That's What They Say - TopPodcast.com

TWTS: Not all sounds resonate Feb 17, 2025

The way some people use "resonate" doesn't resonate with all of our listeners.

TWTS: When a sweep gets clean Feb 10, 2025

We can sweep the floor, sweep the board, sweep the stakes, sweep the series – and maybe it will even be called a "clean sweep."

TWTS: May as well get comfortable with "comfortability" Feb 03, 2025

While you may not find “comfortability” in many standard dictionaries yet, it is out there in circulation with “comfortableness.”

TWTS: If you find “the lurch,” don’t stick around Jan 24, 2025

Sometimes we’re left in the lurch. It’s probably fair to say that most of us don’t know where that lurch is.

TWTS: Where did that pit in your stomach come from? Jan 17, 2025

It appears that some of those bad or uneasy feelings we may feel in the pit of our stomach have become a pit in our stomach.

TWTS: The American Dialect Society's 2024 Word of the Year Jan 13, 2025

It's that time again. With 2024 behind us, we can vote on the word of the year.

TWTS: When language gets spicy Jan 06, 2025

We can pepper our food or pepper our speech. If the mood strikes us, we can be peppy in a pep rally sort of way.

TWTS: There are reasons to use "there are" before a plural, and there's reasons to use "there's" Dec 29, 2024

There's examples all over the the place of people using "there's" before a plural noun. In fact, we just gave you one.

TWTS: The "doink" heard 'round the stadium Dec 23, 2024

As 2024 comes to a close, the kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs football team gave us a reason to use the verb "doink."

TWTS: Reach out and ping someone Dec 16, 2024

We can still reach out the car window to grab a parking ticket, but today, "reaching out" can also mean "pinging" someone to make a connection.

TWTS: A quintessential enough guide to "quintessential" Dec 08, 2024

The words "decimate" and "unique" are quintessential examples of how a word’s meaning can shift from its etymological roots.

TWTS: The not-so-ordinary world of "ordinary" and "ornery" Dec 01, 2024

"Ornery" seems like an ordinary enough word, but its link to "ordinary" might surprise people.

TWTS: Dilly dallying in the lightning round Nov 24, 2024

As listeners wait with bated breath, we will not dilly dally or shilly shally to get to this lightning round.

TWTS: Language pet peeves don't always stand the test of time Nov 17, 2024

Looking at late 19th century language peeves can often point to a change in progress, but not always.

TWTS: "These ones" made the lightning round Nov 11, 2024

Of all the topics we could cover this week on That's What They Say, we chose these ones over those ones.

TWTS: We've seen a change with "sea change" Nov 04, 2024

A sea change can now be caused by many things other than the sea, and some of its dramatic effects have been lost in the process.

TWTS: The touchy third rail Oct 28, 2024

We're going to try not to touch the third rail, but we are going to talk about it.

TWTS: In America, it's always hot dog season Oct 14, 2024

Major League Baseball playoffs and football tailgate season both mean the smell of hot dogs is in the air.

TWTS: Petards are for hoisting, not stabbing Oct 04, 2024

We don't encounter petards very often anymore. That’s unless we’re being, metaphorically speaking, “hoisted with our own petard.”

TWTS: Should we stop utilizing "utilize" and just use "use"? Sep 23, 2024

There are plenty of people out there who see "utilize" as a pretentious substitute for "use." However, some people are completely comfortable utilizing the verb "utilize."

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