podcasts

After an extended discussion about plurals, Kathy and Ross give Fletcher a wide-ranging quiz on grammar, pronunciation, etymology, and whatever else they decide to throw at him.

We return to our series looking at the hardest words ever found on the SAT by exploring the letter "G."

This week on Marginalia, Beth Golay speaks with Nicholas Thompson about his new book, The Running Ground, and Suzanne Perez reviews Wreck by Catherine Newman.

We mark Día de los Muertos with some words about the dead, some of which have been brought back to life, and some that should have remained dead.

On the latest Marginalia, author Gish Jen describes how she blended fiction with nonfiction in her story of her mother’s life.

We celebrate the season by taking a look at the origins of some Halloween-related words, and we introduce two of the most horrifying words we've ever had on the show. Boo!

Megha Majumdar on 'A Guardian and A Thief'

We return to one of our favorite topics: the surprising and strange origins of everyday words.

Beth Golay speaks with three-term United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo about her new collection of essays, "Girl Warrior: On Coming of Age."

After we talk a bit about some British/American English pronunciation differences, we'll take a look at a few words that listeners think are simply too fancy to be used as often as they are.