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“The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a slog. It's repetitive, replete with archaic imagery and long — and so one can be forgiven for getting a bit sloppy with the lyrics. That's what happened with the phrase “colly birds,” which eventually mutated to “calling birds.” Wait, what's a colly bird? John explains.
Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Bonus: "Four Calling Birds? Not Exactly." With John McWhorter. Produced and edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved.
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