On today’s episode of Spectacular Vernacular, Nicole and Ben talk about the connection between football chants and language. They also interview Everdeen Mason, editorial director for games at the New York Times about her exciting role. And finally, our hosts are in the hot seat for this week’s wordplay. You don’t want to miss this! You could win a year’s membership to Slate Plus.

Do you have any language questions or fun facts to share? Email us at [email protected].  

Produced by Jasmine Ellis and Asha Saluja. 

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Ben’s Wall Street Journal column, “’Who Dey?’: A Chant With Roots in Black History” 

New York Times profile of Everdeen Mason 

How to apply to the New York Times Diverse Crossword Constructor Fellowship 

Washington Post article on “the latest reckoning over language in the puzzle world” 

New York Times article on the acquisition of Wordle 

Peter Gordon’s Fireball Crosswords 

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