The 2 Best Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing Podcast Episodes
1) 776 - Why a Detective Searched for 'Clews' in a 1929 Novel. ‘Systemic’ or ‘Systematic’?
Our writer was surprised when he came across "clew" instead of "clue" in a detective novel from 1929, and the explanation includes a great story about the origin of the word "clue." Also, people have ...Show More
2) 610 - Top 10 Grammar Myths. How 13 Dog Breeds Got Their Names.
Celebrate National Grammar Day (March 4) by forsaking these common language myths. Also, enter our limerick contest and we might read your limerick in the next Grammar Girl podcast. (Details: http://b...Show More
3) Building the Online Etymology Dictionary, with Doug Harper
1151. This week, we look at the deep history of words with Doug Harper, creator of Etymonline. We look at the "gravitational" link between digging a grave and having a grave problem, the surprising 18...Show More
4) Using ‘impact’ as a verb. ‘Sympathy’ versus ‘empathy.’ Big help, Irving.
1150. This week, we look at "impact" as a verb and why it's a pet peeve for so many editors and readers. Then, we look at the linguistic shift between sympathy and empathy, exploring how "sympathy" be...Show More
5) Rare books, burned letters, and Johnson’s dictionary, with John Overholt
1149. This week, we look at the life and legacy of Samuel Johnson, the man behind the 1755 Dictionary of the English Language. We talk with John Overholt, curator at Harvard’s Houghton Library, about ...Show More
6) Penny idioms that are still legal tender. The linguistic history of procrastination. Tanner tour.
1148. This week, we look at penny idioms that are still "legal tender" in our language even as the U.S. penny is retired. We look at the history of phrases like "a bad penny" and "penny wise and pound...Show More
7) The Goth letters: why the alphabet goes off the rails after T, with Danny Bate
1147. In this bonus segment that originally ran in October, we look at the fascinating history of the "new letters" of the alphabet — V, W, X, Y, and Z. Danny Bate explains why T was the original end ...Show More
8) War of the dots. Why we say 'pitch black.' Pitch hot.
1146. This week, we look at the history of Braille, from the tragic accident that inspired Louis Braille's six-dot system to the "War of the Dots"—a decades-long conflict over competing reading standa...Show More
9) How a long-lost yearbook revealed the origin of 'hella,' with Ben Zimmer
1145. In this bonus segment from October, I talk with Ben Zimmer about "hella" and how even yearbook messages can be digitized to help preserve the language record. Ben shares the full story of this s...Show More
10) The origin of X in algebra. Why we say ‘how come’ for ‘why.’ Water handles.
1144. This week, we look at the origin of the letter X as the variable for the unknown in algebra. Then, we look at the phrase "how come," explaining why it's more informal than "why" and how its gram...Show More
The origin of X in algebra. Why we say ‘how come’ for ‘why.’ Water handles.
17:37 | Dec 23rd, 2025
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