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Lexicon Valley

A podcast about language, with hosts Mike Vuolo, Bob Garfield and John McWhorter.

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28 episodes
weekly
Avg 23 min
English

Episodes 28

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#315
Wednesday · 22 min
Bang for the Buck
The Atomic Era coining of an explosive phrase. Plus, buckaroo and buck-naked.
#314
October 6 · 28 min
The Language of Liars
Science-fiction author S.L. Huang on her love letter to linguistics.
#313
September 29 · 17 min
No More Mr. Nice Guy
That expression seems to have originated from a Hitler joke.
#312
September 22 · 9 min
Nice Guys Finish Last
We can not verify the truth of the assertion that nice guys finish last, but we can tell you who said it (sort of).
#311
September 15 · 6 min
Happily Ever Arter
Jim pronounces "after" as "arter" in Huck Finn. Where did that come from?
#310
September 8 · 18 min
Grand Am
The evidence is mounting: Not only did Black people say "you am" and "we am," but whites did too. And still do!
#309
September 1 · 22 min
Haut Corn!
Was there a "blaccent" 200 years ago in New York?
#308
August 25 · 16 min
A Quick Buck
No, President Truman did not coin the phrase 'The Buck Stops Here.'
#307
August 11 · 20 min
Nice of You to Join Us
What did nice originally mean? It wasn't so nice.
#306
August 4 · 27 min
The Dating Game, Great White Edition
Which came first, the Great White Hope or the Great White Way?
#305
July 28 · 23 min
The Original Maverick
The story of the word maverick has many versions. This one is true.
#47
July 21 · 29 min
Get One's Goat
When did we start getting each other's goats?
#304
July 14 · 26 min
The G.O.A.T.
Kids these days are goated. How did that happen?
#280
July 7 · 18 min
The Amazing Great
The soaring hyperbole of self-evaluation.
#303
June 30 · 19 min
The Ethereal Omelet
On the elusive meaning of ethereal.
#302
June 23 · 24 min
The Most Beautiful Word
What makes a word beautiful? It might have as much to do with its meaning as its sound.
#301
June 9 · 24 min
The Dating Game, Paranormal Edition
Which came first, "paramilitary" or "paranormal"?
#300
June 2 · 26 min
Parasocial Climbing
Are you in a parasocial relationship? Perhaps we all are.
#299
May 19 · 27 min
The Lowdown on Lowkey
Plus, a murder of crows and a parliament of owls? Where did those terms come from?
#298
May 12 · 26 min
The Dating Game, Perfect Edition
Which came first, the "perfect crime" or the "perfect storm"?

Showing 1–20 of 28 episodes