
That's What They Say
26 episodes
TWTS: The death of doornails
TWTS: When "f" and "v" were sort of one
TWTS: "Peak" felt fine until it was "peaked"
TWTS: Why no one is "gonna Pittsburgh"
TWTS: From "6-7" to sixes and sevens
TWTS: A hangout is a great place to hang out
TWTS: Fore! It's a lightning round
This may be one of the only times that throw pillows, golf, and curling all get wrapped into the same discussion.
TWTS: Humbled in victory, humbled in defeat
When we get schooled at something, we may feel humbled by the experience; but when we win something, we may also say we feel humbled by the experience.
TWTS: When a reign becomes rain
When terror rains down, we suddenly have a spelling question.
TWTS: The Declaration of ... Independency?
The Declaration of Independence could readily have been the Declaration of Independency.
TWTS: Bereft or just lacking?
We can be bereaved, we can be bereft, and sometimes we can be both bereaved and bereft.
TWTS: The wonky journey of "wonky"
There are a few different ways to be wonky, some of which are positive and some of which, not so much.
TWTS: Not all sounds resonate
The way some people use "resonate" doesn't resonate with all of our listeners.
TWTS: If you're in hurry, you should scurry
If we’re involved in a hurry-scurry retreat or a harum-scarum dash, perhaps things are also helter-skelter.
TWTS: The right snuff
If you’re not up to snuff, you’re not up to scratch and maybe you don’t get a cigar.
TWTS: A recurring question can reoccur
This week’s question has not been a recurring one, by which we mean it has occurred once and not reoccurred.
TWTS: For crotchety cranks who crochet
If it seems unlikely that crotchety people are related, at least etymologically, to those who do crochet, stay tuned.
TWTS: The American Dialect Society's 2025 Word of the Year is...
Given how much we’re talking about AI right now, it’s no surprise that AI-related words featured prominently in this year’s word of the year vote.
TWTS: Generics
Sometimes we don’t realize that we’re using a trademarked term differently from those around us.
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.
TWTS: Wishes for good fortune and days off
‘Tis the season to talk about "‘tis" and "‘twas" and, while we’re at it, "hap."
TWTS: Keep your trousers, breeches, and pants on
If you’re too big for your britches, maybe you’re all mouth and trousers.
TWTS: A brief history of pants
The word "pants" has oodles of good linguistic stories to tell, and that’s no pile of pants.
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."