Play along with our new game and guess the correct chronological order of the following phrases: perfect crime, perfect fit, perfect storm and perfect stranger. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 298: "The Dating Game, Perfect Edition." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
May 12, 2026•26 min•Ep. 298
"Perfect!" is everywhere. On the evolution and ubiquity of a flawless word. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 297: "A Perfect Episode." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 06, 2026•25 min•Ep. 297
Listener Steven wrote: "I’ve been hornswoggled! So, what exactly has happened to me and when did people start getting hornswoggled? Is it painful?" We have answers. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 296: "I've Been Hornswoggled!" With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Apr 21, 2026•21 min•Ep. 296
Is there anything particularly loose about a goose — or does that idiom exist only because it rhymes? Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo investigate. Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios Production. Episode 295: "Loose as a Goose." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 07, 2026•27 min•Ep. 295
John McWhorter on language change — from the meaning of wit to the pronunciation of automobile. Plus, a defense of redundancy! Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 294: "The Sound of a Car Backshifting." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 24, 2026•32 min•Ep. 294
Getting new words into the dictionary is a rigorous, time consuming process — with no guarantee of success. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 293: "How Do Words Get into the Dictionary?" With Stefan Fatsis and Bob Garfield. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 10, 2026•26 min•Ep. 293
"Unabridged" author Stefan Fatsis on the fastidious practice of lexicography and the heiress who amassed the largest collection of dictionaries in history. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 292: "Look It Up! The Story of the Dictionary." With Stefan Fatsis and Bob Garfield. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 03, 2026•30 min•Ep. 292
Like 'analog watch' and 'snail mail,' 'openly racist' is a retronym — John McWhorter and Mike Vuolo explain. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 291: "Open Season for Racists." With John McWhorter and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Feb 24, 2026•24 min•Ep. 291
What does St. John the Apostle have in common with Bernie Bernbaum, the sniveling grifter from Miller's Crossing? Angling! Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 290: "Playing the Angles." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Feb 10, 2026•25 min•Ep. 290
During an appearance on The Gist with Mike Pesca, we discussed the curious backstory of, you guessed it, the word "gist." Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 289: "You Get the Gist." With Bob Garfield, Mike Pesca, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. Special thanks to Michelle Hunter Pesca. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Feb 03, 2026•13 min•Ep. 289
A prolific writer on men's fashion, Guy discusses the vocabulary of outerwear and why dress is a form of social language. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 288: "Derek Guy on the Language of Clothing." With Derek Guy and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jan 20, 2026•20 min•Ep. 288
The world was shocked by a controversial article published by "John McWhorter." Here, he sets the record straight. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 287: "McWhorter vs. McWhorter." With John McWhorter. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jan 06, 2026•30 min•Ep. 287
Raise a glass to browned bread ... now you're toast! Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 286: "A Toast to Toast." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 30, 2025•30 min•Ep. 286
Oxford English Dictionary editor Fiona McPherson talks to Mike Vuolo about the terms that caught her attention in 2025. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 285: "All the Rage Bait." With Fiona McPherson and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 23, 2025•17 min•Ep. 285
Author John Koenig talks about inventing words for those subtle emotions that hitherto had no name. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 284: "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows." With Bob Garfield, John Koenig, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 09, 2025•27 min•Ep. 284
Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield join Mike Pesca of The Gist to talk about the long, strange journey of 6 7, from rapper Skrilla to the basketball court, from the classroom to the Word of the Year. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 283: "6 7: Everything You Don't Know About the Word of the Year." With Bob Garfield, Mike Pesca, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. Special thanks to Michelle Hunter Pesca. All rights reserved. Learn more abou...
Dec 02, 2025•18 min•Ep. 283
Gobbledygook sounds like one of those words that somebody just made up — so is it? Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 282: "Gobbledygook Explained." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 18, 2025•24 min•Ep. 282
Our parents were cringe-inducing but we're just cringe. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 281: "Gen Alpha Thinks You're Cringe." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 28, 2025•24 min•Ep. 281
Good is no longer good enough. Everyone is awesome, superlative or just great. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 280: "The Amazing Great." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 07, 2025•20 min•Ep. 280
Returning as the primary hosts of Lexicon Valley, Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield speak to John McWhorter about understatement and hyperbole in Black English. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 279: "It's Been a Minute." With Bob Garfield, John McWhorter, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sep 15, 2025•24 min•Ep. 279
Richard Tofel, author of Sound the Trumpet: The Making of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address , reveals the startling authorship behind JFK’s most famous words. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 34: "Ask Not?" With Bob Garfield, Richard Tofel, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sep 04, 2025•31 min•Ep. 34
What did English sound like during the Revolutionary War? John has a number of fascinating observations about the way the language was spoken back then — including the accents! Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 278: "The American Accent Came First." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jul 09, 2025•33 min•Ep. 278
'Over' isn’t just the opposite of 'under' and 'off' is not necessarily the opposite of 'on.' Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 277: "Oversleeping at the Sleepover." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 20, 2025•28 min•Ep. 277
John talks about the subject of his new book from Avery Publishing — Pronoun Trouble : The Story of Us in Seven Little Words. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 276: "The Story of Us." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Apr 22, 2025•24 min•Ep. 276
The Thai words for fire, die and rim sound an awful lot like the English words fire , die and rim . How could that be? Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 275: "Fire, Die, Rim." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 11, 2025•36 min•Ep. 275
Words like thence and thither are all but obsolete in English, but they were actually quite useful!The Thai words for fire, die and rim sound an awful lot like the English words 'fire,' 'die' and 'rim.' How could that be? Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 274: "Hither and Yon." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jan 07, 2025•29 min•Ep. 274
Do you know the difference between a rabbit and a hare? And what then is a bunny? Follow John through the etymological warrens of these furry creatures. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 273: "Down the Rabbit Hole." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Nov 27, 2024•26 min•Ep. 273
It may seem apparent how we got from busyness to business, but the origins of the word “busy” itself are shrouded in mystery. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 272: "Giving You the Business." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Oct 15, 2024•28 min•Ep. 272
As a daily listener to WNYC Public Radio in New York City, John has noticed that a certain announcer frequently mispronounces words on air. He has thoughts. Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 271: "When Is Code-Switching Inappropriate?" With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sep 09, 2024•30 min•Ep. 271
Working backwards from existing languages, linguists have had great success reconstructing Proto-Indo-European. Does that mean we can do the same for all language families? Visit Lexicon Valley . A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 270: "The World's Largest Family." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Aug 01, 2024•22 min•Ep. 270
