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.

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