It is less ambiguous to say “I badly need to shower” than it is to say “I need to shower badly.”
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4:53
TWTS: Both may come from a hare, but it's still "hide nor hair"
There’s the hair on our heads and the hares in our yards, and there has been some confusion about which one is part of the expression "harebrained."
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5:17
TWTS: Presumptions and assumptions about "presume" and "assume"
We can presume things, which may or may not be presumptuous. We can also assume things, which then raises the question of whether things can be "assumptuous."
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5:19
TWTS: Taking a whack at "whack"
For those of us of a certain age, if we whack a tennis ball or a softball too hard or at the wrong angle, we could throw our back out of whack.
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4:57
TWTS: How "heist" was lifted for a life of crime
We sometimes talk about stealing or robbery in terms of "lifting" things, and this is relevant to "heists" as well.
That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. Each week University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan will discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Public All Things Considered host Rebecca Kruth.
Colombia