1026. This week, we look at the origins of words for men, including the ancient roots of "man," the surprising evolution of the word "guy" from being an insult to just another word, and how "guido" took a different route. Then, for some Halloween fun, we look at the difference between crypts, catacombs, mausoleums, and ossuaries, with an emphasis on their fascinating origins and some famous examples.

The "words for men" segment is by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." A version of this story originally appeared on Psychology Today, and you can find her at valeriefridland.com.

🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.

🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.

🔗 Take our advertising survey.

🔗 Get the edited transcript.

🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference.

| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475).

| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
Director of Podcast: Brannan Goetschius
Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
Marketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina Tomlin
Digital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings
Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

| Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

From Guy Fawkes to Guido Fawkes. Tales from the crypt (and catacombs, mausoleums, and ossuaries). Taquitos 16:34 Share

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Shownotes Transcript

From Guy Fawkes to Guido Fawkes. Tales from the crypt (and catacombs, mausoleums, and ossuaries). Taquitos