
Fossil words, eponyms, and a miscellany of weird facts, with Jess Zafarris and Shannon Miller
From Grammar Girl by QuickAndDirtyTips.com
June 25, 2026 · 38 min · Episode 1197
About this episode
Valerie Fridland discusses fossil words, eponyms, and various intriguing language facts with Jess Zafarris and Shannon Miller.
1197. This week, guest host Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and talks to Jess Zafarris and Shannon Miller about their new book, "A Miscellany of Weird and Wonderful Facts for Curious Humans." They look at fossil words, eponyms, and the surprising origin of the word "electric." They also look at mountweazels, the medieval roots of modern romance, and why emoji has nothing to do with emotion. Get the book, " A Miscellany of Weird and Wonderful Facts for Curious Humans ." Find Jess Zafarris online: Useless Etymology , TikTok , Twitter , Instagram Find Shannon Miller online: Threads , LinkedIn Find Valerie Fridland online: Website , LinkedIn 🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon. 🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) 🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses . 🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter . 🔗 Take our advertising survey . 🔗 Get the edited transcript here . 🔗 Get Grammar Girl books . | HOST: Mignon Fogarty | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network . Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend…
People in this episode
Host: Mignon Fogarty
Guests: Valerie Fridland, Jess Zafarris, Shannon Miller
Topics covered
- fossil words
- eponyms
- weird facts
- language origins
- emoji
Keywords
- fossil words
- eponyms
- electric origin
- mountweazels
- emoji
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: QuickAndDirtyTips.com
Books & works: A Miscellany of Weird and Wonderful Facts for Curious Humans
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