Is it time to replace the expression “the mentally ill”? Some argue the term unfairly stigmatizes a broad range of people. Also, the winter sport of… skitching, which involves snowy roads, leather shoes — and car bumpers...
For language lovers, it’s like New Year’s, Fourth of July, and the Super Bowl all rolled into one: The brand-new online edition of the Dictionary of American Regional English. Martha and Grant explain what all the fuss is about. Plus...
Grant and Martha share some more terms that make a person sound old-fashioned these days. Ever get a blank stare when you mention the icebox? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “More Old-Fashioned Language” Here are more...
News reports that the makers of Scrabble were changing the rules to allow proper names left some purists fuming. The rumors were false, but they got Grant thinking about idiosyncratic adaptations of the game’s rules. Also this week, the...
ununbium n.— «The ubiquitous periodic table will soon have a new addition—the “super-heavy” element 112. […] IUPAC temporarily named the element ununbium, as “ununbi” is derived from the figures “one...
canning n.— «Marilyn Frano, Weymouth’s substance abuse prevention coordinator, said she came up with the idea after she heard that Weymouth High School athletes were asked to collect change—a practice known as “canning”—outside liquor...