Best Grant Barrett. Produced by Stefanie Levine Podcasts (2024)

1
Pickled Peppers - 5 August 2024 53:45

4h ago53:45

53:45

Names don’t always mean what you think they mean. Main Street in San Francisco is named after businessman Charles Main, and Snowflake, Arizona, honors two guys named Snow and Flake. Plus, big words for small people: A colorful new book introduces kids to colossal words (including the word colossal!). And limber up those muscles — we have a trove of…

1
Hog on Ice (Rebroadcast) - 29 July 2024 53:45

14h ago53:45

53:45

One secret to writing well is . . . there is no secret! There's no substitute for simply sitting down day after day to practice the craft and learn from your mistakes. Plus, childhood mixups around word definitions can lead to some funny stories. After all, if you didn't know any better, why wouldn't you assume a thesaurus is a prehistoric creature…

1
Minor Planets - 22 July 2024 53:45

8h ago53:45

53:45

There are eight major planets, but more than a million minor ones, including asteroids. If you discover one, you get the honor of naming it. The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names includes minor planets named for rock bands, jazz musicians, poets, and more. Plus, if you’re waaaaaaaaaay interested in something, you can say so in writing: just add lots…

1
Goody Two-Shoes (Rebroadcast) - 15 July 2024 53:45

9h ago53:45

53:45

She sells seashells by the seashore. Who is the she in this tongue twister? Some claim it’s the young Mary Anning, who went on to become a famous 19th-century British paleontologist. Dubious perhaps, but the story of her rise from seaside salesgirl to renowned scientist is fascinating. Also: countless English words were inspired by Greek and Roman …

1
Pinking Shears - 8 July 2024 53:45

6d ago53:45

53:45

When you’re distracted by trying to get the perfect photo at a wedding or fiddling with your camera during a solar eclipse, you’re missing out on some of the experience itself. There’s a term for this: It’s called overshadowing. Plus one of Lionel Hampton’s old bandmates recalls hearing him greet fellow musicians with “How you doing, gates?” It may…

1
Baby Blues (Rebroadcast) - 1 July 2024 53:45

1M ago53:45

53:45

A hundred years ago, suffragists lobbied to win women the right to vote. Linguistically speaking, though, suffrage isn’t about “suffering.” It’s from a Latin word that involves voting. Plus: military cadences often include Jody calls, rhyming verses about the mythical guy who steals your sweetheart while you’re off serving the country. But just who…

1
Sleeve Island - 24 June 2024 53:45

20d ago53:45

53:45

Language from inside a monastery. A Benedictine monk in the Episcopal Church shares terms from his world: For example, corporate prayer refers to praying as a group. And did you know there’s a term of art for those annoying add-on costs when you buy tickets online? It’s called drip pricing. Plus: Why do we hear the word Perfect! when we’ve answered…

1
Walkie Talkie (Rebroadcast) - 17 June 2024 53:45

1M ago53:45

53:45

One of the most powerful words you’ll ever hear — and one of the most poignant — isn’t in dictionaries yet. But it probably will be one day. The word is endling, and it means “the last surviving member of a species.” The surprising story behind this word includes a doctor in a Georgia convalescent center, a museum exhibit in Australia, the Tasmania…

1
Tiger Tail (Rebroadcast) - 10 June 2024 53:45

2M ago53:45

53:45

You may have a favorite word in English, but what about your favorite in another language? The Spanish term ojalá is especially handy for expressing hopefulness and derives from Arabic for “God willing.” In Trinidad, if you want to ask friends to hang out with you, invite them to go liming. Nobody’s sure about this word’s origin, although it may in…

1
Clever Clogs (Rebroadcast) - 3 June 2024 53:45

2M ago53:45

53:45

Ribbon fall. Gallery forest. You won’t find terms like these in most dictionaries, but they and hundreds like them are discussed by famous writers in the book Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape. The book is an intriguing collection of specialized vocabulary that invites us to look more closely at the natural world — and delight in its l…

1
Bug in Your Ear (Rebroadcast) - 27 May 2024 53:45

2M ago53:45

53:45

Is there something inherent in English that makes it the linguistic equivalent of the Borg, dominating and consuming other languages in its path? No, not at all. The answer lies with politics and conquest rather than language itself. Plus: a new baby may be lovingly placed in a giraffe and spend time in the Panda room, but where is that? And: it’s …

1
The Black Dog (Rebroadcast) - 20 May 2024 53:45

3M ago53:45

53:45

Books were rare treasures in the Middle Ages, painstakingly copied out by hand. So how to protect them from theft? Scribes sometimes added a curse to the first page of those books that was supposed to keep thieves away — and some were as vicious as they were creative! Also: if you spot a typo in a published book, should you contact the publisher? M…

1
Animal Crackers - 13 May 2024 53:45

3M ago53:45

53:45

Images of birds flutter inside lots of English words and phrases, from “nest egg” and “pecking order,” to proverbs from around the world—including a lovely Spanish saying about how birds sense light just before dawn. Plus, how do you define “fun”? Outdoor enthusiasts divide fun into three distinct categories, the last of which is something you’ve t…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Grant Barrett. Produced By Stefanie Levine Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over

Hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett. Produced by Stefanie Levine.

1
Pickled Peppers - 5 August 2024 53:45

1
Hog on Ice (Rebroadcast) - 29 July 2024 53:45

1
Minor Planets - 22 July 2024 53:45

1
Goody Two-Shoes (Rebroadcast) - 15 July 2024 53:45

1
Pinking Shears - 8 July 2024 53:45

1
Baby Blues (Rebroadcast) - 1 July 2024 53:45

1
Sleeve Island - 24 June 2024 53:45

1
Walkie Talkie (Rebroadcast) - 17 June 2024 53:45

1
Tiger Tail (Rebroadcast) - 10 June 2024 53:45

1
Clever Clogs (Rebroadcast) - 3 June 2024 53:45

1
Bug in Your Ear (Rebroadcast) - 27 May 2024 53:45

1
The Black Dog (Rebroadcast) - 20 May 2024 53:45

1
Animal Crackers - 13 May 2024 53:45

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