Advertise on podcast: That's What They Say

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★★★★★

4.9

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151 reviews

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Funner, snuck, and LOL are all things that we're hearing people say these days.That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan studies linguistics and the history of the English language. Each week she'll discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Public All Things Considered host Rebecca Hector.That's What They Say airs Fridays at 4:45 p.m. and Sundays at 9:35 a.m. on Michigan Public and you can podcast it here.Do you have an English or grammar question? Ask us here!

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TWTS: A healthy dose of healthy language

2026/10/23

We can be healthy and eating an apple seems clearly healthy, and then there’s the healthy dose of salt, which may not be healthy at all.

TWTS: When "f" and "v" were sort of one

2026/10/16

If you know how the sound ‘f’ worked in Old English, it suddenly isn’t mysterious why the noun "leaf" with an "f" turns into "leaves" with a "v" when you make it plural

TWTS: Why no one is "gonna Pittsburgh"

2026/10/09

If I say I’m gonna do it, I don’t necessarily mean I’m headed out the door right now to do it.

TWTS: Dictionaries get glow-ups too

2026/10/02

The New York Times announced that the Merriam-Webster Dictionary “is wordsmaxxing” and NBC News described it as a “glow-up” of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

TWTS: The same, just more exact

2026/09/25

Concerns about redundancy are back this week. It's the exact same thing we’ve talked about before, but this time about the expression "exact same."

TWTS: Fore! It's a lightning round

2026/09/20

This may be one of the only times that throw pillows, golf, and curling all get wrapped into the same discussion.

TWTS: "Proactive" gets a reaction in advance

2026/09/11

While people may agree that being proactive is a positive trait, the word proactive can elicit some very negative reactions, so to speak.

TWTS: Cat chasing pixies? There's a word for that

2026/09/04

Is your cat running around in circles? Be advised, that kitty might be pixilated.

TWTS: Old English, new boundaries

2026/08/28

When we talk about Middle English, it suggests that we know when English began and when it ends.

TWTS: The cards language deals

2026/08/27

There are lots of cards we can still play now, but we’ve lost some good ones too.

TWTS: "Hunky dory" is doing just fine

2026/08/14

If "hunky dory" means the same thing as "right as rain," then we face the question of how right rain is.

TWTS: "Highfalutin" is too good for one spelling

2026/08/07

While we may know highfalutin language when we hear it, we don't all agree about how to spell "highfalutin" or where it comes from.

TWTS: Be careful what you hear around the scuttlebutt

2026/07/31

We exchange scuttlebutt at the proverbial water cooler, and there's an etymological clue in that.

TWTS: Time to talk about your watch

2026/07/24

The little clock we wear on our wrist could be called a clock. Instead, it has long had its own term, being called a watch instead.

TWTS: Careful how you're using that 👍

2026/07/17

Sometimes new slang jumps out in front of you, waving its hands, or thumbs, so that you can’t help but notice it. Sometimes it just sneaks up on you.

Podcast reviews

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4.9 out of 5

151 reviews

★★★★★

Ochan A Don 2026/07/17

A slangy way to say!

Exclamation it it.

★★★★★

dewell! 2025/11/02

Exact same

Love the show! I often find myself saying, “yes!” to a question someone asks that I could have asked!My puzzlement is about why people say “exact same...

★★★★★

Nan Lee Bee 2025/06/11

Kiddo- makes me cringe

You used the word in your piece- “ Kiddo” strikes me as condescending; I truly wish it would go away! I’m a retired first grade teacher, and I’ve wit...

★★★★★

EconoPNW 2023/02/21

It’s Oscar Season!

Why do all the Hollywood celebrities use the torturous phrase “I’m appreciative of” instead of “I appreciate” when thanking all the little people duri...

★★★★★

SarahDC1 2022/07/31

“I resonate with this.”

I love this. Please do the word “resonate.” Why the surge in popularity lately and rampant misusage?

★★★★★

JJS359 2021/03/05

Thanks!

I absorb books about English usage, so I have looked forward to and enjoyed Sunday mornings. However occasionally I do miss some broadcasts, so THAN...

★★★★★

Tosca702 2018/11/27

a modest excellence

Always a worthwhile way to spend 5 minutes a week.

★★★★★

CMKFish 2018/11/20

Short & Fun language notes!

Fun for English language learners and also English language users!!

★★★★★

Kona Whirled 2018/04/28

Have you ever wondered...

Have you ever wondered about the broad pallet of words that we have in the English language, and how they came to be? Have you ever wondered how spell...

★★★★★

Sociology wonk 2017/09/09

Glossing over

Nice to pay attention to things that are said, rules and their reasons and why it's okay to accept currant usage. Thank you for the research you do to...

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