Episodes

  • TWTS: A recurring question can reoccur

    TWTS: A recurring question can reoccur
    Jan 31 2026
    This week’s question has not been a recurring one, by which we mean it has occurred once and not reoccurred.
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: For crotchety cranks who crochet

    TWTS: For crotchety cranks who crochet
    Jan 26 2026
    If it seems unlikely that crotchety people are related, at least etymologically, to those who do crochet, stay tuned.
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: The American Dialect Society's 2025 Word of the Year is...

    TWTS: The American Dialect Society's 2025 Word of the Year is...
    Jan 17 2026
    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.
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: Generics

    TWTS: Generics
    Jan 12 2026
    Sometimes we don’t realize that we’re using a trademarked term differently from those around us.
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: When language gets spicy

    TWTS: When language gets spicy
    Jan 2 2026
    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.
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: Wishes for good fortune and days off

    TWTS: Wishes for good fortune and days off
    Dec 29 2025
    ‘Tis the season to talk about "‘tis" and "‘twas" and, while we’re at it, "hap."
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: Keep your trousers, breeches, and pants on

    TWTS: Keep your trousers, breeches, and pants on
    Dec 21 2025
    If you’re too big for your britches, maybe you’re all mouth and trousers.
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    5 mins
  • TWTS: A brief history of pants

    TWTS: A brief history of pants
    Dec 13 2025
    The word "pants" has oodles of good linguistic stories to tell, and that’s no pile of pants.
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    5 mins