The word "like" has been around for centuries, but it reached a new cultural prominence in the 1980s, partially thanks to Frank Zappa's song "Valley Girl." Since then, "like" has taken on a life of its own, inspiring strong emotions. This hour, we look at the meaning and evolution of "like." Plus, how movies like the now 30-year-old Clueless have impacted our language.

GUESTS:
Megan C. Reynolds: An editor at Dwell and author of Like: A History of the English Language’s Most Hated (and Misunderstood) Word
Kory Stamper: Lexicographer and author of Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries
Veronica Litt: English Professor and author of Ugh! As If!: Clueless

The word "like" has been around for centuries, but it reached a new cultural prominence in the 1980s, partially thanks to Frank Zappa's song "Valley Girl." Since then, "like" has taken on a life of its own, inspiring strong emotions. This hour, we look at the meaning and evolution of "like." Plus, how movies like the now 30-year-old&nbsp;Clueless&nbsp;have impacted our language.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Megan C. Reynolds:&nbsp;An editor at&nbsp;Dwell&nbsp;and author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/like-megan-c-reynolds?variant=43182606647330">Like: A History of the English Language&rsquo;s Most Hated (and Misunderstood) Word</a></li>
<li>Kory Stamper:&nbsp;Lexicographer and author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/530504/word-by-word-by-kory-stamper/">Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries</a></li>
<li>Veronica Litt:&nbsp;English Professor and author of&nbsp;<a href="https://ecwpress.com/products/ugh-as-if">Ugh! As If!: Clueless</a></li>
</ul>

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

The Colin McEnroe Show

Why does "like" bother us so much?

What does it mean to have 'good taste'? And what would it take to develop it? This hour, we talk about taste and discernment. Plus, a look at flavor and why some things taste good.

GUESTS: 


Henry Oliver: Writes the literary Substack “The Common Reader,” and is the author of Second Act: What Late Bloomers Can Tell You About Reinventing Your Life. He is part of the Emerging Scholars Programme at the Mercatus Centre


Becca Rothfeld: Staff Writer at The New Yorker, an editor at The Point, and a contributing editor at The Boston Review. She is the author of All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess


Nik Sharma: A molecular biologist turned two-time James Beard finalist, best-selling cookbook author, photographer, columnist, and editor at America’s Test Kitchen. His cookbooks include The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained in More Than 100 Essential Recipes, among others

Join the conversation on Facebook.

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Colin McEnroe, Dylan Reyes, Isaac Moss, Coco Cooley, and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show, which originally aired on August 6, 2025.

What does it mean to have 'good taste'? And what would it take to develop it? This hour, we talk about taste and discernment. Plus, a look at flavor and why some things taste good.
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Henry Oliver: Writes the literary Substack &ldquo;<a href="https://www.commonreader.co.uk/">The Common Reader</a>,&rdquo; and is the author of <a href="https://www.henry-oliver.co.uk/">Second Act: What Late Bloomers Can Tell You About Reinventing Your Life</a>. He is part of the Emerging Scholars Programme at the Mercatus Centre
</li>
<li>
Becca Rothfeld: Staff Writer at The New Yorker, an editor at The Point, and a contributing editor at The Boston Review. She is the author of <a href="https://www.beccarothfeld.com/book.html">All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess</a>
</li>
<li>
Nik Sharma: A molecular biologist turned two-time James Beard finalist, best-selling cookbook author, photographer, columnist, and editor at America&rsquo;s Test Kitchen. His cookbooks include <a href="https://niksharmacooks.com/the-flavor-equation/">The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained in More Than 100 Essential Recipes</a>, among others
</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>.
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
Colin McEnroe, Dylan Reyes, Isaac Moss, Coco Cooley, and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show, which originally aired on August 6, 2025.

The intangibility of ‘good taste,' from literature to food

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing.

This hour, the conversation winds around to vertical hold, campus protests, the Catholic church, Bob’s Burgers, Luke Bronin, the fears of men … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.

 

We&rsquo;ve been doing these shows where we don&rsquo;t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing.
This hour, the conversation winds around to vertical hold, campus protests, the Catholic church,&nbsp;Bob&rsquo;s Burgers, Luke Bronin, the fears of men &hellip; Anything. (Seemingly) everything.
These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.
&nbsp;

All calls: deChardin will take you on a hot air balloon ride you weren’t expecting to go on

Michael M. Grynbaum's book Empire of the Elite: Inside Condé Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America, traces the rise of Condé Nast's magazines. This hour Grynbaum joins us to explain how Condé Nast magazines and their editors achieved their status as cultural tastemakers, and where these magazines, and that industry, stand today. Plus, we hear from an editor at The Week about how that magazine is approaching this moment.

GUESTS: 


Michael M. Grynbaum: A media correspondent for The New York Timesand author of the new book Empire of the Elite: Inside Condé Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America


Mark Gimein: Former managing Editor at the print edition of The Week

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook.

Colin McEnroe, Dylan Reyes, and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show, which originally aired on August 15, 2025.

Michael M. Grynbaum's book Empire of the Elite: Inside Cond&eacute; Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America, traces the rise of Cond&eacute; Nast's magazines. This hour Grynbaum joins us to explain how Cond&eacute; Nast magazines and their editors achieved their status as cultural tastemakers, and where these magazines, and that industry, stand today. Plus, we hear from an editor at The Week about how that magazine is approaching this moment.
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Michael M. Grynbaum: A media correspondent for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/michael-m-grynbaum">The New York Times</a> and author of the new book <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Empire-of-the-Elite/Michael-M-Grynbaum/9781668003916">Empire of the Elite: Inside Cond&eacute; Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America</a>
</li>
<li>
Mark Gimein: Former managing Editor at the print edition of <a href="https://theweek.com/">The Week</a> 
</li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to&nbsp;The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by&nbsp;The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>.
Colin McEnroe, Dylan Reyes, and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show, which originally aired on August 15, 2025.

Why does "like" bother us so much?

In 1 playlist(s)

The Colin McEnroe Show

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips