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Why does "like" bother us so much?

Stacey Dash and Alicia Silverstone walking and talking on their mobile phones in a scene from the film 'Clueless', 1995.
Paramount Pictures
/
Getty Images
Stacey Dash and Alicia Silverstone walking and talking on their mobile phones in a scene from the film 'Clueless', 1995.

The word "like" has been around for centuries, but it reached a new cultural prominence in the 1980s, partially thanks to Frank Zappa's song "Valley Girl." Since then, "like" has taken on a life of its own, inspiring strong emotions. This hour, we look at the meaning and evolution of "like." Plus, how movies like the now 30-year-old Clueless have impacted our language.

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Colin McEnroe, Dylan Reyes, and Robyn Doyon-Aitken contributed to this show.

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Lily is the senior producer for The Colin McEnroe Show. She's also a producer of the podcast 'Generation Barney.' She first worked at Connecticut Public as an intern in 2014. She has previously worked for WBUR, KUNC and as a producer for the New England News Collaborative's weekly show Next. Lily can be reached at ltyson@ctpublic.org.