Booksmart Studios

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Channel • 2 Shows

Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated Weekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated Weekly

3D AGO

The Sound of a Car Backshifting

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

3d ago

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32 min
MAR 10

How Do Words Get into the Dictionary?

⁠⁠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

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26 min
MAR 3

Look It Up! The Story of the Dictionary.

"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 3

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30 min
FEB 24

Open Season for Racists

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

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24 min
JAN 6

McWhorter vs. McWhorter

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 6

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30 min
FEB 10

Playing the Angles

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

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25 min
JAN 20

Derek Guy on the Language of Clothing

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

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20 min
12/30/2025

A Toast to Toast

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

12/30/2025

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30 min
FEB 3

You Get the Gist

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 3

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13 min
12/23/2025

All the Rage Bait

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

12/23/2025

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17 min

A podcast about language, with hosts Mike Vuolo, Bob Garfield and John McWhorter.

4.8 (569)

SOCIETY & CULTURE

Exploring the power of language to inform and misinform. Podcast by Mike Vuolo, Bob Garfield and John McWhorter. If you haven’t yet, please consider a paid subscription to Lexicon Valley. Visit BooksmartStudios.com!

Website

Booksmart Studios

Ad free and exclusive episodes from Lexicon Valley

Top Shows

The Sound of a Car Backshifting

How Do Words Get into the Dictionary?

Look It Up! The Story of the Dictionary.

Open Season for Racists

McWhorter vs. McWhorter

Playing the Angles

Derek Guy on the Language of Clothing

A Toast to Toast

You Get the Gist

All the Rage Bait

Ad free and exclusive episodes from Lexicon Valley

Going Dutch

The Original Maverick

The Fuss Over Nonplussed

From Onism to Perdickety

Why We Don't Say "the" Ukraine

What Is a Blazer?

Sleeping with the Fishes

Laugh Till You Cringe

This Little Piggy

Occupy!

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Booksmart Studios

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