Barry Becher, co-creator of the Ginsu knife and the master of the hard sell TV pitch died recently. In memory, we are re-airing an exploration of the world of television pitchmen by erstwhile OTM producer Mike Vuolo.

Weird Al Yankovic - Mr. Popeil

On this week's show you'll hear an excerpt of Lexicon Valley. I hope it speaks to your inner word nerd. There is nobody on earth, I assure you, more word-nerdier than Mike Vuolo, who is the brains behind this operation.

Wow, such smart and informed comments on our language segment (and a few quibbles, which, let's be honest, are totally fair when discussing such matters). Speaking of quibblers, one of the most vocal 19^th-century detractors of the then-encroaching progressive passive was a man named Richard Grant White, a Shakespeare scholar who wrote a book called, “Words and Their Uses, Past and Present.” In it, he declared that such constructions as is being done or was being built “affront the eye, torment the ear, and assault the common sense of the speaker of plain and idiomatic English.” Ouch. Here’s another good example of the esteemed passival from T.B. Macaulay’s “The History of England from the Accession of James II”:

It was much noticed that, while the foulest judicial murder which had disgraced even those times was perpetrating, a tempest burst forth, such as had not been known since that great hurricane which had raged round the death-bed of Oliver.

On another note, thanks to all who have expressed an interest in more installments of Lexicon Valley, which I'd describe as a kind of summer experiment – a fling that, with enough encouragement, could blossom into a full romance. I love talking about language and to Bob and so I thought, heck, I should talk to Bob about language. We may air one or two more short episodes on OTM and then explore ways to continue it as a podcast. Feel free to leave your suggestions here in the comments. As for now, a late lunch is preparing.