Loading...

PODCAST

That"s What They Say

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 English Professor Anne Curzan studies linguistics and the history of the English language. Each week she"ll discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Public All Things Considered host Rebecca Hector.That"s What They Say airs Fridays at 4:45 p.m. and Sundays at 9:35 a.m. on Michigan Public and you can

education language learning

All Episodes

5:13

TWTS: Dictionaries get glow-ups too

That"s What They Say ·

2026/10/02

The New York Times announced that the Merriam-Webster Dictionary “is wordsmaxxing” and NBC News described it as a “glow-up” of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

en

5:10

TWTS: The same, just more exact

That"s What They Say ·

2026/09/25

Concerns about redundancy are back this week. It's the exact same thing we’ve talked about before, but this time about the expression "exact same."

en

5:19

TWTS: Fore! It's a lightning round

That"s What They Say ·

2026/09/20

This may be one of the only times that throw pillows, golf, and curling all get wrapped into the same discussion.

en

5:27

TWTS: "Proactive" gets a reaction in advance

That"s What They Say ·

2026/09/11

While people may agree that being proactive is a positive trait, the word proactive can elicit some very negative reactions, so to speak.

en

5:42

TWTS: Cat chasing pixies? There's a word for that

That"s What They Say ·

2026/09/04

Is your cat running around in circles? Be advised, that kitty might be pixilated.

en

5:23

TWTS: Old English, new boundaries

That"s What They Say ·

2026/08/28

When we talk about Middle English, it suggests that we know when English began and when it ends.

en

4:38

TWTS: The cards language deals

That"s What They Say ·

2026/08/27

There are lots of cards we can still play now, but we’ve lost some good ones too.

en

5:18

TWTS: "Hunky dory" is doing just fine

That"s What They Say ·

2026/08/14

If "hunky dory" means the same thing as "right as rain," then we face the question of how right rain is.

en

5:27

TWTS: "Highfalutin" is too good for one spelling

That"s What They Say ·

2026/08/07

While we may know highfalutin language when we hear it, we don't all agree about how to spell "highfalutin" or where it comes from.

en

5:12

TWTS: Be careful what you hear around the scuttlebutt

That"s What They Say ·

2026/07/31

We exchange scuttlebutt at the proverbial water cooler, and there's an etymological clue in that.

en

5:05

TWTS: Time to talk about your watch

That"s What They Say ·

2026/07/24

The little clock we wear on our wrist could be called a clock. Instead, it has long had its own term, being called a watch instead.

en

5:35

TWTS: Careful how you're using that 👍

That"s What They Say ·

2026/07/17

Sometimes new slang jumps out in front of you, waving its hands, or thumbs, so that you can’t help but notice it. Sometimes it just sneaks up on you.

en

5:12

TWTS: Understanding the depth of "fathom"

That"s What They Say ·

2026/07/10

We can count fathoms when we’re measuring things. We can also metaphorically fathom or not fathom things.

en

5:21

TWTS: Speaking of "bespoke"

That"s What They Say ·

2026/07/03

This is a bespoke segment of That’s What They Say that focuses on “bespoke.”

en

4:59

TWTS: Up and down your alley... and your street

That"s What They Say ·

2026/06/26

If it’s up your alley, it might also be up your street. And perhaps it’s down rather than up.

en

5:17

TWTS: One rank, two pronunciations

That"s What They Say ·

2026/06/22

You say "lieutenant," I say “leftenant” but let’s not call the whole thing off.

en

5:21

TWTS: The wonky journey of "wonky"

That"s What They Say ·

2026/06/12

There’s more than one way to be wonky, and not all of them are bad.

en

5:14

TWTS: Are we canceling adverbs?

That"s What They Say ·

2026/06/05

Adverbs don’t always get a lot of love, captured powerfully in the writing tip “Abolish the adverbs.”

en

4:59

TWTS: Scrimping, skimping, and the degrees of frugality

That"s What They Say ·

2026/05/29

We scrimp and we save, and we skimp and we still save, which makes one wonder whether scrimping is different from skimping

en

5:01

TWTS: From fishmongers to warmongers - and warmongerers

That"s What They Say ·

2026/05/22

Cheesemongers sell cheese, and gossipmongers usually start the gossip or spread it, rather than sell it.

en

151 results

Similar Podcasts

Edutainment Learning

Ralph Krauss

Daily Facts

Amalia Dupray and Montgomery Jones.

Les dents et dodo

BFMTV

Education Futures

Svenia Busson & Laurent Jolie

Out In The Hall

NHSA