What’s up with ketchup? The shifting history and spelling of the name of this condiment. For centuries, ketchup was a fishy sauce originating in Asia—the tomatoes came only later! Plus, a new book shows what’s lost when a language dies: when there are no speakers of that language left, it’s not just about losing a dictionary—a complete encyclopedia goes with it. Plus, if someone says, “Bring me a couple-three” items, how many exactly should you pick up? Also: TL;DR, Johnny on the spot vs. jolly on the spot, a scintillating spelling game involving the letter S, also-ran book titles, la verdad de la milanesa, Doctor of Humane Letters, how to complain about the heat like Jane Austen, how to pronounce default the noun and default the verb, and brownie points.

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