That's What They Say
Sunday at 9:35 AM
That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. Each week University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan will discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Public Weekend Edition host Rebecca Kruth.
Latest Episodes
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While talking about sheep as a flock may sound unremarkable, a murder of crows sounds much more playful.
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Gross food is disgusting, but a gross error may not be. And our gross income is something else entirely.
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Very few of us are enamored with, of, or by potholes. If you’re among the aforementioned few, we’d like a word.
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There’s all the variation in pronunciation that we don’t judge, and then there’s the relatively small percentage of variation out there that we do judge.
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We physically lug around luggage and baggage at the airport. Metaphorically though, we’re carrying around baggage.
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A near miss doesn’t hit anything, as opposed to a near miss hitting something but almost or nearly missing it.
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"In the meantime" is a good phrase to use when you're talking about the time between two events. But can you leave out "in the" and just say "meantime?"
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When an English-speaking U.S. or British audience is unhappy, they will often express their unhappiness by yelling “boo” as opposed to, for instance, “moo.”
