935. Ever been puzzled by the difference between "slow down" and "slow up"? Curious about how they can possibly mean the same thing (or do they)? We answer a burning listener question about why prepositions can be so darn tricky in English. Join us also as we delve into the fascinating world of minced oaths, examining intriguing words like "zounds" and "gadzooks."

| Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/slow-up-slow-down/transcript

The "slow down" segment was written by Susan Herman, a former U.S. government multidisciplined language analyst, analytic editor, and instructor.

The "minced oath" segment was by Kirk Hazen, a professor of linguistics at West Virginia University. It was originally published on The Conversation and appears here under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

| Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.

| Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

| Peeve Wars card game.

| Grammar Girl books.

| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) or https://sayhi.chat/grammargirl

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

Audio engineer: Nathan Semes
Editor: Adam Cecil
Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
Marketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina Tomlin
Digital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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

Phrasal verb mysteries and minced oath origins. Night water. 17:00 Share

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Shownotes Transcript

Phrasal verb mysteries and minced oath origins. Night water.