Tom and Sam have probably already received a number of replies over the listener who claimed that they were using "biweekly" incorrectly in episode 104.

A lookup in a dictionary might have been in order before making these claims.

Biweekly does mean once every other week, or "fortnightly", just as bimonthly means once every other month.

Here's the catch though for people keeping score -- it can also mean "twice a week". Never let it be said that English isn't one crazy language.

However, in the publishing world, biweekly virtually always means on a two-week (or fortnightly) basis, so Tom and Sam should go right on using the term.

I totally think they should start using fortnightly.

The Dice Tower, your fortnightly podcast. Maybe Mike Hibbert can even through in a 'shedule' reference.

fortnightly, oh I like that. I second that suggestion.

Gantrell
"KMG365"

Fortnightly = AWESOME!

Because he puts an addictive chemical in his chicken that makes ya crave it fortnightly, smarta__!

And to further the vocabulary even more, the more appropriate word for "twice a week" (which the lister suggested was biweekly) is semi-weekly.

The interesting thing is that the absolute standard term for every two weeks in Australia is fortnightly. Bi/semi/demi/whatever weekly would never come into it, everyone here knows that two weeks is a fortnight. I assume it is much the same in the UK and New Zealand, not sure about other places though.

Exactly! The "c" is silent!

Even that actor guy from "friends" - David Skwimmer would eskew pronouncing the "C"

Fortnightly is not a common term to many Americans, unless they're steeped in classic literature. I believe it's slightly equated with a nautical term in the States (really, that's what its origins are anyway).

I was watching Star Trek: The Next Generation again recently and I was surprised to hear Patrick Stewart pronounce "schedule" with the hard "ch" sound.

The Yorkshireman inside him probably wilted.

(Of course, since he was allegedly playing a Frenchman, all linguistic authenticity had long gone out the window anyway, so speaking in a hybridized Anglo-Los Angeles accent was just as well as anything else, I guess.)