Why 'wake' is so confusing. The playful language of vacations.

In this episode of Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty, with a segment written by Natalie Schilling, delves into the complex history and usage of the verbs "wake," "waken," "awake," and "awaken," exploring their origins in Old English, their various forms, and the confusion surrounding their correct application, noting regional and historical preferences, and concluding that language is ever evolving. Then, with a segment written by Samantha Enslen, the episode shifts to vacation-related vocabulary, tracing the etymology of "vacation" from Latin and exploring portmanteaus like "staycation," "glamping," and colloquial terms such as "vacay" and "R&R," also touching on British English's use of "holiday" and the phrase "out of pocket." Finally, Mignon answers a listener question about the pronunciation of "vacature," referencing Justice Sotomayor's usage, and shares a familect story related to a line from Gilmore Girls.