Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

How a long-lost yearbook revealed the origin of 'hella,' with Ben Zimmer


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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

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