Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.
Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

'Mini' and 'factoid' don't mean what you think, with Jess Zafarris

Mar 12, 2026 · 13m

<p>1167. In this bonus segment that originally ran for Grammarpaloozians last October, we look at the surprising true origins of words that often fool people. We explore why "miniature" originally referred to a red color and not a size; the true, non-factual meaning of "factoid"; and how "hello" only became a common greeting because of the telephone. We also examine the indirect eponym behind the word "gasoline."</p><p>Find Jess Zafarris online: <a href="https://uselessetymology.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Useless Etymology</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jesszafarris?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener …

This episode has not been transcribed yet

Use STT.ai to transcribe this episode with AI.Obtenez un texte précis avec la détection de locuteur, des timestamps, et l'exportation dans plusieurs formats.

Detekto di speaker Time stamps na level ya mawu Export as SRT, TXT, JSON

More Episodes