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This is the illusionist, in which I, Helen Zoltzman, peel language a grape. Coming up

in today's show are some of the ways mistakes have crept into the English language and stayed

there, like linguistic penicillin malt or pustinote glue. Content note, there's a bit of swearing

in this episode, very educational swearing. If you're doing dry January but for swearing,

then it's okay to continue playing this. The bit with the swears will be after the main

part of the episode, like with little bonus featurette. So, swear enthusiasts should listen

right to the end. Remember, an illusionist episode is not over until you hear the dictionary

slam shot. That's about 20 more seconds after that. On with the show.

There never has been a golden age when everything was as it should be. Ever. We tend to think

that English is now at its most to dumbed down, always. I think every generation has thought

that. This is Suzy Dent. She's a lexiconographer and writer. And if you've ever watched television

in Britain in the daytime, you may well have seen her on the game show Countdown, sitting

...