Summer Grammarphobia

The dog days of summer are here…especially judging by last week’s 90 degree weather. But wait, “dog days?” Does anybody really know what that means and where the expression came from? This hour on Focus, Jeff Bossert talks with Patricia O’Conner, language blogger, and author of several books about grammar including “Woe is I” and “Words Fail Me” about some of the history behind the words and expressions we use during summer. Whether you’ve been stressing about wearing or shopping for that new bikini, we’ll find out why we call them bikinis in the first place and will also talk about where the English language gets words like “pool,” “sunburn” and “vacation.”