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combe.

From Washington, D.C., this is Lexicon Valley, a podcast about language.

I'm Bob Garfield with Mike Volo, and today, episode number 37 titled Legislating Language,

wherein we discuss whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable, and who cares.

Hey, Mikey.

Who indeed?

Hey, Bobby, how you doing?

Splendid, thank you and yourself?

I am wonderful, thank you.

You are wonderful.

I enjoy doing this with you because you are wonderful.

I know.

We love each other, Bob.

Just do you think I'm wonderful, but that's where it ends. No, it's the love that they're not speak its name. So today's episode is about a

series of court cases in which a dictionary played at least some part in deciding the outcome of the case.

So we know it's often settled bar bets, but you're saying this extends to actual jurisprudence.

Yeah. The first case I want to tell you about is from the late 1800s. It involves John Nix and

company, and John Nicks, as far as I can tell, the company was his sons, which were John, George, and Frank.

They had an importing business.

They imported what the New York Times referred to as a large quantity of Bermuda tomatoes from the West Indies.

...