That's What They Say
Sunday at 9:35 AM
That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Radio that explores our changing language. Each week University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan will discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Radio Weekend Edition host Rebecca Kruth.
Latest Episodes
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While "passing the mustard" is about handing over the Dijon or spicy brown, "cutting the mustard" is the phrase that means to meet expectations, similar to "passing muster." -
Standard dictionaries have yet to catch up with us as we differentiate "fantastic" and "fantastical."
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A hyphen can mean the difference between resigning from a job or re-signing a contract to keep that job. But style guides don't always agree on which words should get one.
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Do we really need both "infeasible" and "unfeasible?" It's feasible to argue that we don't.
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If you have one staff, as in a stick, and then you add another staff, you now run into the question of whether you have two staffs or two staves.At least,…
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The words "previous" and "prior" are synonyms and don’t get much attention from language commentators.That is, they don’t get much attention unless “to”…
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We do things more often "to no avail" than "of no avail."These constructions have been on our minds since a listener asked about the relationship between…
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If you shine your shoes today, tomorrow you’ll be able to say you shined your shoes.That’s pretty straightforward, but things get tricky when you…
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Even for speakers who feel solid about the distinction between "lie" and "lay," they may lose that distinction when "low" is added to the mix.Recently,…
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The 1967 song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" was one of Frankie Valli's biggest hits.It's been covered by dozens of artists, including rapper Lauryn Hill.…
