On this episode of The Amy Marxkors Show, Amy talks all things profanity with John McWhorter, Professor of Linguistics at Columbia University, host of Slate's Lexicon Valley podcast, Contributing Editor at the Atlantic, and author of twenty books. McWhorter's latest book, NINE NASTY WORDS: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever, looks at the history of some of our most common curse words. What makes a word unspeakable? Why does profanity change over time? Why do certain words lose power-- and how do some words keep their sting? Join Columbia University's John McWhorter and KMOX's self-designated prude, Amy Marxkors, for an excursion into the history of expletives. *Content Warning: Contains some mildly explicit language not aired on the radio version.