Patrick in New York City is curious about the term ride or die, which describes a friend, fan, or romantic partner who is devoted to the end. The expression shows up in the mid-1990s in hip hop and the work of Tupac Shakur and The Lox, and often...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a fill-in-the-blank puzzle about famous hip-hop rhymes. For example, from Run DMC, there’s the verse: “I’m the king of rock / There is none higher / Sucker MC’s should call me _________.” This is part of a complete episode...
Did you know reading poetry improves your prose? That includes hip-hop lyrics, too. Also, how linguist can guess where you come from based on how you speak. What do you call someone who picks the chocolate out of the trail mix? Plus, champing at...
You’re in a business meeting. Is it bad manners to take out your phone to send or read a text? A new study suggests that how you feel about mid-meeting texting differs depending on your age and sex. Grant and Martha offer book recommendations for...
Andrew Huang of Songs To Wear Pants To has met his listeners’ challenge and written a rap song without the letter “E.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Songs to Wear Pants To” Grant, are you familiar with a site called...
To house something, as in to house a beer or to house a pizza, is slang for “consuming something really fast.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Slang “House”” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Whitney. I’m calling from...