Episodes

  • TWTS: Staving off questions about "staffs" and "staves"

    TWTS: Staving off questions about "staffs" and "staves"
    Sep 12 2021
    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, that’s the question that popped into our heads when listener Nadia Luis asked us about the verb “stave off.”

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    5 mins
  • TWTS: Prior to adding "to," no one cares about "previous" and "prior"

    TWTS: Prior to adding "to," no one cares about "previous" and "prior"
    Sep 5 2021
    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” is part of the mix.

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    5 mins
  • TWTS: All available uses of "avail"

    TWTS: All available uses of "avail"
    Aug 29 2021
    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 "to avail one's self" and "to no avail." As it’s our habit to make ourselves available for such inquiries, we decided to take a closer look.

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    5 mins
  • Shining a light on the past tense of "shine"

    Shining a light on the past tense of "shine"
    Aug 15 2021
    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 substitute “light” for “shoes.”

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    5 mins
  • TWTS: When it comes to "lie" and "lay," even English professors get confused

    TWTS: When it comes to "lie" and "lay," even English professors get confused
    Aug 1 2021
    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, one of Professor Anne Curzan's colleagues texted her to say they wouldn't be attending a meeting. They said they were trying to finish an article and would instead be "laying low." That last part jogged Curzan's memory.

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    5 mins
  • TWTS: Can't take our eyes off "off of"

    TWTS: Can't take our eyes off "off of"
    Jul 25 2021
    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. Listeners of a certain age probably remember Heath Ledger's interpretation in the 1999 romantic comedy "10 Things I Hate About You." This song is also one of the first things we thought of when a listener asked us about the construction "off of."

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    6 mins
  • TWTS: Wet your whistle, not your appetite

    TWTS: Wet your whistle, not your appetite
    Jul 18 2021
    When we wet our whistle at a bar, we have a "wh" in whistle but not in "wet." That fact spurred an argument in the comments section of an article we found last week. The author had used the phrase "wet your whistle," but some commenters argued it should've been "whet your whistle.

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    5 mins
  • TWTS: The not-so prominent differences between "eminent" and "preeminent"

    TWTS: The not-so prominent differences between "eminent" and "preeminent"
    Jul 11 2021
    An eminent person can also be a prominent person. That same person can also preeminent in their field. A self-described “confused” listener recently asked us whether there’s a difference between an eminent scientist and a preeminent scientist. And where does "prominent" fit in? As Professor Anne Curzan tells us, the distinctions here are few.

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    5 mins