The Common Errors in English Usage Podcast

The ongoing debate on health care here in the US takes for granted that we understand deductible, co-pay, co-insurance, premium, out-of-pocket limits, and many other often-confusing terms. Since that isn’t always the case, we’ll be discussing the language of health care in the coming weeks.

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Finally, after three weeks dwelling on words and expressions about idiocy, we turn our attention to some words that say smart.

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We’ve been talking about insults to the intelligence, and this week we conclude our discussion of adjectives.

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From John Skelton’s 1528 volume entitled “Replycacion agaynst Certayne Yong Scolers”:

As touchyng the Tetrycall [severe] Theologisacion of these demy-diuines and Stoicall studiantes and frisca-ioly yonkerkyns … . moche better bayned [banned?] than brayned basked and bathed in their wylde burblyng and boyling blode Feruently reboyled with the infatuate flames of their rechelesse youthe and wytlesse wontonnesse enbrased and enterlased with a … moche fantasticall frenesy of their insensate sensualyte.

The Zombies perform “She’s Not There”:

We’ve been talking about insults to the intelligence, and this week we switch the focus to adjectives.

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This week continue our high-minded discussion of terms that insult the intelligence.

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This week we discuss more words meant as insults to intelligence.

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This week we take on some words meant as insults to intelligence and where they come from.

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This week we literally go back to the archives to replay our podcast on one of Paul’s most popular creations, “Mr. Gradgrind’s Literal Answers to Rhetorical Questions.”

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It’s Rose Festival time here in Portland, the City of Roses. In fact, 110 years ago, June 20–22, 1907, the first Rose Festival was held. Back then it was called the “Rose Carnival and Fiesta,” but we all know a Rose Festival by any other name would smell as sweet. Let’s mark the occasion by rebroadcasting Paul’s lecture, “When Is a Rose Not a Rose?”

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You see a lot of stories about various things losing steam or picking it up. This week we rebroadcast Episode 11, in which Paul discussed his interest in that phenomenon and other aspects of the word “steam.”

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