Code Switch: Word Watch

Code Switch: Word Watch Each week, we take a look at a word or phrase that's caught our attention, whether for its history, usage, etymology, or just because it has an interesting story. This week, we look into how we came to call cannabis "marijuana," and the role Mexico played in that shift.

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Julio Cortez/AP hide caption

Unmasking The 'Outside Agitator'

Bad Bunny performs onstage during Calibash 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

The gung-ho slogan adopted by some Marines became so well-known that it was turned into a 1943 movie. LMPC/Getty Images hide caption

Cows graze in a field in the Podunk section of East Brookfield, Mass. Christopher Fitzgerald/AP hide caption

Reaching for the check like... Maskot/Getty Images hide caption

Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke (third from left) speaks as Sens. Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar look on during the first night of the Democratic presidential debate, Wednesday in Miami. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

Primary Season Is Here And 'Hispandering' Is Back

Cry me a river, because I cried a river over you. Martin Leigh/Getty Images hide caption

When The 'White Tears' Just Keep Coming

Civil rights activists are blocked by National Guardsmen brandishing bayonets while trying to stage a protest on Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images hide caption

Engraving shows the arrival of a Dutch slave ship with a group of African slaves for sale, Jamestown, Va., 1619. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

Why Is It Still OK To 'Trash' Poor White People?

A runner passes a ghostly sculpture on display between Bondi Beach and Tamarama Beach in Sydney. Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

In a country where the share of multiracial children has multiplied tenfold in the past 50 years, it's a good time to take stock of our shared vocabulary when it comes to describing Americans like me. Jeannie Phan for NPR hide caption

Construction of the Panama Canal Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

What you find when you search for "hapa" images on Flickr — "Limited Time"! istolethetv/Flickr hide caption

Almost there! Always delayed. iStockphoto hide caption

Cuban-American rapper Pitbull has popularized the Spanish expression "dale" among fans all over the world, including non-Spanish speakers. Felipe Dana/AP hide caption

An album cover for Lee S. Roberts and J. Will Callahan's 1917 song "Ching Chong." The Library Of Congress hide caption

Load more stories

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7zRZ6arn1%2BosrO1xKxma2lpa4N5fpFrZpynlJp6tMPIrZqhZaekv6V51pqrnKA%3D