Why is it that what you say to your family and what they hear are different? If you say “no,” your child hears “maybe,” and if you say “maybe,” she hears “ask again and again,” and “yes” is just around the corner.” Grant and Martha discuss ways that...
How do you pronounce the word llama? A caller who learned in school that Spanish “ll” is pronounced like English “y” thinks it’s a mistake to pronounce this animal’s name as LAH-ma. Is he correct? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
zombie economy n.— «Yuen Pau Woo was the economist responsible for Japan in Singapore’s central bank when the Japanese bubble—helped by a run-up in real estate prices that made Park Ave. co-ops look affordable—caused the world’s second biggest...
meteorwrong n.— Note: Also sometimes spelled “meteowrong.” «Nicklin said many people often mistake common terrestrial rocks for the kind that fall from outer space. He refers to them as “meteorwrongs.”» —“Bring Us Your Meteorites Or ‘Meteorwrongs’:...
ricket n.— Note: The Oxford English Dictionary has one cite for this word from 1958, defining it as criminals’ slang meaning “a blunder, mistake.” «Hearn is still involved in snooker, supplying Sky with the premier league tournament. However, he...
obiticide n.— «Speaking of which, the Star did in fact kill a couple of well-known people by mistake, a practice known as “obiticide,” or death by media. A Nov. 23 item about actors from the 1960s’ TV series Hogan’s Heroes incorrectly listed...
