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Gardyloo! The lovable, hateable, fascinating English language

caption: Closeup of a dictionary page.
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Closeup of a dictionary page.
Flickr Photo/Marcy Leigh (CC BY 2.0)/flic.kr/p/Q34Sfh

"Moist."

Did you get a little grossed out reading that? If so, you're not alone. Moist is one of the most hated words in the American English language. But why do we have such strong feelings about an ostensibly neutral word?

Bill Radke talks with lexicographer Kory Stamper about how the words we use signal who we are — and that includes establishing firm boundaries about who we aren't. (If you have strong negative feelings about the word "irregardless," this is for you.)

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