In several previous episodes, we’ve talked about pangrams, those sentences that use every letter of the alphabet at least once. Lauren, who lives in Perth, Western Australia, sent us a couple penned by her 11-year-old daughter Sinead...
Forensic linguists use what they know about speech and writing to testify in courtrooms. And get out your hankies! Martha and Grant are talking about the language of … sneezing. And what do you call it when you clean the house in a hurry...
What’s it called when a fit of sneezing takes hold? Try ptarmosis, from the Greek ptarmos for “sneeze.” Or sternutamentum, meaning rapid, spasmodic sneezing. This is part of a complete episode.
“Scat, Tom! Get your tail out of the gravy!” In some parts of the country, especially the South, people say this after someone sneezes. But what does a cat warming its tail in the gravy boat have to do with sneezing? This is part of a...
snatiation n.— «With a combination of good fun and serious intent, Hall (1990) suggested that “the newly described condition be called the SNATIATION reflex—a combination of sneezing and satiation and easily remembered by the...