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Home > Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing > The origin of X in algebra. Why we say ‘how come’ for ‘why.’ Water handles.


	Podcast:		Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
	Episode:		The origin of X in algebra. Why we say ‘how come’ for ‘why.’ Water handles.
	Category:		Education
	Duration:		00:17:37
	Publish Date:		2025-12-23 10:00:00
	Description:		1144. This week, we look at the origin of the letter X as the variable for the unknown in algebra. Then, we look at the phrase "how come," explaining why it's more informal than "why" and how its grammar subtly differs from other question words. That X segment was written by Peter Schumer, Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at Middlebury College, and it originally appeared on The Conversation and appears here through a Creative Commons license. Links to Get One Month Free of the Grammar Girl Patreon (different links for different levels) Order of the Snail ($1/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/687E4 Order of the Aardvark ($5/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/07205 Keeper of the Commas ($10/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/50A0B Guardian of the Grammary ($25/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/949F7 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. Subscribe to the newsletter. Take our advertising survey. Get the edited transcript. Get Grammar Girl books. Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. \| HOST: Mignon Fogarty \| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian \| Theme music by Catherine Rannus. \| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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