Joan from Dallas, Texas, wants to know why some people are judgmental about people who speak with a glottal stop in such words as cattle, bottle, or even glottalitself. She noted a commenter on TikTok criticizing a Scottish woman for pronouncing...
When you have a habit of using a particular bit of poor grammar, rote exercises like writing out a script to practice may help you get past it. Practicing the correct usage by singing to yourself may work, too. This is part of a complete episode.
A lagniappe is a little something extra that a merchant might toss in for a customer, like a complimentary ball-point pen. What’s the origin of that word? This is part of a complete episode.
“William Trembletoes, he’s a good fisherman. Catches hens, puts ’em in the pen…” If you recited this rhyme growing up, you’re probably tapping your foot along with its singsong cadences right now. The rhyme accompanied...
twiller n.— «Recently, a handful of creators (present company included) have scrapped pen and paper for mobile phone and keypad, and started texting their novels—in real time, just a few characters at a time. Our medium is Twitter, a...
personal Everest n.— «We awoke at dawn resembling damp tramps but feeling as if we had climbed a personal Everest of endurance…well maybe a Pen y Fan. Gordon Brown has his opinions on what defines courage. In my book, it’s spending...