That's What They Say - podcast cover

That's What They Say

Anne Curzan, Rebecca Hector•www.michiganpublic.org

Language Learning

Society & Culture

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!

Last refreshed: January 26th, 2026 at 9:43 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

TWTS: For crotchety cranks who crochet

If it seems unlikely that crotchety people are related, at least etymologically, to those who do crochet, stay tuned.

Jan 26, 2026•5 min

TWTS: The American Dialect Society's 2025 Word of the Year is...

Given how much we’re talking about AI right now, it’s no surprise that AI-related words featured prominently in this year’s word of the year vote.

Jan 17, 2026•5 min

TWTS: Generics

Sometimes we don’t realize that we’re using a trademarked term differently from those around us.

Jan 12, 2026•5 min

TWTS: When language gets spicy

We can pepper our food or pepper our speech or, if the mood strikes us, we can be peppy in a pep rally kind of way.

Jan 02, 2026•5 min

TWTS: Wishes for good fortune and days off

‘Tis the season to talk about "‘tis" and "‘twas" and, while we’re at it, "hap."

Dec 29, 2025•5 min

TWTS: Keep your trousers, breeches, and pants on

If you’re too big for your britches, maybe you’re all mouth and trousers.

Dec 21, 2025•5 min

TWTS: A brief history of pants

The word "pants" has oodles of good linguistic stories to tell, and that’s no pile of pants.

Dec 13, 2025•5 min

TWTS: Reeling in the small fry

It's a time of year when many of us are cooking and eating big meals together which may involve fried food and "small fry."

Dec 08, 2025•5 min

TWTS: When downloading gets emotional

Now that we can "download" some "mashups," we should talk about how these words have changed over time.

Nov 29, 2025•5 min

TWTS: Movers and shakers made into shapers

As we merrily roll along, we might be moving and shaking, with maybe some shaping in there too.

Nov 24, 2025•5 min

TWTS: When "lickety split" took off

We will share some fun linguistic facts about lickety-split, lickety-split.

Nov 17, 2025•5 min

TWTS: Here's a tip: "Tip" isn't an acronym

From 17th-century England to modern-day gratuities, the evolution of "tip" is a story of linguistic twists and turns that ultimately lead to a surprising conclusion: it's not what you think it stands for.

Nov 10, 2025•5 min

TWTS: The bloody evolution of bloodletting

Historically, bloodletting and bloodshed have been different things, but the line has blurred. Linguist Anne Curzan breaks down the evolution of words.

Nov 03, 2025•6 min

TWTS: Smack dab in the middle, give or take a little

When you’re smack dab in the middle of something, you can’t be more in the middle of it.

Oct 27, 2025•5 min

TWTS: Getting through the history of "gh" is tougher than we thought

English spelling can be a museum of earlier pronunciations, as we see in words like "night," "through," and "cough."

Oct 19, 2025•5 min

TWTS: You can tuna fish, but you may not need the "fish"

Given that tuna is a fish, it can seem unnecessary to call that out in the compound tuna fish.

Oct 12, 2025•5 min

TWTS: Here's what's up with "up"

When we eat up or fix up or heal up or hurry up, we’re not actually moving in an upward direction.

Oct 06, 2025•5 min

TWTS: "Funnily enough" is more than enough

Funnily enough, two listeners wrote to us this summer about the phrase funnily enough.

Sep 29, 2025•5 min

TWTS: Just ring the dumb bell

Working out with dumbbells may be a fitness craze now, but the fitness craze that started it all sounds even better.

Sep 22, 2025•5 min

TWTS: Some would just as soon say "just assume"

If you’d just as soon not learn about an eggcorn that some language pundits really dislike, then you might want to stop reading now.

Sep 15, 2025•5 min

TWTS: Fit to be furious

We can be angry or infuriated or outraged or furious or livid or incensed, all of which make us fit to be tied.

Sep 08, 2025•5 min

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