “son of a gun” and babies born aboard sailing ships. Before you get started today, please go to to support the show. Podcast listeners like you will make the show possible in...
