1149. This week, we look at the life and legacy of Samuel Johnson, the man behind the 1755 Dictionary of the English Language. We talk with John Overholt, curator at Harvard’s Houghton Library, about Johnson's eclectic career. We also look at what it’s like to manage a collection of 4,000 rare books and why even the most "unremarkable" items deserve a home in a library.

Find John Overholt on Mastodon.

Houghton Library's website

Links to Get One Month Free of the Grammar Girl Patreon (different links for different levels)

• Order of the Snail ($1/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/687E4
• Order of the Aardvark ($5/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/07205
• Keeper of the Commas ($10/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/50A0B
• Guardian of the Grammary ($25/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/949F7

🔗 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.

🔗 Take our advertising survey. 

🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 

🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. 

| 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

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1148. This week, we look at penny idioms that are still "legal tender" in our language even as the U.S. penny is retired. We look at the history of phrases like "a bad penny" and "penny wise and pound foolish." Then, we look at the linguistic history of procrastination, explaining how human nature changed words like "soon," "anon," and "presently" from meaning "at once" to "in a little while."

The penny segment was written by Karen Lunde, a longtime writer and editor turned web designer and marketing mentor. Solo service business owners come to her for websites where beautiful design meets authentic words that actually build connections. Find her at chanterellemarketingstudio.com.

The linguistics of procrastination segment was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." You can find her at valeriefridland.com.

Find a link to the old Tanner Tour brochure mentioned in today's familect story. 

Links to Get One Month Free of the Grammar Girl Patreon (different links for different levels)

• Order of the Snail ($1/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/687E4
• Order of the Aardvark ($5/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/07205
• Keeper of the Commas ($10/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/50A0B
• Guardian of the Grammary ($25/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/949F7

🔗 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.

🔗 Take our advertising survey. 

🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 

🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. 

| 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

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1147. In this bonus segment that originally ran in October, we look at the fascinating history of the "new letters" of the alphabet — V, W, X, Y, and Z. Danny Bate explains why T was the original end of the alphabet and how letters were added by the Greeks and Romans. We also look at the origin of the letter Y, which was originally a vowel, and the two historical reasons we call the final letter “zee” or “zed.”

Find Danny Bate on his website, Bluesky or on X. 

Get the book, "Why Q Needs U."

Listen to Danny's podcast, "A Language I Love Is..."

Links to Get One Month Free of the Grammar Girl Patreon (different links for different levels)

• Order of the Snail ($1/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/687E4
• Order of the Aardvark ($5/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/07205
• Keeper of the Commas ($10/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/50A0B
• Guardian of the Grammary ($25/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/949F7

🔗 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.

🔗 Take our advertising survey. 

🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 

🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. 

| 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

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1146. This week, we look at the history of Braille, from the tragic accident that inspired Louis Braille's six-dot system to the "War of the Dots"—a decades-long conflict over competing reading standards in the U.S. Then, we look at the origin of the phrase "pitch black," revealing how the intensifier "pitch" refers to an ancient, dark wood tar and how the word traces its roots back to Old English.

The braille segment was written by Karen Lunde, a longtime writer and editor turned web designer and marketing mentor. Solo service business owners come to her for websites where beautiful design meets authentic words that actually build connections. Find her at chanterellemarketingstudio.com.

The pitch black segment was run by Samantha Enslen who runs Dragonfly Editorial. You can find her online at dragonflyeditorial.com.

Links to Get One Month Free of the Grammar Girl Patreon (different links for different levels)

• Order of the Snail ($1/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/687E4
• Order of the Aardvark ($5/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/07205
• Keeper of the Commas ($10/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/50A0B
• Guardian of the Grammary ($25/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/949F7

🔗 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.

🔗 Take our advertising survey. 

🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 

🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. 

| 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

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1145. In this bonus segment from October, I talk with Ben Zimmer about "hella" and how even yearbook messages can be digitized to help preserve the language record. Ben shares the full story of this slang term, and we also talk about the detective work that led to the OED using Run DMC's use of "drop" in “Spin Magazine” as a citation.

Ben Zimmer's website: Benzimmer.com

Ben Zimmer's social media: Bluesky. Facebook. 

Links to Get One Month Free of the Grammar Girl Patreon (different links for different levels)

• Order of the Snail ($1/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/687E4
• Order of the Aardvark ($5/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/07205
• Keeper of the Commas ($10/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/50A0B
• Guardian of the Grammary ($25/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/949F7

🔗 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.

🔗 Take our advertising survey. 

🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 

🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. 

| 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

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1144. This week, we look at the origin of the letter X as the variable for the unknown in algebra. Then, we look at the phrase "how come," explaining why it's more informal than "why" and how its grammar subtly differs from other question words.

That X segment was written by Peter Schumer, Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Middlebury College, and it originally appeared on The Conversation and appears here through a Creative Commons license.

Links to Get One Month Free of the Grammar Girl Patreon (different links for different levels)

• Order of the Snail ($1/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/687E4
• Order of the Aardvark ($5/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/07205
• Keeper of the Commas ($10/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/50A0B
• Guardian of the Grammary ($25/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/949F7

🔗 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.

🔗 Take our advertising survey. 

🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 

🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. 

| 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

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1143. This week, we look at the 2025 words of the year with Jess Zafarris and Danny Hieber. We look at viral slang like "six seven" and cultural terms like "rage bait" and "fatigued." We also look at the dramatic rise of "slop" to describe low-quality AI content and how words like "parasocial" are changing function.

Find Jess Zafarris at UselessEtymology.com, or find her podcast Words Unravelled on YouTube.

Find Danny Hieber at LingusiticDiscovery.com or on his Substack.

Links to Get One Month Free of the Grammar Girl Patreon (different links for different levels):

• Order of the Snail ($1/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/687E4
• Order of the Aardvark ($5/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/07205
• Keeper of the Commas ($10/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/50A0B
• Guardian of the Grammary ($25/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/949F7

🔗 Share your familect recording via Speakpipe or by calling 833-214-4475

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Take our advertising survey. 

🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 

🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. 

| 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

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1142. This week, we look at the history of the phrase "pride and prejudice," which was used frequently before Jane Austen’s 1813 novel. Then, we look at whether Parson Brown from “Winter Wonderland” was a real person, and why his name is sometimes replaced with a “circus clown.” 

Links to Get One Month Free of the Grammar Girl Patreon (different links for different levels)

• Order of the Snail ($1/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/687E4
• Order of the Aardvark ($5/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/07205
• Keeper of the Commas ($10/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/50A0B
• Guardian of the Grammary ($25/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/949F7

🔗 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.

🔗 Take our advertising survey. 

🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 

🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. 

| 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

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1141. We look at the controversy that caught Stefan Fatsis by surprise when he defined the word "sheeple" for Merriam-Webster, leading to public complaints. We also look at the origin and purpose of the obscure "Backward Index" invented by Webster's Third editor Philip Gove and how quickly Merriam added COVID-related words to the dictionary.

Find Stefan Fatsis on his website, Bluesky or Facebook. 

Get the book, Unabridged.

🔗 Share your familect recording via Speakpipe or by calling 833-214-4475

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Take our advertising survey. 

🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 

🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. 

| 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

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1140. This week, we look at the difference between the modern phrase "hamster wheel" and the older "rat race," and why the former gained popularity. We also look at the similar concept of the hedonic treadmill. Then, we look at the many names for Santa Claus, including the Dutch "Sinter Klaas" and the German "Christkindlein."

The Santa Claus segment originally appeared on The Conversation and was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." You can find her at valeriefridland.com.

🔗 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.

🔗 Take our advertising survey. 

🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 

🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. 

| 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

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.