That's What They Say

By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Hector

Funner, snuck, and LOL are all things that we're hearing people say these days.That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. University of Michigan E... more

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FAQs about That's What They Say:

How many episodes does That's What They Say have?

The podcast currently has 421 episodes available.

That's What They Say episodes:

January 02, 2026 TWTS: When language gets spicy
We can pepper our food or pepper our speech or, if the mood strikes us, we can be peppy in a pep rally kind of way.
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6min
December 29, 2025 TWTS: Wishes for good fortune and days off
‘Tis the season to talk about "‘tis" and "‘twas" and, while we’re at it, "hap."
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5min
December 21, 2025 TWTS: Keep your trousers, breeches, and pants on
If you’re too big for your britches, maybe you’re all mouth and trousers.
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6min
December 13, 2025 TWTS: A brief history of pants
The word "pants" has oodles of good linguistic stories to tell, and that’s no pile of pants.
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6min
December 08, 2025 TWTS: Reeling in the small fry
It's a time of year when many of us are cooking and eating big meals together which may involve fried food and "small fry."
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5min
November 29, 2025 TWTS: When downloading gets emotional
Now that we can "download" some "mashups," we should talk about how these words have changed over time.
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6min
November 24, 2025 TWTS: Movers and shakers made into shapers
As we merrily roll along, we might be moving and shaking, with maybe some shaping in there too.
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5min
November 17, 2025 TWTS: When "lickety split" took off
We will share some fun linguistic facts about lickety-split, lickety-split.
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6min
November 10, 2025 TWTS: Here's a tip: "Tip" isn't an acronym
From 17th-century England to modern-day gratuities, the evolution of "tip" is a story of linguistic twists and turns that ultimately lead to a surprising conclusion: it's not what you think it stands for.
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6min
November 03, 2025 TWTS: The bloody evolution of bloodletting
Historically, bloodletting and bloodshed have been different things, but the line has blurred. Linguist Anne Curzan breaks down the evolution of words.
...more
6min

FAQs about That's What They Say:

How many episodes does That's What They Say have?

The podcast currently has 421 episodes available.

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