Why are some American place names pronounced differently than the famous place they were named after? Why is Cairo, Ill., pronounced “KAY-roh”? Why do Midwesterners pronounce Versailles as “Ver-SALES” and the New Madrid Fault...
There’s been a lot of talk about the place of handwriting in the digital age. Grant has some great books to recommend on the subject: Reading Early American Handwriting by Kip Sperry, and Handwriting in America: A Cultural History by Tamara...
It’s always fun to catch moviemakers’ blunders. Say you’re watching an epic about ancient Rome and spot a toga-clad extra who forgot to remove his wristwatch. That’s an anachronism. But what do you call something that’s...
A native of Southern Pennsylvania has always used the term macadam in place of asphalt. Martha traces the word from an old gravel road to the modern day tarmac. This is part of a complete episode.
Our Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a game of demonyms. What do you call someone from a certain place? If you’re from Cambridge, for example, you’re a Cantabrigian. This is part of a complete episode.
Grant reveals another riddle: It’s the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end, and the end of every place. What is it? This is part of a complete episode.