- 20 minutes 44 seconds'Rizz,' 'lost in the sauce,' and Dictionary.com's newest words, with Steve Johnson
1225. This week, we talk to lexicographer Steve Johnson from Dictionary.com. We look at how slang like "no cap" and "throw hands" works its way up from a separate slang dictionary, why one lexicographer fought against adding "rizz," and where "lost in the sauce" comes from. Then we look at what "overprompting" says about how we talk to AI, why food words like "quesabirria" and "elote" can take years to reach the dictionary, and how the team is starting to size up contenders for word of the year.
Find Steve on LinkedIn.
A hearty thank you to the Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 October 2026, 9:00 am - 13 minutes 15 secondsWhy are ships called 'she'?
1224. This week, we look at why English speakers call ships "she," even when the ship is named Henry. Then we have a follow-up on "maxxing" from two listeners, including its roots in 1990s gaming and a cameo in the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" theme song.
The ships segment was written by Karen Lunde. Find her on igofirst.org.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
29 September 2026, 9:00 am - 34 minutes 37 secondsWhat's in a word? Mapping America's regional vocabulary and the Linguistic Atlas Project, with Allison Burkette
1223. This week, Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and sits down with linguist Allison Burkette of the Linguistic Atlas Project at the University of Kentucky. They look at what "lightwood" and "chifforobe" reveal about landscape and colonial contact, how "kindling" gave us "Kindle" and "Tinder," and the 380-plus recorded terms for cornbread. Then they look at why words rarely truly "die," even when the practices behind them fade.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Marlen Ruiz
- Kate Wade
🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Creative Partnerships & Business Development: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 September 2026, 9:00 am - 9 minutes 45 secondsHow often do you use 'the'? Meet Zipf's law
1222. This week, we look at Zipf's law, a pattern that shapes how often you use your most common words, and why SETI researchers think it could help identify alien communication.
Save the date for Grammarpalooza — The Game Show: Thursday, September 24 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
- Marlen Ruiz
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 September 2026, 9:00 am - 17 minutes 24 secondsMin-maxxing, looksmaxxing, and Nixon-maxxing, with Roger Kreuz
1221. This week, we talk to Roger Kreuz, associate dean at the University of Memphis, about the "maxxing" craze. We look at how it started with min-maxxing in 1990s gaming culture, how looksmaxxing spread from the manosphere, and why it isn't quite a suffix. Then we look at what that second X is doing, why "Nixon-maxxing" might be peak maxxing, and why a brand picking up your slang usually kills it.
Find Daniel and Chris on LinkedIn, and more about their projects at Perfectit.com.
Save the date for Grammarpalooza — The Game Show: Thursday, September 24 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Marlen Ruiz
🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Creative Partnerships & Business Development: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
17 September 2026, 9:00 am - 12 minutes 37 secondsWhy do pirates say 'Arr'? Is it 'none is' or 'none are'?
1220. This week, in honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, we look at the history of eight pirate words, and then we look at whether the right pairing is "none is" or "none are."
Save the date for Grammarpalooza — The Game Show: Thursday, September 24 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Marlen Ruiz
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
15 September 2026, 9:00 am - 24 minutes 49 secondsStray Russian words and made-up style rules, with Daniel Heuman and Chris Ryder
1219. This week, we talk to Daniel Heuman and Chris Ryder from Intelligent Editing about the errors hiding in AI writing that looks flawless. We look at why it invents its own rules when you ask for Chicago or AP style, why it goes wrong in the middle of a document rather than at the ends, and why an AI that over-edits is harder to clean up than one that under-edits.
Find Daniel and Chris on LinkedIn, and more about their projects at Perfectit.com.
Save the date for Grammarpalooza — The Game Show: Thursday, September 24 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Marlen Ruiz
🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Creative Partnerships & Business Development: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 September 2026, 9:00 am - 11 minutes 15 secondsWho's a good boy? The science behind 'dog voice.' Is it 'bated breath' or 'baited breath'?
1218. This week, we look at "dog-directed speech" — the high-pitched, sing-songy register people love to use with dogs — and what the research says about whether dogs actually like it. Then we look at why it's "bated breath" and not "baited breath," and how Shakespeare used the phrase in "The Merchant of Venice." Plus, we have a familect about "spicy water."
The dog segment was by Karen Lunde, a career writer and editor. She writes I'll Go First, a newsletter where she shares her story, and then hands you a writing prompt and a metaphorical pen. Find her at igofirst.org.
Save the date for Grammarpalooza — The Game Show: Thursday, September 24 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Marlen Ruiz
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 September 2026, 9:00 am - 27 minutes 40 secondsHow we got from no spaces between words to the interrobang, with Florence Hazrat
1217. This week, we talk to Florence Hazrat, author of "On the Mark," about how punctuation evolved over 2,000 years. We look at why ancient Greek and Roman writing had no spaces between words, how a librarian in Alexandria introduced the first marks to help readers, and why the Renaissance brought a burst of new punctuation that then mostly stopped. Then we look at why a period can make a short text message feel aggressive, whether emoji count as punctuation, and how failed inventions like the interrobang tried to join the ranks.
Find Florence Hazrat on Instagram or her website.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Creative Partnerships & Business Development: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
3 September 2026, 9:00 am - 9 minutes 51 secondsWhy do so many last names sound like jobs?
1216. In honor of Labor Day, we look at occupational surnames — why Baker, Cooper, and Fletcher sound like jobs, and why Wainwright, Chandler, and Fuller were jobs too, even though they don't sound like it anymore. We also look at how names like Webster and Baxter preserve an Old English suffix for women's work.
The jobs segment was by Karen Lunde, a career writer and editor. She writes I'll Go First, a newsletter where she shares her story, and then hands you a writing prompt and a metaphorical pen. Find her at igofirst.org.
Save the date for Grammarpalooza — The Game Show: Thursday, September 24 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Creative Partnerships & Business Development: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 September 2026, 9:00 am - 20 minutes 52 secondsExplosions, chemistry, and dictionary 'spite,' with Kory Stamper
1215. This week, we talk to Kory Stamper about why color science is surprisingly dangerous. We look at the literal chemical explosions at DuPont dye labs and the bitter rivalry between Webster’s Third and the American Heritage Dictionary. Then, we look at Kory's top three book recommendations for fellow color nerds. This bonus discussion originally aired for Grammarpaloozians in April. To hear them right away, join at Patreon.com/GrammarGirl.
Find Kory Stamper at KoryStamper.com or on Bluesky.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Creative Partnerships & Business Development: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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