Karen in Charlotte, North Carolina, adores her son’s cleft chin. Her husband, who also has one, calls it a butt chin. Karen prefers chimple, a combination of chin and dimple. Did she coin it? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
A middle-schooler in Waukesha, Wisconsin, wonders why the word island contains the letter S, and why is it pronounced with a long I and no S sound? In Old English, this word for dry land surrounded by water was igland, coming from words that mean...
Peter from Easton, Pennsylvania, asks about rapscallion, an old-fashioned term for a rascal, scamp, or scoundrel that can also be used affectionately. Although he once thought he had invented it, the word is recorded in English by the 17th century...
Cynthia in Rancho Santa Fe, California, asks: Do filmmakers use linguistic consultants to ensure that no character uses a term that wouldn’t have been around by the time the story is taking place? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript...
Grant shoots holes in a story that just won’t die that about “son of a gun” and babies born aboard sailing ships. Before you get started today, please go to to support the show. Podcast listeners like you will make the show possible in...
How did the word gay go from meaning lighthearted to homosexual? Also, why are elementary schools sometimes called grammar schools? Plus, imeldific, gone pecan, random Scrabble words, and the difference between borrow and lend. And the etiquette of...