Grammar Girl

1237. This week, we talk to Jeremy Butterfield, former editor in chief at Collins Dictionaries and author of “The Metaphor Zoo,” about why English loves animals. We look at how conceptual metaphors like “human is animal” shape what we say, why “the bee’s knees” had so many ridiculous cousins in the 1920s, and how “herding cats” is much newer than you’d expect. Then we look at the Order of the Pug, how Hush Puppies got their name, and the animal eggcorns that sneak into idioms.

Find Jeremy at jeremybutterfield.com.

A hearty thank you to the Keepers of the Commas one mysterious Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!

• Larry Rosenblum
• Mahala Russell
• George Wilson
• Laurel Paul
• Linda Cox
• Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
• Kate Wade

🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Find an 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
• 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1236. In honor of Friday the 13th, we look at words about superstitions, including jinxes, theater curses, and the one phrase you don't say in a hospital.

The superstition segment was by Karen Lunde. Find her on igofirst.org.

A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas and one mysterious Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!

• Larry Rosenblum
• Mahala Russell
• George Wilson
• Laurel Paul
• Linda Cox
• Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
• Kate Wade

🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Find an edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

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

• Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
• 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1235. This week, we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of the "Grammar Girl" podcast with something I've wanted to do for years: our first-ever live game show! We originally streamed Grammarpalooza live on YouTube back in September, and now we're bringing all the wordplay, laughs, and friendly competition to the podcast feed so everyone can play along.

Two teams of our favorite language lovers and fellow word nerds went head-to-head:

• The Cruciverbal Crusaders: Ben Zimmer (lexicographer and Slate crossword constructor) alongside Emily Moyers and Kyle Imperatore (teen librarians and hosts of the "Butter No Parsnips" podcast).
• Team MC Grammar: Jess Zafarris (author of "A Miscellany of Weird and Wonderful Facts" and co-host of "Words Unravelled"), Gabe Henry (author of "Enuf Is Enough" and host of pub spelling bees), and sociolinguist Valerie Fridland (author of "Why We Talk Funny").

Here's what they tackled:

• Fake Definitions: Deliberating over obscure, historical terms like "galactopoton," "curglaff," "snollygoster," and the Old English "uhtceare" to separate the real definition from the fakes.
• Rhyming Definitions: A fast-paced speed round matching rhyming pairs (from "cheese and breeze" to "ponder and wander").
• Playing Against the Audience: The teams go up against the live chat to see who can find the most unique words hidden inside the letters of the word CELEBRATION.
• Foreign Idioms: Decoding colorful phrases from around the world, from Sweden's "having your beard in the mailbox" and Germany's "that's sausage to me" to Italy's "every death of a pope."

A huge thank you to scorekeeper Holly Hutchings, game designer and marketer Rebekah Sebastian, audio maestro Nat Hoopes, gameshow veteran and producer Steven Schapansky, and all our wonderful Grammarpaloozian patrons who submitted questions and tuned in live.

A hearty thank you to the Keepers of the Commas one mysterious Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!

• Larry Rosenblum
• Mahala Russell
• George Wilson
• Laurel Paul
• Linda Cox
• Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
• Kate Wade

🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Find an edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

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

• Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
• 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1234. This week, we look at how small writing errors in proposed laws have cost millions of dollars and knocked whole measures off the ballot. Then, we look at the nautical origin of "batten down the hatches."

A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas and one mysterious Guardian of the Grammary on Patreon. We appreciate your support!

• Larry Rosenblum
• Mahala Russell
• George Wilson
• Laurel Paul
• Linda Cox
• Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
• Kate Wade

🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Find an edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

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

• Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
• 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1233. This week, we talk to Laura Spinney, author of "Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global." We look at how linguists reconstruct a language no one wrote down and why the ancient word for "wheel" is still debated. Then we look at how ancient DNA pointed to nomadic herders on the steppe and how feasting and storytelling may have helped their language spread.

Find Laura at LauraSpinney.com.

A hearty thank you to the Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!

• Larry Rosenblum
• Mahala Russell
• George Wilson
• Laurel Paul
• Linda Cox
• Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
• Kate Wade

🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Find an 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
• 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1232. This week, we look at four ordinary words — "hippocampus," "chimera," "behemoth," and "gargantuan" — that all started as the names of monsters. Then, we look at where sailors got the phrase "graveyard watch" and at the difference between a graveyard and a cemetery.

The monsters segment was written by Samantha Enslen, who runs DragonflyEditorial. You can find her at dragonflyeditorial.com.

A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!

• Larry Rosenblum
• Mahala Russell
• George Wilson
• Laurel Paul
• Linda Cox
• Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
• Kate Wade

🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Find an edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

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

• Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
• 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1231. This week, Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and sits down with linguist Laurel Brinton to talk about little words like “well,” “you know,” and “like.” They look at why “well” signals bad news, how “Beowulf” may open with the Old English version of “you know,” and why “prithee” disappeared. Then they look at why most uses of “like” are older than Valley Girl speech.

Find Laurel Brinton at blogs.ubc.ca/laurelbrinton.

Find Valerie Fridland at ValerieFridland.com.

A hearty thank you to the Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!

• Larry Rosenblum
• Mahala Russell
• George Wilson
• Laurel Paul
• Linda Cox
• Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
• Kate Wade

🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Find an 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
• 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1230. This week, the whole show is about familects, the words and phrases you only use with your family. We look at where they come from and what they do, how the same thing happens among friends and fans, and why borrowing someone else's insider words can backfire.

A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!

• Larry Rosenblum
• Mahala Russell
• George Wilson
• Laurel Paul
• Linda Cox
• Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
• Kate Wade

🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Find an edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

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

• Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
• 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1229. This week, we talk with Ethan Sawyer, the College Essay Guy, about AI and college admissions essays. We look at why admissions officers told him “don’t” when it comes to AI, what he calls the “disembodied voice” of AI writing, and why he rewrote the new editions of his books by hand. Then we look at two pieces of classic essay advice he says to skip, how “finish your ribs” became a standout essay, and how a 10-minute timer can get a stuck writer started.

Find Ethan at CollegeEssayGuy.com.

A hearty thank you to the Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!

• Larry Rosenblum
• Mahala Russell
• George Wilson
• Laurel Paul
• Linda Cox
• Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
• Kate Wade

🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Find an 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
• 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1228. This week, we look at why "Here comes the bride" sounds right but "Here comes he" sounds wrong. Then we have an update on Zipf's law: after whales and dolphins, researchers may have found it in birdsong too.

The "here comes he" segment was written by Ray Belli, a longtime podcaster, musician, and language writer. You can find him at WordsforGranted.libsyn.com

A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!

• Larry Rosenblum
• Mahala Russell
• George Wilson
• Laurel Paul
• Linda Cox
• Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
• Kate Wade

🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Find an edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

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

• Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
• 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.