Slate Debates
A feed from the Slate podcast network featuring episodes with enlightening conversations, opposing views, and plenty of healthy disputes. You'll get a curated selection of episodes from programs like What Next, The Waves, and the Political Gabfest, with deep discussions that go beyond point-counterpoint and shed light on the issues that matter most.
326
LinguaFile XI | Seersucker
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the origin of the word "seersucker" with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.
32 min
327
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo don't know nuthin' about the double negative.
37 min
328
LinguaFile X | Pumpernickel
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the origin of the word "pumpernickel" with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.
35 min
329
And Infinitum
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss whether "try and" is an acceptable substitute for "try to."
36 min
330
LinguaFile IX | Carnival
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the origin of the word "carnival" with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.
26 min
331
Sex Workers
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the authoress, the usherette, and the editrix with Anne Curzan, the lady professor.
32 min
332
LinguaFile VIII | Quiz
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.
24 min
333
The Many Lives of Anna Karenina
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to journalist and author Masha Gessen about translating Tolstoy.
36 min
334
LinguaFile VII | Cockamamie
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.
31 min
335
Exposure to Vape Culture
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo are joined by Peter Sokolowski of Merriam-Webster, Katherine Martin of Oxford University Press, Jane Solomon of Dictionary.com, and Erin McKean of Wordnik.com to discuss their respective Words of the Year.
48 min
336
LinguaFile VI | Grog
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.
25 min
337
What Does It Mean to Sound Gay?
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to speech scientist Benjamin Munson about the "gay voice."
36 min
338
LinguaFile V | Get One's Goat
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.
33 min
339
Number Theory
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo ask the question: How did we go from "four and twenty" to "twenty four"?
27 min
340
LinguaFile IV | Snark
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.
41 min
341
Man on the Street
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to Jonathon Green, author of The Vulgar Tongue and Green's Dictionary of Slang, a 6,000-page, three-volume reference more than 20 years in the making.
38 min
342
LinguaFile III | Orange
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.
28 min
343
Demonstratively Speaking
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss Sarah Palin's use of demonstrative pronouns.
30 min
344
LinguaFile II | Lagniappe
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a mystery word or phrase with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.
23 min
345
The Manic Pixie and the Magical Negro
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to arts critic Nathan Rabin and journalist Christopher John Farley about the phrases they coined to identify two of Hollywood's most pernicious tropes.
30 min
346
LinguaFile I | Discombobulate
Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield discuss a mystery word or phrase with Vocabulary.com executive producer Ben Zimmer.
18 min
347
Lexicon Valley No. 38: Fisherman's Whorf
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo talk to Columbia University professor John McWhorter about his new book, The Language Hoax.
34 min
348
Lexicon Valley No. 37: Legislating Language
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss four legal cases in which the dictionary played a crucial part.
31 min
349
Lexicon Valley No. 36: The Dude Abides
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the early history of the word "dude."
35 min
350
Lexicon Valley No. 35: Learning to Say No
Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss the many meanings of a child's "no."
25 min