This week we discuss medical terms, including accessible care vs. guaranteed care; fractures, sprains, and strains; Alzheimer’s vs. dementia, and more.
This week we continue our discussion of terms related to governance and politics. We explore crusades, demagogues, stump speeches, gerrymandering, and barn burners.
This week we rebroadcast our Christmas episode from 2015.
In the spirit of the Christmas season, Paul Brians calls on his background as a scholar of the Bible and discusses some of the important language in the story of Christmas. Do you know the religious tradition of the Magi? The difference between miracle and magic? Listen to find out.
When a would-be suicide bomber attempted a terrorist attack in New York City earlier this month, he said he chose his target because there were Christmas-themed posters nearby. This week on the podcast we talk about the more theoretical war on Christmas, and we discuss holiday greetings.
This week we take up our discussion of terms related to governance and politics. We explore the origin of the word “veto,” talk about filibustering and reconciliation, and more.
This week we take a break from our extended discussion of political terms while Tom thanks Paul for creating the Common Errors in English Usage site and book, and Paul thanks Tom for contributing cartoons to the book. We also promote the best way to buy the book on sale through the end of the year. Entries we talk about include “auger/augur,” “all goes well/augurs well,” “hark/harken,” “one in the same/one and the same,” “the exception proves the rule,” “begs the question,” “hone in/home in,” and several others.