Your New Favorite Word

In this episode, Jamis tells us about the origins of the words “Hooch” and “Booze”. Tessa explores different meanings of the word “coin”, and talks about how lexicographers decide which words make it into the dictionary.

• 01:08 — Origins of shm-reduplication in English
• 02:45 — Hooch
• 04:01 — Booze
• 05:29 — Teetotalers
• 06:26 — Dutch pandemic vocabulary
• 08:49 — “Coin” as a wedge
• 10:00 — “Coin-smiter”
• 11:23 — Is it in the dictionary?
• 12:35 — Dictionaries: prescriptive or descriptive?
• 13:10 — How words get into the dictionary
• 14:30 — Slang words from 1916

• Article on Dutch Pandemic Vocabulary
• Merriam-Webster article on how words get into the dictionary
• A humorous and informative infographic about which words make it into the dictionary
• List of words that were “slang” in 1916