That's What They Say
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That's What They Say
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...
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TWTS: You can tuna fish, but you may not need the "fish"
Given that tuna is a fish, it can seem unnecessary to call that out in the compound tuna fish.
TWTS: Here's what's up with "up"
When we eat up or fix up or heal up or hurry up, we’re not actually moving in an upward direction.
TWTS: "Funnily enough" is more than enough
Funnily enough, two listeners wrote to us this summer about the phrase funnily enough.
TWTS: Just ring the dumb bell
Working out with dumbbells may be a fitness craze now, but the fitness craze that started it all sounds even better.
TWTS: Some would just as soon say "just assume"
If you’d just as soon not learn about an eggcorn that some language pundits really dislike, then you might want to stop reading now.
TWTS: Fit to be furious
We can be angry or infuriated or outraged or furious or livid or incensed, all of which make us fit to be tied.
TWTS: When you're wary of confusing "weary" and "wary"
Usage guide writers, seeing some confusion afoot, tell us to be wary about the distinction between "wary” and “weary.”
TWTS: The many faces of "mug"
Even though "mug shots" do not involve drinking or "mugs" in that sense, we can draw a historical connection between these two mugs.
TWTS: Campfire up the lightning round
From campfire wood to troubleshooting, English usage provides plenty of curiosities for another lightning round.
TWTS: Double the modals, double the nuance
Only some English speakers have grammars that allow them to say “We might could make that better” or “We might should eat before the movie.”
TWTS: When your ancestors are the descendants of your ancestors
When you have a language podcast, you come across a lot of usages that make you think, “I would never say that.” A little research and a few contextua...
TWTS: "Peak" felt fine until it was "peaked"
Mountains may be peaked, collars may be peaked, but when we’re sick, we’re not “peaked” but “peak-ed.”
TWTS: Speaking of "bespoke"
This is a bespoke segment of That’s What They Say that focuses on “bespoke.”
TWTS: Why "peeves" make great pets
Listeners write to us regularly with their language peeves, which we love. Sometimes they call these peeves their "pet peeves."
TWTS: An inquiry into "inquire" and "enquire"
When we inquire about something, it doesn’t really matter if we "inquire" or "enquire." However, with the verb "insure," it matters if we "insure" or...
TWTS: "Disinterested" is "uninterested" but not the other way around
With the words "disinterested" and "uninterested," it’s not that a distinction has been lost, but rather that a distinction has been intentionally cre...
TWTS: "Crummy" and "lousy" have a crummy relationship
If something is crummy, then we could also call it lousy, which gives us a clue about how crummy came to mean what it means.
TWTS: "Primer" is pronounced "primer," unless you prefer "primer"
When we’re talking about a small book for teaching children to read, or really any short book that introduces a topic, there are two competing pronunc...
TWTS: Won't someone think of the kiddos?
The word "kid" is already informal, and now we have the word "kiddo" living alongside it.
TWTS: The media is the message, or are they?
When it comes to media, here's the message: It’s time for a truce between the singular agreement people and the plural agreement people.
TWTS: Are do gooders as good as good doers?
If you are trying to do good in the world, some would now argue it’s better to be a “good doer” than a “do gooder.”
TWTS: When clarity is needed, badly
It is less ambiguous to say “I badly need to shower” than it is to say “I need to shower badly.”
TWTS: Both may come from a hare, but it's still "hide nor hair"
There’s the hair on our heads and the hares in our yards, and there has been some confusion about which one is part of the expression "harebrained."