Podcasts about Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 21, 2026 is: elegiac • el-uh-JYE-ak • adjective Elegiac means “of, relating to, or comprising an elegy," an elegy being a sorrowful poem or song, and especially one that expresses sorrow for someone who is dead. Elegiac often describes a poem, song, piece of writing, etc. that mourns something now past. // The elegiac tone of the singer's first album always leaves me in tears. See the entry > Examples: “[Jacqueline] Harpman was writing in a different era, but the elegiac loneliness of her fiction anticipates our own solitary and screen-bound present. Is there anyone out there? her book seems to ask. How do I find you?” — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 Did you know? As a wise man once sang, “sad songs say so much.” Just how much they say has never been definitively quantified, but it is notable that English has the perfect adjective, elegiac, to describe things that are sorrowful or nostalgic in ways that suggest poetic and musical tearjerkers. Elegiac was borrowed into English in the 15th century from the Late Latin adjective elagiacus, which in turn comes from the Greek word elegeiakos. Elegeiakos traces back to the Greek word for “elegiac couplet,” which was elegeion. It is no surprise, then, that the earliest meaning of elegiac referred to such poetic couplets. These days, of course, the word is also used to describe anything sorrowful or nostalgic. As you may have guessed, another descendant of elegeion in English is elegy, which in its oldest sense refers to a poem in elegiac couplets, and now can also refer to a somewhat broader range of laments for something or someone that is now lost.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 20, 2026 is: volition • voh-LISH-un • noun Volition is a formal word that means “the power to make your own choices or decisions.” Usually, though not always, volition follows own, as in “left the company of her own volition.” // Every choice I made was of my own volition and not due to outside influence. See the entry > Examples: “Believe it or not, a lot of people find worms in their birdbaths. … Some birds, most notably crows, like to give their food a good dunking before eating, so there's a possibility worms in the birdbath were left by these fastidious birds. The most likely reason is that the worms crawled there on their own volition.” — Joan Morris, The Marin Independent Journal (San Rafael, California), 3 May 2026 Did you know? When you do something of your own volition, you do it voluntarily, which makes sense—both volition and voluntary ultimately come from the Latin velle, meaning “to wish” or “to will.” English speakers borrowed volition from French in the 17th century, using it at first to mean “an act of choosing,” a meaning Herman Melville employed in Moby-Dick (1851): “Almost simultaneously, with a mighty volition of ungraduated, instantaneous swiftness, the White Whale darted through the weltering sea.” By then, however, the word had also developed an additional meaning, “the power to choose,” which is now more common.

Forest fires are becoming more common in many parts of the world. At the time of recording, there are terrible wildfires blazing in France, Spain, Canada, Italy and many other countries. Every summer, we see dramatic images of burning forests, smoke-filled skies and firefighters working tirelessly to protect people and wildlife. But what causes these fires? Are they always natural? How do they affect our environment, our health and our future? In today's episode, we'll explore the language of forest fires while discussing one of the biggest environmental challenges facing the world today.  Have you ever seen a forest fire?  Show notes and more podcasts to improve your English at: http://www.inglespodcast.com/   Las notas del episodio y más podcasts para mejorar tu ingles están en: http://www.inglespodcast.com/  

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 19, 2026 is: aggrandize • uh-GRAN-dyze • verb To aggrandize someone (or something) is to enhance their power, wealth, position, or reputation. Aggrandize can also mean "to increase or enlarge" or "to praise highly." // Critics of the book argue that the author aggrandizes corrupt politicians. See the entry > Examples: "... many congregants spoke of their admiration for Tsietsi. They came forward to tell stories of previous encounters with him. While some were obvious fabrications, meant to aggrandize the narrator by his association with Tsietsi, most seemed true." — Lynda Schuster, Literary Hub, 16 June 2026 Did you know? Aggrandize is a grand word, and we don't just mean that in praise. The word literally traces back to the Latin adjective grandis, meaning "fully grown, large, great," and it has enhanced the English language for over three centuries. Nowadays, aggrandize is often paired with self, either the word or the prefix: to "aggrandize oneself" or to "be self-aggrandizing" is to glorify oneself, or to intently pursue power, wealth, and the like. It's of course great to take pride in a job well done, but we appreciate those who keep it real—after all, not every hit can be a grand slam.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 18, 2026 is: churlish • CHUR-lish • adjective Churlish is a formal word used to describe someone or something that is impolite or rude. // I was shocked by the churlish remarks made by my opponent. See the entry > Examples: “… I think a Bob Dylan concert is fundamentally for Bob Dylan himself. You could call it churlish, but I think it's self-assuredness, an elder's clarity: The man has a message he needs to send, a message important enough that he'll strip away anything that might distract from it. A Bob Dylan concert is not about what Bob Dylan's audience wants to hear; it's about what Bob Dylan wants to say even if he, you know, mumbles a bit.” —Jared Kaufman, The St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press, 7 July 2026 Did you know? In Old English, the word ceorl referred to a free peasant—someone who was neither part of the nobility nor enslaved or in debt. In Anglo-Saxon England, which lasted roughly from the 5th to 11th centuries, ceorls had many rights that peasants of lower social status did not, and a few even rose to the rank of thane, becoming a member of a kind of local nobility. However, as most ceorls were driven into the class of unfree villeins serving feudal lords over the centuries, especially following the Norman Conquest, the connotation of the word ceorl—spelled cherl in Middle English and then finally churl—diminished as well, eventually coming to mean “a lowly peasant” and later “a rude, coarse person.” Similarly, churlish began in the form ceorlisc in Old English as a simple descriptor of someone with the rank of ceorl, but today it describes a boorish person, or their rude and insensitive behavior.

Send us Fan MailGuest BioGia Sawko | Chief Claims Officer at Signal MutualDecades of claims experience in workers' compensationInstrumental in navigating how AI reshapes the adjuster's roleFocused on preserving and amplifying human judgment in claims workThe ConversationYvonne, Rafael, and Gia get into what's happening in claims work right now. The job is harder than ever. The tools haven't caught up. And there's a path forward if we're willing to think differently about training, technology, and what we ask of the people doing this kind of work.Key Discussion PointsThe Claims Desk Hasn't Been Redesigned in 20+ YearsThe claims adjuster's job has become exponentially more complex. Medical knowledge requirements have expanded. Regulatory demands keep multiplying, and they're harder than ever to navigate. Case management now demands synthesis across medical history, pharmacy data, functional capacity, and emerging compensability questions. But the actual desk, the systems, and the workflows look almost identical to what they did two decades ago. The infrastructure hasn't kept pace with our industry's complexity.Why Don't We Train Claims Adjusters Like Apprentices?Gia makes a good point: we should treat claims adjuster development like other industries treat apprenticeships, such as skilled trades. New adjusters need structured mentorship, graduated complexity, and time to build judgment alongside technical knowledge. Right now, they often get thrown into the deep end. If we reimagined onboarding the way apprenticeship programs do, with clear progression and accountability, we'd build stronger professionals. People who feel accomplished master their craft and stay in the industry.AI as Support, Not ReplacementThe highest-value use of AI in claims isn't automation; it's augmenting what adjusters already do. AI can flag high-risk claims and surface comorbidities. It can summarize documents. But the adjuster owns the relationship with the claimant and the critical judgment calls. The combination between the person and the algorithm is where we'll get the best outcomes.Implementation Challenges Are RealYou can't pause operations to implement AI. Decision fatigue is a risk when adjusters get too many warnings. And AI is only as good as the question asked. We need to teach adjusters how to ask better questions and build trust through testing. This is the "how" nobody's really solved yet.AI Literacy Is Non-NegotiableEvery adjuster needs to become proficient in AI language now. Start small, test on easy tasks, validate against what you already know. Those who build this proficiency will be positioned better than those who don't. The window is now.Deucing Every PointGia is a serious tennis player! Ask her about a match where she lost 6-0, 6-0—and she'll tell you about the deuces, the rallies that mattered, the quality of every point. Lean in to hear what the court might teach us about adjuster mastery.¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp 

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 17, 2026 is: watershed • WAW-ter-shed • noun Watershed, used figuratively, refers to a crucial dividing point, line, or factor. Used literally, the word may refer to a ridge from which rivers drain on either side, or to the area of land that includes a particular river or lake and all the rivers, streams, etc. that flow into it. : a crucial dividing point, line, or factor // The protests marked a watershed in the nation's history. // The Continental Divide is the most well known watershed in the United States. See the entry > Examples: “For thousands of years, elk would have accounted for the second largest amount of meat in the diets of many eastern peoples, after the ubiquitous whitetail deer. Not only were the animals present in the East; for thousands of years they sustained human life and were integral to Indigenous material and spiritual culture. Although they were great and skilled hunters, Native Americans in the East rarely killed all of the elk or all of the deer in an entire watershed.” — Andrew Moore, Beasts of the East: The Fall and Rise of America's Eastern Wilderness, 2026 Did you know? Opinion on the literal geographic meaning of watershed is divided. On one side of the debate are those who think the word can only refer to a ridge of land separating rivers and streams flowing in one direction from those flowing in the opposite direction. That's the term's original meaning, one probably borrowed in the translation of the German Wasserscheide. On the other side of the argument are those who think watershed can also apply to the area through which such divided water flows. The latter sense is now far more common in America, but most speakers have apparently decided to leave the quarrel to hydrologists and geographers, choosing to limit their use of watershed to its figurative “turning point” sense.

In this episode of the Pure Report, we are joined by Melody Zacharias, Technical Evangelist Director at Everpure. We start by digging into Melody's background: decades as a DBA going all the way back to COBOL and DB2, early SQL Server deployments, multiple published books, a longtime Microsoft MVP, and an executive MBA she just finished. We discuss what she took away from that MBA program — unlike a lot of people who treat it as three letters on a business card, she found virtually everything immediately transferable to her actual work. From there, we dive into the core premise: a lot of AI projects and data consolidation initiatives are stalling, and the teams running them often can't articulate why. Her argument is that the failure isn't necessarily technical — it's linguistic. AI is moving so fast that people are not only unfamiliar with the vocabulary, they're actively misusing it, and they don't understand why it matters to them. We walked through four layers of the same stack, each answering a different strategic question, using a back-to-school analogy she built out. Data primacy is the primer — one shared notebook every classroom works from, instead of a different notebook per room. Data lineage is what goes inside that primer. Basically, the family tree of your data, where it came from, where it's going, and how it connects. Next is Ontology, her favorite, and the layer she says people are forgetting right now, the grammar and spelling: the context that tells a system an order number in your CRM and a number in another system are actually the same thing. And the Enterprise Data Cloud is the school building itself, the structure that holds the students, the classrooms, and the books together in one environment. We also talk through why this is happening now. The app-centric era of standalone CRM, ERP, and SCM systems built silos that aren't going anywhere. The advantage goes to organizations that can extract value from information regardless of where it sits. That requires context, and context is exactly what AI lacks unless you give it to it. Tribal knowledge lives in people's heads; AI has no tribal knowledge, and no human can manually sift millions of data points to find the connections. We connect this back to a previous episode where we covered the stat that 95% of AI pilots fail, and Melody noted that at events like PASS Summit this conversation is only just starting to surface — teams know their projects failed, but not that the root cause was people not understanding each other. Her closing thought sums up the whole episode: words matter. Melody has a companion blog post on this topic, and she's hosting a community session with Argenis Fernandez of Nike demoing how to discover ontology inside your own organization. To learn more, visit: https://pure.ai Check out the new Everpure digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Everpure experts: https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/ 00:00 Coming Up and Intro 01:56 Melody's Background with Data 07:48 Language Used Around AI 10:18 Defining Data Primacy 12:55 Data Lineage 14:10 Ontology of Data 19:53 Enterprise Data Cloud

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 16, 2026 is: facsimile • fak-SIM-uh-lee • noun A facsimile is an exact copy of something. The word facsimile is also still sometimes used to refer to a system of transmitting and reproducing graphic matter, such as printed text or photos, though the word fax is more common. // The forged painting was an impressive facsimile of the original. // The documents can be sent by facsimile to the number below. See the entry > Examples: “The installation could be read as an invocation of [Widline] Cadet's mother's Washington Heights apartment. … ‘For Haitian families,' she says, ‘the living room is a sacred place.' And yet, this is no mere facsimile of a Haitian living room. Like much of Cadet's work, the installation, titled Altar #2, hovers between reality and fantasy.” — Elly Fishman, Vogue, 8 May 2026 Did you know? The facsimile machine (or fax machine) has long been an office staple, but its name is much, much older. Fac simile is a Latin phrase meaning “make alike.” English speakers began using facsimile to mean “an exact copy” in the late 1600s. In this sense, a facsimile might be a handwritten or hand-drawn copy, or even a copy of a painting or statue. (Today, we also use the phrase “a reasonable facsimile” for a copy that is fairly close but not exact.) In the 1800s, people developed facsimile technology that could reproduce printed material via telegraph. Now, of course, we use telephone lines or wireless technology, and we usually call the resulting facsimile a fax.

In today's episode, you'll join Teacher Tiffani for a real, relaxed conversation with one of her Academy students. Each week, she sits down with them to talk about an aspect of the monthly topic—sharing personal experiences, practicing natural English, and learning how to express ideas clearly and confidently in real-life situations.As you listen, you'll be inspired and also hear useful vocabulary, common expressions, and smooth, everyday phrases you can start using right away. You'll also pick up speaking tips that will help you sound more natural and feel more comfortable responding in conversations. By the end of this episode, you'll feel more confident speaking English—and more prepared to have meaningful conversations on any topic.Enroll now: https://speakenglishwithtiffani.com/365system

What does it mean to truly know a word—and how can biblical language instructors help students learn, retain, and retrieve vocabulary?In this episode of SLA Insights, Dr. Jennifer E. Noonan concludes her vocabulary-acquisition series with a guided recap of episodes 85–95. Explore each topic and watch the individual episodes below.VOCABULARY ACQUISITION SERIES► SLA Insights #85: What Does It Mean to Know a Word?https://youtu.be/rMWO3BfM3_k?si=5A16Vb1Im29ZjHue► SLA Insights #86: Factors That Affect Vocabulary Learning, Part 1https://youtu.be/Egty8HFPTP8?si=sXsf04yRWrNXgRrV► SLA Insights #87: Factors That Affect Vocabulary Learning, Part 2https://youtu.be/a4WqYx0CFZE?si=NBM_t59_Un_bYF-u► SLA Insights #88: Factors That Affect Vocabulary Learning, Part 3https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1IJ02lAYE4► SLA Insights #89: Factors That Affect Vocabulary Learning, Part 4https://youtu.be/14iHG1YFmR8?si=kxg9YlSTIynY0cGV► SLA Insights #90: Direct and Indirect Vocabulary Instructionhttps://youtu.be/pWiPyckDFY4?si=2mD-cdKPy0zzKXtG► SLA Insights #91: Vocabulary Flashcardshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-5M2Df-C3c► SLA Insights #92: Imaging, Instantiation, and the Keyword Techniquehttps://youtu.be/TQdGaJDbzlg?si=tXJojRI3O3opR5Yz► SLA Insights #93: The Recycled Words Procedurehttps://youtu.be/TQdGaJDbzlg?si=UT2f2qjY6zRG16Q5► SLA Insights #94: Retelling Stories for Vocabulary Learninghttps://youtu.be/DNXA2lNZtiI?si=HZ9uRylFxcaP1aKV► SLA Insights #95: Three Resources for Teaching Biblical Hebrew Vocabularyhttps://youtu.be/vTPZg1hBUzgTogether, these episodes explore the complexity of knowing a vocabulary item, factors that encourage learning and retention, direct and indirect instruction, and practical activities that help move vocabulary into long-term memory.In the next SLA Insights series, Dr. Noonan will explore learner differences and what individual students bring to the process of second-language acquisition.Study deeper with GlossaHouse:

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 15, 2026 is: quorum • KWOR-um • noun Quorum refers to the smallest number of people who must be present at a meeting in order for official decisions to be made. Broadly speaking, quorum may refer to any select group. We need a quorum of fifteen staff members on the call in order to move forward with the items on the meeting agenda. See the entry > Examples: “In Jewish law, some prayers, such as those in the morning service, can only be said communally, in a quorum of 10 Jewish adults, called a minyan.” — Yonat Shimron, NPR, 16 July 2026 Did you know? It takes two drama queens to tango, three Nervous Nellies to change a lightbulb, and 218 U.S. House Representatives to constitute a formal meeting. Each of these minimums—especially the last one—may be described as a quorum. This word, which can be pluralized as quorums or quora, comes directly from the Latin word quorum, which translates as “of whom.” At one time, this Latin quorum was used in the wording of the commissions granting power to justices of the peace in England. Later, when it became an English noun, quorum initially referred to the number of justices of the peace who had to be present in order to hear a case. That sense is now rare, and today quorum is used to refer to the minimum number of people required to be present at a meeting in order for official business to take place. It can also be used more broadly to mean simply “a select group.”

What score would you get if you took the IELTS tomorrow? Get your estimated IELTS Band Score now with our free 2-minute quiz. Want to get a guaranteed score increase on your next IELTS Exam? Check out our 3 Keys IELTS Online course. Check out our other podcasts: All Ears English Podcast: We focus on Connection NOT Perfection when it comes to learning English. This podcast is perfect for listeners at the intermediate or advanced level. This is an award-winning podcast with more than 4 million monthly downloads. Business English Podcast: Improve your Business English with 3 episodes per week, featuring Lindsay, Michelle, and Aubrey Visit our website here or https://lnk.to/website-sn Send your English question or episode topic idea to support@allearsenglish.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtoocanlearnthai.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***Unlock exclusive & ad-free episodes:Anchor/Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://anchor.fm/learnthai/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (available in 30+ countries)Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/youtoocanlearnthai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (recommended for listeners in Thailand)Detailed tutorial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n-tZKW76sT7ULyvOVdH7_3NcPpbWmXRAzIZp7T0_rUM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***Transcripts and FAQs: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qG1rvNaTFbjtVlYt7x5RxtUT3fFpuHfN_KAmpVuONsw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***Books: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://viewauthor.at/khrunan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Thai alphabet and activity books)Free audio flashcards for basic Thai vocabulary: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://quizlet.com/youtoocanlearnthai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***Merch (t-shirts and phone grips):USA: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1EZF44ILW1L5N⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UK: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/14ESIQA0SZ5LL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Germany: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.amazon.de/hz/wishlist/ls/219DDRPHY347Y⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/youtoocanlearnthai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.youtube.com/c/YoutoocanlearnThai⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***การไหว้เป็นสิ่งสำคัญในวัฒนธรรมไทยคนไทยไหว้เพื่อเป็นการทักทาย ขอบคุณ หรือขอโทษการไหว้มีหลายระดับเช่น ถ้าไหว้พ่อแม่หรือครู เรามักจะก้มหัว และยกมือให้นิ้วโป้งอยู่ที่จมูกแต่ถ้าไหว้พระ เรามักจะยกมือให้นิ้วโป้งอยู่ระหว่างคิ้วค่ะ***การ ไหว้ เป็น สิ่ง สำคัญ ใน วัฒนธรรม ไทยคน ไทย ไหว้ เพื่อ เป็น การ ทักทาย ขอบคุณ หรือ ขอโทษการ ไหว้ มี หลาย ระดับเช่น ถ้า ไหว้ พ่อ แม่ หรือ ครู เรา มักจะ ก้ม หัว และ ยก มือ ให้ นิ้ว โป้ง อยู่ ที่ จมูกแต่ ถ้า ไหว้ พระ เรา มักจะ ยก มือ ให้ นิ้ว โป้ง อยู่ ระหว่าง คิ้ว ค่ะ***การไหว้เป็นสิ่งสำคัญในวัฒนธรรมไทยWai is an important part of Thai culture.คนไทยไหว้เพื่อเป็นการทักทาย ขอบคุณ หรือขอโทษThais use the Wai to greet, thank, or apologize.การไหว้มีหลายระดับThere are many levels of Wai.เช่น ถ้าไหว้พ่อแม่หรือครู เรามักจะก้มหัว และยกมือให้นิ้วโป้งอยู่ที่จมูกFor example, when paying respect to parents or teachers, we usually bow our heads and lift our thumbs to our noses.แต่ถ้าไหว้พระ เรามักจะยกมือให้นิ้วโป้งอยู่ระหว่างคิ้วค่ะBut when paying respect to monks, we usually place our thumbs between our eyebrows.

Season 3, Episode 5In this episode, Michael and Zach continue their “Cosmic Vocabulary” mini-series by moving from individual spiritual beings to the structure of the unseen realm. They explore biblical terms such as “sons of God,” “host of heaven,” “holy ones,” and elohim, showing how Scripture uses several overlapping categories for members of God's heavenly court. The discussion also examines “the satan” as a title in Job, the spiritual “princes” of Daniel 10, Paul's language of rulers and authorities, and the debated identity of the twenty-four elders in Revelation. From there, the episode turns to one of the most controversial categories in the series: the Watchers. Michael and Zach distinguish the three biblical references in Daniel from the much larger Watcher tradition found in 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, explaining what these ancient texts can—and cannot—tell us about Genesis 6, fallen angels, and later Jewish interpretation. Throughout the episode, they carefully separate canonical teaching from historical background and speculation, while showing why this vocabulary matters for understanding the Bible's supernatural worldview.Find our videocast here: https://youtu.be/JmcSCpfsx9cMerch here: https://take-2-podcast.printify.me/Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/reakt-music/deep-stone⁠License code: 2QZOZ2YHZ5UTE7C8Find more Take 2 Theology content at http://www.take2theology.com0:00 Opening Banter: HOAs, Trampolines, and Bird Watching7:08 Cosmic Vocabulary II: The Heavenly Court8:23 Sons of God, Host of Heaven, and Holy Ones10:32 Psalm 82 and the Divine Council17:24 “The Satan” as a Title22:14 Princes, Powers, and Spiritual Rulers24:20 Deuteronomy 32 and Territorial Beings34:05 The Watchers36:16 First Enoch, Genesis 6, and the Watcher Tradition44:18 Jubilees and Other Second Temple Sources

Chris Cooper interviews Professor Chris Nicklin from Temple University.   lostincitations@gmail.com

UWAGA: Autumn English Reset → zacznij jesień z angielskim. Już w niedzielę, 27 września 2026 poprowadzę dla Ciebie bezpłatną lekcję angielskiego na żywo.Zapisy:

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 14, 2026 is: empirical • im-PEER-uh-kul • adjective When we describe something, such as data, as empirical, we mean that it originated in, or was based on, observation or experience. Empirical can also be used to describe something that can be verified or disproved by observation or experiment, as in “empirical laws.” // The team of conservation biologists has over the years collected reams of empirical data, from species inventories to soil analyses. See the entry > Examples: “She speaks the language of food chemistry and can tell you, based on empirical facts, why raspberry should never be boiled if you want the taste of raspberry rather than the taste of raspberry jam, and why coffee and tomato, which share several of the same volatile compounds, taste obviously right together despite sounding obviously wrong.” — Maria Gunko, The California Courier (Glendale, California), 30 July 2026 Did you know? When empirical first appeared as an adjective in English, it meant simply “in the manner of an empiric.” In the ancient world, empirics were members of a sect of doctors who practiced medicine using treatments observed to be clinically effective, rather than treatments based on theoretical principles. This all sounds fine and good to a modern reader, but empirics were in direct opposition to Galen, the 2nd century Greek physician whose theories and practices (including the theory of bodily humors) dominated medicine in Europe from the Middle Ages until the mid-17th century. As the underdogs in this rivalry, empirics took some reputational hits, evidenced by the use of empiric to refer to someone who disregards or deviates from the rules of science or accepted practice; to be called an empiric was sometimes like being called a quack or charlatan. Empirical can still be used critically to describe ideas and practices that rely on experience or observation alone and without due regard for system or theory. But, perhaps in a bit of a case of “the Empirics strike back,” empirical more often keeps its narrower sense, and is used positively to describe evidence and information grounded in observation and experience, or capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment.

En este episodio especial de septiembre, David y Ana platican de los sonidos, los alimentos y las reglas no escritas que todo mexicano del centro del país da por sentadas — y que para alguien que viene de fuera pueden ser completamente nuevas.Un episodio que no va de historia — va de lo que significa ser mexicano en el día a día.Checkout our new project: https://www.theraisingbilinguals.com

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 13, 2026 is: shofar • SHOH-far • noun A shofar is the horn of an animal (usually a ram) blown as a trumpet by the ancient Hebrews in battle and during religious observances. It is used in modern Judaism especially during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur. // As a child, Eli's favorite part of the High Holidays was the sounding of the shofar. See the entry > Examples: “Sheep were domesticated in ancient Mesopotamia over ten thousand years ago and we have the ancient cave paintings to prove it. Sheep appear in folklore, religion, and mythology from all over the world: the Greek golden fleece, the Jewish shofar, the Egyptian Pharaoh's shepherd's crook, Christianity's Agnus Dei.” — Celia Mattison, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2025 Did you know? One of the shofar's original uses was to proclaim the Jubilee year (a year of emancipation of enslaved Jews and restoration of alienated lands to their former owners). Today, it is mainly used in synagogues during the High Holidays. It is blown daily, except on Shabbat, during the month of Elul (the 12th month of the civil year or the 6th month of the ecclesiastical year in the Jewish calendar), and is sounded a number of times during the Rosh Hashanah services, and again at the end of the last service (known as neilah) on Yom Kippur. The custom is to sound the shofar in several series that alternate shorter notes resembling sobbing and wailing with longer unbroken blasts.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bizpod/BEP424-Marketing-2.mp3 Welcome back to Business English Pod for the second lesson in our series on English for marketing. In today's lesson, we'll focus on presenting and analyzing market research. Today, we are swimming in data. We have access to an unprecedented amount of information about pretty much anything we care to investigate. The problem is: what do we do with that data? How do we look at raw information and glean the insight required to make good decisions? Moving from information to insight is critical when it comes to market research. In our last lesson, we looked at just how important it is to do good research to grow your business. But the next step is taking that research and learning from it. The information needs to enhance our understanding. Enhancing understanding by presenting research insights might include identifying key market gaps and highlighting key opportunities. It can also involve understanding differences between different regions and people, as well as understanding customers' buying criteria. And finally, this will help us prioritize specific market segments. In today's dialog, we'll hear Francine and Kamal, two people from a marketing agency who are presenting the insights they've gleaned from a research project. They're presenting to their client, K&C Safety Supply, represented by Lauren and Josh. They work for a company that sells safety products and training, and they're looking to expand into a new region in the U.S. Listening Questions 1. What market gap does Kamal identify in the state of Indiana? 2. What differences does Kamal describe between the East Coast and the Midwest regions? 3. What specific priority are customers in the Midwest currently focused on? Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | PhraseCast | Lesson Module Download: Podcast MP3>>> The post BEP 424 – English for Marketing 2: Analyzing Market Research first appeared on Business English Pod :: Learn Business English Online.

节目简介｜Episode Description｜エピソード紹介中国的信用卡数量在减少，但借钱并没有消失。现在，分期、先用后付和网上贷款越来越常见。这期节目聊聊现在中国人为什么借钱，以及经济和就业压力下，借贷为什么可能变成负担。Credit cards are declining in China, but borrowing is not. Installment payments, buy-now-pay-later services, and online loans are increasingly common. This episode looks at why people borrow in China today and how debt can become a burden when income or employment becomes unstable.中国ではクレジットカードの数が減っていますが、借り入れ自体がなくなったわけではありません。分割払い、後払い、オンライン融資が身近になる中、今回は人々がなぜお金を借りるのか、そして経済や雇用の不安定さが返済の負担につながる理由について話します。生词表｜Vocabulary睡眠卡 shuìmiánkǎ — a bank card that has not been used for a long time 门槛 ménkǎn — how difficult it is to qualify for or access something  贷款 dàikuǎn — money borrowed from a bank or financial company  审核 shěnhé — to review and approve an application  借贷 jièdài — borrowing and lending money  先用后付 xiān yòng hòu fù — get or use something now and pay later  分期 fēnqī — pay for something in several smaller payments over time  提前消费 tíqián xiāofèi — spend money now before you have fully earned or saved it  大件儿 dàjiànr — an expensive or relatively large purchase  负担 fùdān — something that creates financial or other pressure  周转 zhōuzhuǎn — use money temporarily to cover short-term expenses  手头紧 shǒutóu jǐn — not have much money available right now  拆东墙补西墙 chāi dōng qiáng bǔ xī qiáng — borrow or take money from one place to cover what you owe somewhere else  债务 zhàiwù — money that you owe  量入为出 liàng rù wéi chū — spend according to how much money you earn #借贷 #loan#网上借贷 #OnlineBorrowing #消费贷款 #ConsumerLoans #分期付款 #InstallmentPayments #先用后付 #BuyNowPayLater #信用卡 #CreditCardsSend us Fan MailSupport the show由于空间限制，录音稿未放在描述栏，可在播客网站对应节目页面下查看。Due to space constraints, the transcript is available on my podcast website https://5minutechinese.buzzsprout.com (免费文稿 Free Transcript Available) 如果您喜欢我的播客，欢迎通过下方方式表达您的支持。您的支持对我来说是巨大的鼓励。但无论如何，我都很感激有您作为听众。能够每周与您分享几分钟的时光，对我来说是莫大的荣幸。❤️If you enjoy my podcast, you're welcome to show your support through the options below. Your support means a great deal to me and is a huge source of encouragement. But no matter what, I'm truly grateful to have you as a listener. It's an honor to share a few minutes with you each week!❤️ ☕

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 12, 2026 is: hobnob • HAHB-nahb • verb To hobnob is to socialize with others, especially with people of high social status. // A great deal can be learned about the entertainment industry by hobnobbing with folks at film festivals. See the entry > Examples: “My whole attitude has been—because all I care about is the music—I don't need to make the scene. I don't need to hobnob with the executives because I see them all the rest of the year.” — Jem Aswad, quoted in Variety, 14 Apr. 2026 Did you know? In William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch warns Viola that Sir Andrew wants to duel, telling her “‘Hob, nob' is his word” and then adding the gloss “give't or take't.” In today's English, he might have said “take it or leave it.” Sir Toby's hob, nob is an alteration of hab nab (“hit or miss,” “however things may turn out”), itself likely a shortening of the Middle English phrase habbe or nabbe (“whether I have or don't have”). After Shakespeare's day, hob-nob and hob or nob were used adverbially to mean “randomly.” And to drink hobnob, or hob or nob, was to take turns with one's drinking buddies toasting each other's health. Later, hobnob (as well as hob or nob, hob-a-nob, etc.) was verbified to mean “to drink socially” and then, dropping the booze, “to spend time with someone in a friendly way.” Today hobnob is used especially in situations where someone is chatting up someone famous or important, as in “hobnobbing with celebs.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 11, 2026 is: patina • puh-TEE-nuh • noun A patina is a usually green film that forms on copper and bronze that is exposed to moist air for an extended time. The word patina can also refer to a shiny or dark surface that over time forms naturally on something (such as wood or leather), or to a literal or figurative thin layer. // The town erected a statue in her honor, which over the years developed a seafoam green patina. // Although the winery is brand-new, it has been constructed and decorated to give it a patina of old-world quaintness. See the entry > Examples: "Family, friends and neighbors filled the frames with dancing and dominoes; their apartments painted in shades of mint, butter yellow and ... pink, flecked with a patina cultivated by humidity and time." — Suzy Exposito, The Los Angeles Times, 28 July 2026 Did you know? When Italians applied the word patina to the green film that forms on the surface of copper, they were drawing from Latin, in which patina means "a shallow dish." (Presumably, the Italian meaning developed from the observation of such film forming on copper dishes.) By the mid-18th century, English speakers were also calling the green film patina, and by the 20th century, they'd expanded the word's application to surface appearances of things that have grown more beautiful with age or use—think of an old wooden desk or a tarnished silver goblet. Use of the word to refer to thin layers both literal and figurative ("a patina of grime," "a patina of respectability") followed soon after. The related verb patinate means "to give a patina to."

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 10, 2026 is: loath • LOHTH • adjective A person who is loath to do something is unwilling or reluctant to do that thing. // Proud of the company he had built, Henry was loath to admit that it was time to think about retiring. See the entry > Examples: “On these runs, I was loath to stop. I dreaded zebra crossings and the city-center pavements, and instead ran into the surrounding countryside, abandoning myself to the endless roads that seemed to be going nowhere.” — Madeline Potter, The Roma: A Traveling History, 2025 Did you know? Loath as some language sticklers may be to accept it—indeed, they may loathe the fact—loathe is an accepted, though less common, spelling variant of the adjective loath. The language sticklers know that loathe is most often used as a verb meaning "to hate," and their desire to keep the language tidy by letting loath alone mean "not willing or wanting to do something" is understandable. But here's the rub: language is very often untidy. Both loath and loathe trace back to the Old English word lāth, meaning “loathsome, disgusting.” Each has had a number of variant spellings over the years, and for at least some portion of their history each word has taken on the spelling of the other. If you would like to keep the two distinct according to prevailing preferences, remember that loath is how you feel (reluctant, unwilling), and loathe is what you do (hate, dislike).

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Celebrating International Port Wine Day on 10 September, marking the 1756 anniversary when the Marquês de Pombal created the Companhia Geral de Agricultura das Vinhas do Alto Douro and established Alto Douro as the world's first officially demarcated, regulated wine region, later commemorated as Port Wine Day in 2014 by the Douro and Port Wine Institute.Ending with a Portuguese-learning “mission” featuring port-wine vocabulary, styles, and a conversation prompt: “Qual é o seu preferido? Por quê?”Get the SWAT Portuguese mission module - https://www.skool.com/gmp-vips-1236/classroom/5dbee6b1?md=acbf04cb4c8a4d2585187a4bcdbb67b3Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-good-morning-portugal-podcast-with-carl-munson--2903992/support.Get help moving to and living in Portugal

Find your ideal English teacher on italki!  Use the code REALENGLISH5 for €5 off your first class (minimum €10): https://go.italki.com/realenglish5Native English speakers answer exam-style questions about children.We speak about hobbies, chores, technology, siblings and how childhood today compares to the past. There is lots of advanced English vocabulary, including idioms and phrasal verbs. We have some natural English expressions and some advanced grammar too in the form of cleft sentences.For classes with Trevor - https://realexamenglish.com/classes/For transcripts - https://realexamenglish.com/podcast/For the Real Exam English app - https://studio.com/realexamenglishMusic: Wholesome by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5050-wholesomeLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Thanks to all of the contributors, including Paddy, Mike, Melissa, Lori, Jay, Carla Jayne, Annie and Mary Alice. Support the show

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 9, 2026 is: stigma • STIG-muh • noun Stigma refers to a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something. // The organization is animated by a commitment to challenging stigmas associated with the condition. See the entry > Examples: “The stigma surrounding workers of my generation is real—some depict us as burned-out, overworked employees who are difficult to manage and are merely looking for a paycheck while mapping out our exit strategy for retirement.” — Suzie Jimenez, Business Insider, 21 July 2026 Did you know? Tattoos are now common, but not long ago adorning one's body with ink was frowned upon by much of mainstream society. Even today, tattooed individuals in some communities and contexts face stigma based on their particular form of self-expression. It turns out that the link between tattoos and stigma is ancient, at least etymologically. The roots of stigma trace back all the way to the Greek verb stizein, meaning “to tattoo,” which led to the Latin noun stigma meaning “mark” or “brand.” The earliest English uses of stigma hew close to those of its Latin forebear; the word first referred to a brand left by a hot iron. In modern use, the scar is figurative: stigma most often refers to a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something, as when people talk about the stigma associated with mental illness, or the stigma of poverty.

In today's episode, you'll join Teacher Tiffani for a real, relaxed conversation with one of her Academy students. Each week, she sits down with them to talk about an aspect of the monthly topic—sharing personal experiences, practicing natural English, and learning how to express ideas clearly and confidently in real-life situations.As you listen, you'll be inspired and also hear useful vocabulary, common expressions, and smooth, everyday phrases you can start using right away. You'll also pick up speaking tips that will help you sound more natural and feel more comfortable responding in conversations. By the end of this episode, you'll feel more confident speaking English—and more prepared to have meaningful conversations on any topic.Enroll now: https://speakenglishwithtiffani.com/native

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 8, 2026 is: magnanimous • mag-NAN-uh-mus • adjective Magnanimous is a formal word that means “having or showing a generous and kind nature.” // She was too magnanimous to resent the unkind words of those grousing about her winning the spelling bee. See the entry > Examples: “Think before you act or speak. Drive and walk carefully. Be magnanimous and forgiving if others make a boo-boo.” — Georgia Nicols, The Boston Globe, 27 Nov. 2025 Did you know? When you see anima, animus, or a similar formation in a word, it's often an indicator of something alive, lively, or spirited. Something described as animated is full of life, for example, and the word animal refers to a living thing. The Latin word anima means “breath” or “soul” and animus means “spirit.” In magnanimous, animus is joined by the Latin word magnus, meaning “great.” Basically meaning “greatness of spirit,” magnanimity is the opposite of selfishness. A truly magnanimous person can lose without complaining and win without gloating, and angry disputes can sometimes be resolved when one side makes a magnanimous gesture toward the other.

Season 3, Episode 3In this episode, Michael and Zach begin a three-part “Cosmic Vocabulary” mini-series by building a clearer biblical glossary for the unseen realm. They start with the word “angel,” explaining that the Hebrew mal'ak and Greek angelos describe a messenger role rather than a distinct species of spiritual being. From there, they explore cherubim and seraphim, showing how Scripture presents them as distinct throne-room beings associated with guarding God's presence, worship, and purification—not as the winged human figures of popular art. The discussion also compares Ezekiel's living creatures with those in Revelation, examines what Scripture actually says about archangels, and distinguishes canonical teaching from later traditions found in Tobit, 2 Esdras, and 1 Enoch. The episode concludes with the unique figure of the Angel of the LORD, who is both distinguished from God and identified with Him, and considers why many Christians have understood these appearances as pre-incarnate manifestations of Christ. The goal throughout is simple: use the Bible's own categories carefully before importing assumptions from art, tradition, or popular angel lore.Find our videocast here: https://youtu.be/cC9p7Y5Uns8Merch here: https://take-2-podcast.printify.me/Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/reakt-music/deep-stone⁠License code: 2QZOZ2YHZ5UTE7C8Find more Take 2 Theology content at http://www.take2theology.com

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 7, 2026 is: gist • JIST • noun Gist, which almost always appears in the phrase “the gist,” refers to the general or basic meaning of something written or said. // I found the author's grandiloquent style of writing intolerable, but I got the gist of the story. See the entry > Examples: “His daughter dismissed the film they were watching early on, [Tim] Allen explained, because she'd already got the gist of what was going to happen.” — Steven McIntosh, BBC, 1 June 2026 Did you know? The main point, overarching theme, essence—that's gist in a nutshell. The gist of gist, if you will. The gist of a conversation, argument, story, or what-have-you is what we rely on when the actual words and details are only imperfectly recalled, inessential, or too voluminous to recount in their entirety. Gist was borrowed from the Anglo-French legal phrase laccion gist (“the action lies/is based [on]”) in the 17th century, and it was originally used in law as a term referring to the foundation or grounds for a legal action without which the action would not be legally sustainable.

Send us Fan MailDobar Dan, This lesson is dedicate to those out there willing to get their hands dirty. Those not afraid to make multiple trips to the hardware store to get it right. Uncle Mike and Tony D have a lesson that will help you get the job done... in Croatian!DJ MOE brings us info on Zagrebs Holy Mary Monument, a breathtaking fountain that provides for the city in a couple of ways.Tune in to find out more.Hvala, bog.Pod cast links -Let's Learn Croatian the App!https://studio.com/lets-learn-croatianVisit our LLC website: https://www.letslearncroatian.com/NEW BOOK ALERT- Croatia Explained by DJ MOE!This is an affiliate link, if you buy, we may earn a small commission.https://amzn.to/4svEhjHCheck out our LLC Link Tree, lots of amazing ways to support the LLC Pod via our handpicked affiliate links! https://linktr.ee/MaliMomentoLLC?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=830b9f1d-ec9d-483b-bf35-25d070ee2600We have a YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/LetsLearnCroatianLLC Merch Store: https://www.letslearncroatian.com/llc-storeKeep the content flowing, donate to the LLC: https://www.letslearncroatian.com/llc-supporters-pageBuy the LLC a Cup of Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infoKX Collaborate with LLC: https://www.letslearncroatian.com/become-a-sponsorDo you FaceBook, we do: https://www.facebook.com/llcpod/?__tn__=-UC*FWe even do Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/llcpod/?hl=enTeeDee's Soaps!https://www.teedeessoaps.comLabor Day SALE take 20% Off the LLC APP, now until September 13th, 2026.Click on the link below to take advantage of this incredible offer.Continue your Croatian Language journey with all of our materials at your fingertips.Join us on the APP!https://studio.com/lets-learn-croatian BUY ME A COFFEEWe launched a Buy Me a Coffee supporters page. 2 supporter to choose from. A way to support the Pod, a custom shoutout, an official LLC Members Only Magnet, automatic entrance to any LLC Member Only raffles & prizes and access to the LLC Members Only page on our website, where we upload new content monthly.Click on the link below.https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infoKXBogSupport the show

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 6, 2026 is: inexorable • i-NEK-suh-ruh-bul • adjective Inexorable is a formal word used to describe something that cannot be stopped or changed. // For some, the changing autumn foliage is a beautiful yet bittersweet reminder of the inexorable march of time. See the entry > Examples: “At the summer solstice, the Sun ‘stands still'—the meaning of the Latin solstice—and begins its progression back toward the south. Days shorten, shadows lengthen, and the cold and dreariness of winter return. Europeans across the entire continent have noted this simple and inexorable cycle for millennia. Neolithic monuments such as Ireland's Newgrange and England's Stonehenge, both of which date from around 5,000 years ago, were built to mark solstices.” — Thomas A. DuBois, The Conversation, 17 June 2026 Did you know? You can beseech and implore until you're blue in the face, but that won't have any effect on something that's inexorable. Inexorable, which has been part of the English language since the 1500s, was originally often applied to people, desires, or actions held to be particularly resistant to persuasion (or dissuasion). In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, for example, Romeo declares that his “intents” are “more fierce and more inexorable far / Than empty tigers or the roaring sea.” These days, it is usually used to describe the progression of something through time, or toward an end result, commonly modifying nouns like drift, pull, rise, march, decline, or tide. Inexorable comes from the Latin adjective inexorabilis, which is itself a combination of the prefix in-, meaning “not,” plus exorabilis, meaning “pliant.” If you're wondering whether English has an exorable meaning “capable of being moved by entreaty,” indeed it does, though exorable is far less common than its antonym.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 5, 2026 is: matriculate • muh-TRIK-yuh-layt • verb To matriculate is to enroll or be enrolled as a student, especially at a college or university. // She matriculated at the Rhode Island School of Design and began classes in the fall. // A spokesperson for the college said the school is expected to matriculate approximately 1,000 students for the fall semester. See the entry > Examples: "Fresh off the heels of graduation from high school, many rising freshmen are choosing to step off of the treadmill for a year before matriculating in college." — DJ Didonna, Time, 13 July 2026 Did you know? Anybody who has had basic Latin knows that alma mater, a fancy term for the school you attended, comes from a phrase that means "fostering mother." If mater means "mother," then matriculate probably has something to do with a school nurturing you just like good old mom, right? Not exactly. If you go back far enough, matriculate is distantly related to the Latin mater, but its maternal associations were lost long ago—even in terms of Latin history. It is more closely related to the Late Latin word matricula, which means "public roll or register." Matricula has more to do with being enrolled than being mothered, but it is the diminutive form of the Latin noun matrix, which in Late Latin was used in the sense of "list" or "register" and earlier referred to female animals kept for the purposes of breeding.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 4, 2026 is: apiary • AY-pee-air-ee • noun Apiary refers to a place where bees are kept, and especially a collection of hives or colonies of bees kept for their honey. // One of the best parts of having a beekeeper for a sister-in-law is getting fresh jars of local honey from the family apiary. See the entry > Examples: “The 70-year-old retiree from South Philadelphia ordinarily would avoid bees out of fear, but this spring she suited up for a study on therapeutic beekeeping at the Half Mad Honey apiary in the Navy Yard. Led by Temple University occupational therapy student Meghan Robertson, the project tested if beekeeping could improve mental health and well-being in older adults.” — Kayla Yup, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 28 June 2026 Did you know? For those who enjoy honey and the fascinating creatures that make it, apiaries are the bee's knees. The word apiary—which comes ultimately from the Latin word apis, meaning “bee”—can refer to any place where bees are kept, but is used especially for a collection of hives or colonies of bees kept for their honey. Honeybee colonies are highly complex clusters of individuals that function virtually as single organisms (as by a hive mind). Queen bees, capable of laying more than a thousand eggs per day, develop from larvae that are fed solely on royal jelly. Drones are stingless male bees whose one job (they do not gather nectar or pollen) is to mate with the queen. Drones are vastly outnumbered by tens of thousands of female worker bees who do everything else—from foraging and feeding (royal jelly is produced from their pharyngeal glands) to cleaning and defense. In other words, they run the hive.

Send us Fan MailGuest Bio Dr. Robert Hall | Medical Director, Optum Workers' Comp and Auto No-Fault12 years leading medical direction and formulary oversight at OptumPhysical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) specialist maintaining active clinical practice one day per week with injured workersStrategic voice on PBM industry trends, emerging drug therapies, and AI's role in claims prioritizationOur Conversation We explore pharmacy spending trends, compensability questions around new medications like GLP-1s and migraine medications, and how AI can help claims professionals prioritize without replacing judgment. Our conversation builds on CompPharma's 20th Annual Survey released earlier this year. Dr. Hall provided context from his unique PBM perspective.See the CompPharma 2025 Prescription Drug Management in Workers' Compensation SurveyKey Discussion PointsScript Volume Down, Per-Script Costs Up Prescriptions filled decreased 4%, yet per-script costs rose over 4%. Fewer generic opioids are available, causing providers to transition patients to more expensive alternatives. When lower-cost options aren't working, switching to higher-cost versions becomes the default.Opioid Decline Slowing Opioid spend dropped 7%—slower than the 13% annual declines of prior years. While fewer people are on opioids overall, those taking them can face additional complications such as opioid-induced hyperalgesia, where the pain medication itself makes pain worse. Providers unknowingly increase doses thinking pain is worsening, creating a spiral that drives costs and complexity.Efficiency Remains the Industry's Biggest Gap According to Dr. Hall, despite much progress, feedback from injured workers and treating providers is consistent: speed remains a big issue. Authorization turnarounds, surgery approvals, and medication approvals all lag. Efficiency directly impacts outcomes.GLP-1s: Compensability Questions Without Clear Answers GLP-1 medications (weight loss drugs) are appropriate when weight loss is necessary for surgery or when catastrophic injuries cause weight gain. But with 30-40% of adults overweight or obese, there's a strong incentive to route these expensive drugs through workers' comp claims instead of out-of-pocket. The core tension: just because a drug is medically effective doesn't make it work-related. Clear frameworks are needed to distinguish compensable uses from general health expenses.A parallel exists with migraine medications—highly effective for a common condition (10% of the population), creating similar pressure to tie them to workers' comp when they may not be compensable.Important caveat: GLP-1s carry real risks. Severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pancreatitis, and hospitalizations have occurred. When complications arise, they become part of the claim, adding complexity and cost.PBMs Score Highest on Customer Service PBMs earned their strongest-ever customer service grades in this year's CompPharma survey. Relationships matter as much as technology. Speed, communication, and partnership mindset drive loyalty.AI Adoption Rising—But De-skilling Risk Is Real About one-third of respondents now use AI tools. The cautionary tale: radiologists improved cancer detection with AI, but their standalone diagnostic ability declined after using it. For workers' comp, AI's highest value is prioritization—flagging the 2 catastrophic claims out of 100 that need immediate attention. The goal is to free human judgment for complex decisions, not replace it. We need to keep using and challenging our brains. Early Identification of Catastrophic Claims AI could synthesize accident type, injury location, physician findings, diagnostic studies, and functional capacity to identify claims spiraling toward permanent total or catastrophic status before they explode in cost. Early intervention changes trajectory.The risk: "creeping catastrophic" claims. Injuries that seem manageable but don't close gradually become complex and expensive. Opioid dosing spirals, high-cost alternatives accumulate, and routine claims become catastrophic without anyone realizing when the shift happened.State Variations as a Learning OpportunityFor folks newer to workers' comp, Dr. Hall suggests the 50 different state regulatory frameworks aren't just learning obstacles—they're live experiments in how to approach injury treatment. Professionals entering the industry should embrace this complexity and diversity to build deeper medical and operational knowledge.The Motorcycle Pivot Dr. Hall learned to ride a motorcycle last year after walking away from the idea a decade ago (when a bike cost as much as new kitchen cabinets). He's now ridden 1,000 miles on quiet Sunday afternoons. ¡Muchas Gracias! Thank you for listening. We would appreciate you sharing our podcast with your friends on social media. Find Yvonne and Rafael on Linked In or follow us on Twitter @deconstructcomp 

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 3, 2026 is: recalcitrant • rih-KAL-suh-trunt • adjective Recalcitrant is a formal word typically used to describe someone who stubbornly refuses to obey rules or orders. Recalcitrant can also describe something that is difficult to manage or operate. // The magazine, aimed at parents and caregivers of young children, will include the latest in child development science as well as practical information, like tricks for persuading even the most recalcitrant toddler to cooperate. See the entry > Examples: “One particularly recalcitrant driver … managed to rack up 29 speeding tickets during the 10-school-day span.” — Dave Werner, The Press-Republican (Plattsburgh, New York), 20 May 2026 Did you know? When given an order or command, a recalcitrant person (or animal) digs in their heels. They will not give an inch, so to speak, immovable in their determination to defy the rules. This makes a great deal of sense, etymologically, as recalcitrant traces back to calx, the Latin word for “heel.” (Calx is also responsible for such English words as calcaneus, “the large bone of the human heel,” and—mention this at your next pizza party—calzone.) From calx, Latin users formed first the verb calcitrare (“to kick”) and then recalcitrare (“to kick back”). In Late Latin, recalcitrare was used figuratively to mean “to be stubbornly disobedient,” leading to the English adjective we apply today to stubborn mules both human and asinine.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 2, 2026 is: dissonant • DISS-uh-nunt • adjective Dissonant typically describes music that is not in harmony, or sounds and notes that clash. In non-music contexts, dissonant describes things that clash by not being in agreement or by not fitting well together. // The guitarist struck a dissonant chord. // The retrospective provided a sometimes dissonant journey through the artist's decades of work. See the entry > Examples: "Their disparate sonic elements form a dissonant but cohesive whole, wisps of trumpet and electronic woodwinds flashing by as quickly as flickering subway car lights." — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026 Did you know? At the root of dissonant is the Latin verb sonare. Can you guess what sonare means? Here's a hint: some related words are sonata, supersonic, and resonance. Does it sound to you as if sonare has something to do with sound? To invoke an approving sound in response: ding ding ding. In fact, sonare means "to sound," is related to the Latin noun sonus (meaning "sound"), and is also an ancestor of the English word sound. In musical contexts, dissonant and the related noun dissonance are used to describe a clashing or unresolved musical interval or chord. Consonance, in contrast, refers to a musical interval or chord that produces an impression of agreeableness or resolution.

In today's episode, you'll join Teacher Tiffani for a real, relaxed conversation with one of her Academy students. Each week, she sits down with them to talk about an aspect of the monthly topic—sharing personal experiences, practicing natural English, and learning how to express ideas clearly and confidently in real-life situations.As you listen, you'll be inspired and also hear useful vocabulary, common expressions, and smooth, everyday phrases you can start using right away. You'll also pick up speaking tips that will help you sound more natural and feel more comfortable responding in conversations. By the end of this episode, you'll feel more confident speaking English—and more prepared to have meaningful conversations on any topic.Enroll now: https://speakenglishwithtiffani.com/365system

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 1, 2026 is: conscientious • kahn-shee-EN-shus • adjective Conscientious describes someone who is concerned with doing things correctly. It can be used as a synonym for both meticulous and careful. // She has always been a conscientious worker committed to painstaking research. See the entry > Examples: “Earth-friendly, conscientious gardeners learn to slow down and pay attention not only to plants but to the many creatures that share the garden. ... The garden teaches us valuable lessons. It reminds us that balance is achieved not through sorting the natural world into neat categories, but by respecting nature and allowing it to reveal to us its own complicated, interdependent and beautiful gray areas.” — Rita Perwich, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2026 Did you know? As Mahatma Gandhi once wrote, “There is a higher court than courts of justice, and that is the court of conscience.” A person who is conscientious makes sure that they are judged well by such a court. This is true for someone who is “governed by their conscience” as the oldest sense of the word is defined—as in “a conscientious leader”—but it is also true for the conscientious person paying close, careful attention to the task at hand. Conscientious came to English from French, centuries after Middle English had adopted conscience from Anglo-French; both ultimately come from the Latin verb scire, meaning “to know.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 31, 2026 is: gumption • GUMP-shun • noun Gumption refers to courage and confidence. // It took a lot of gumption to speak up for yourself like that. See the entry > Examples: "Fourth graders devise machines powered by rubber bands and 10-year-old ingenuity, some of the most creative thinking you'll ever witness. Wonders of nature and humanity coexist in these spaces. Behind all this is the gumption and bravery of teachers who set this up." — Adam Johnston, The Daily Herald (Provo, Utah), 13 May 2026 Did you know? English speakers have had gumption (the word, that is) since the early 1700s. The term's source isn't known, but early examples of it are found in Scottish (the related terms rumblegumption and rumgumption can be found there too). Gumption originally referred to common sense, but it is now more commonly used to refer to the kind of courage and get-up-and-go that makes undertaking difficult things possible. Art historians may know a couple additional applications for the word: gumption was historically used both to refer to the art of preparing painters' colors, and as a synonym of megilp, which refers to a mixture of linseed oil and mastic varnish that is used as a vehicle for oil paints.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 30, 2026 is: illustrious • ih-LUSS-tree-us • adjective Illustrious describes a person or deed that is highly admired and respected. // During the ceremony, the illustrious star of stage and screen was presented with a lifetime achievement award. See the entry > Examples: “Two of the most respected professors—an academic power couple—invited me to their home for dinner. I was flattered and excited. When we sat down at the table, my heart sank. The first dish they served was steak tartare. Raw beef, no matter how well seasoned, no matter how swanky the cut, is not my jam. ... And in the home of these illustrious professors, I was ashamed about that. I feared they would consider me unsophisticated for not liking the dish.” — Leslie John, Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing, 2026 Did you know? Today's spotlight is on illustrious, from the Latin adjective illustris, meaning “shining brightly with light.” Illustris itself was probably a back-formation of the Latin verb illustrare, a word with varied meanings, among them “to light up,” “to make clear,” and “to embellish.” (Our word illustrate also comes from illustrare, of course; its original meaning was “to enlighten intellectually, culturally, or spiritually.”) At one time, illustrious could be used synonymously with its immediate Latin forbear to describe things that glow brightly, but that meaning is now considered archaic. The word today is almost exclusively used to describe something—such as a career or achievement—that stands out figuratively, shining brilliantly in the mind's eye. 

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bizpod/BEP423-Marketing-1.mp3 Welcome back to Business English Pod for the first lesson in our series on English for marketing. Throughout this series we'll look at different stages in the marketing process. This includes everything from market research to planning and executing an advertising campaign. In today's lesson, we'll focus on market research. Even the greatest products and services don't sell themselves. In fact, part of what makes them great is the fact that people understand why they need them. Or even if they don't need them, they are convinced they want them. So a great product without any customers isn't really great at all. This is where marketing comes in. Marketers, whether in-house or hired on a contract basis, focus on products, pricing, placement, and promotions. Good decisions in all these areas require good research. Good research helps us understand the people we want to sell to, as well as the other options they may already have. Discussing market research typically begins with understanding your basic business objectives. From there, you can define the scope of the competitive landscape and begin to segment the market, or break it down into different groups of customers. Market research also helps us understand ROI, or the return on investment in specific types of marketing activities. This is critical, because the things we learn in our research should link directly to the english for marketing activities we choose. In today's dialog, we'll hear a conversation with Francine, an account manager at a marketing agency. Francine is talking to Lauren and Josh, who work for a company that sells safety products as well as training services. Their company is looking to expand into the Midwest region of the U.S., and they've hired Francine's company to help them understand how to do that. Listening Questions 1. What goal for the market research does Francine mention at the start of the conversation? 2. What new “market segment” do Lauren and Josh identify? 3. Why does Francine question whether they should repeat the brand awareness research they did in the past? Premium Members: PDF Transcript | Quizzes | PhraseCast | Lesson Module Download: Podcast MP3>>> The post BEP 423 – English for Marketing 1: Discussing Market Research first appeared on Business English Pod :: Learn Business English Online.

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 29, 2026 is: kith • KITH • noun Kith is an old-fashioned term that refers to familiar friends, neighbors, or relatives. It is often used in the phrase “kith and kin,” which means “friends and relatives.” // Spending time with kith and kin at the end of the summer is the highlight of our year. See the entry > Examples: “One thing that you could usually count on was the loyalty of your kith and kin, your friends and family. But now it seems that the closeness of family and relatives is more difficult to maintain in the modern world.” — James Morabito, The Buffalo (New York) News, 26 July 2026 Did you know? If you'd used the word kith a thousand years ago, you might have been referring to knowledge, or to a homeland, or to your neighbors and acquaintances. While those first two meanings of kith have long since fallen out of use, the word endures with a meaning very close to that “neighbors and acquaintances” one. Today kith appears almost exclusively in the phrase kith and kin, meaning “friends and relatives.” (Kin, another ancient word, can also refer independently to relatives.) Occasionally you will see kith and kin used to refer only to family members, much to the chagrin of those who despise redundancy in language. If you wish to avoid redundancy charges you'll be sure to include friends as well as family among your “kith and kin.”

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 28, 2026 is: cogent • KOH-junt • adjective Cogent is a formal word that describes something that is very clear and easy for the mind to accept and believe. It is used as a synonym of convincing. // At the town meeting, citizens presented many cogent arguments in support of building a new senior center. See the entry > Examples: “The history of art reads here as one long, free verse poem-in-progress, gorgeous and absorbing. Even so, many of the most memorable moments come in the form of cogent micro-essays, smartly curated ensembles of work bearing a legible, lucid premise.” — Leah Ollman, The Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2026 Did you know? A cogent argument is one that really drives its point home because it is clear, coherent, and readily understandable, and perhaps also because of the etymological history of cogent. Cogent comes from the Latin verb cōgere, meaning “to drive or force together.” Something described as cogent fuses thoughts and ideas into a meaningful whole that others can readily grasp and accept. A cogent explanation is a convincing one, and cogent analysis has us nodding along because it is clear and pertinent. Cōgere was formed in Latin by combining the prefix co- with the verb agere, “to drive, lead, or act,” a root which is also the source of our familiar noun agent. Handily enough, one definition of agent is “a means or instrument by which a guiding intelligence achieves a result.” It follows logically then that cogency is often a worthwhile agent, indeed.