1167. In this bonus segment that originally ran for Grammarpaloozians last October, we look at the surprising true origins of words that often fool people. We explore why "miniature" originally referred to a red color and not a size; the true, non-factual meaning of "factoid"; and how "hello" only became a common greeting because of the telephone. We also examine the indirect eponym behind the word "gasoline."

Find Jess Zafarris online: Useless Etymology, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram

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1166. This week, we look the grammar of the Academy Awards and how to avoid an "illogical plot twist" in your sentences. Then, we look at common time-related redundancies like "period of time," the proper way to use "a.m." and "p.m.," and why the abbreviation UTC doesn't actually match its name. 

The Academy Awards segment was written by Jim Norrena.

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1165. Today, we talk with Joan Houston Hall to look at the monumental task of documenting how Americans speak. We look at the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE), exploring the unique folk words that survive outside of standard dictionaries and how "word wagons" traveled the country to map the "egg turners," "pogonips," and "oncers" that define our regional identities.

"Dictionary of American Regional English" (DARE)

Support DARE by visiting the University of Wisconsin's giving page.

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1164. This week, we look at the origin of the octothorpe — also known as the pound sign or hashtag — and why it has so many different names. Then, we look at sentence fragments and the secret of "Sir Fragalot" to help you avoid common writing mistakes.

A video of the man who invented snurfing.

Free writing course on LinkedIn Learning. (Happy National Grammar Day!)

The octothorpe segment was written by Karen Lunde.

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1163. This week, we look at what it’s like to be a "language detective" with Sali Tagliamonte and how she used her own teenagers as a research lab. We look at a 25-year study on how the phrase "be like" became a permanent fixture of English, why the word "very" is suddenly making a comeback with younger generations, and what happens to our language when we spend all day talking to AI.

Sali Tagliamonte, University of Toronto

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Thank you to the members of the Order of the Aardvark at Patreon:

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1162. This week, we look at why some names just "feel right" while others don't and how vowels like "ee" create associations with smallness and sweetness while back vowels like "ah" sound bigger and more serious. Then, we look at dependent clauses and when it's OK to start a sentence with "because."

The baby names segment was written by Valerie Fridland. 

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| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

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• Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend, Maram Elnagheeb
• Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
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• Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
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1161. Today, we look at the history of writing in all-uppercase letters. Tech historian Glenn Fleishman explains how capitals transitioned from a sign of importance to a convention for shouting. Plus, we discuss his research tracking the association between yelling and capital letters back to 1856 and why early newspapers used all capitals to make tiny type seem larger.

Glenn Fleishman's website.

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| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

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• Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend, Maram Elnagheeb
• Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
• Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
• Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
• Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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1160. This week, we look at why "mogul" means both a ski bump and a powerful person. Then, we tackle when to use "awhile" versus "a while," with a trick to help you remember.

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| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

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• Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend, Maram Elnagheeb
• Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
• Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
• Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
• Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb

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1159. This week, we look at "civic clarity" with writing instructor Roy Peter Clark in a newly edited version of our 2020 conversation. We look at the ethical code of clear communication and why "civic clarity" is more important now than ever. We also discuss the strategy of "writing short" for social media and how to navigate the difficult process of cutting a draft to find your focus.

Poynter Institute

Roy Peter Clark's Facebook

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🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 

| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

• Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend, Maram Elnagheeb
• Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
• Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
• Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
• Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.