This is a special episode. The word we'll be picking apart today is 'nostalgia'. But this isn't your typical Get the Word! episode. It's an interview with the great Naomi Carmack of the Dope Nostalgia podcast. We discuss the origin and history of the word 'nostalgia', as well as what it means to us, and how it has shaped us and culture in general. We also discuss the music artist Morrissey quite a bit, as that is the tie-in to her podcast, Dope Nostalgia, about 90's music and culture. Find...

Hey everyone! Mike here about to tell everyone to go eat the rich. Now before you go on assuming that this podcast has totally just gone off the rails and has turned into my soapbox for spewing my views on oligarchy within an ever growing destructive, unjust and immoral global system of capitalism, well… BEFORE you assume that, consider this:  There is an interesting history to this phrase that dates all the way back to the French Revolution. It’s still an etymology episode. But yes, I will...

Bonjour fellow word nerds. It’s Mike. I apologize already to any of my French listeners. Bonjour and Bon Voyage will be pretty much the only French words I speak today. I also apologize for starting right off the bat with the most stereotypical French music I could find. In all reality, I love French culture, French films and I love the influence that French has had on the English language.  In English we see many words that have derived from French throughout the centuries, of course, but...

Greetings nerds. It’s Mike, host of Get the Word! Don’t worry, I’m a nerd too so… I mean it as a term of endearment. I’ve always been a nerd. I guess it was just my fate. Or was it my destiny? Hmmm. In this episode we’ll dive into both words to figure out the best word to choose.  In a recent session with a student of mine, I was asked the question: “What is the difference between fate and destiny?”. I didn’t have a good answer! I felt as dumb as a computer terminal with no independent...

Greetings friends. This is Get the Word! with Mike Butler. An etymology podcast for word nerds. I am your host, Mike Butler. Today we’re talking about a word that’s often misused, and misunderstood. Homeopathy. I want to start off by saying that this term ‘homeopathy’ or ‘homeopathic’, which is its related adjective, is not just another way to say ’natural’ or ‘alternative’ medicine. It’s something very specific. Yes, it is a form of alternative medicine, but it is not itself a synonym for...

Hi, everyone. It’s Mike. I’m going to talk today about the word gaslight. The term, as a verb, as an action, is no laughing matter, so I’m not going to joke around much in today’s episode. Gaslighting is very real and many have gone through it. Unfortunately, it’s often hard to know that it is happening to you. It is a form of manipulation through psychological means whereby the abuser convinces the victim into questioning their own sanity. Its motivation often centers around harmful and...

It’s Mike. I was just gabbing recently about how I should probably start covering words and phrases that are trending right now in popular media. “What a great way to get the word out about Get the Word!”, I thought to myself. People are already hearing a word or phrase being used all the time right now, so they will be more interested in learning about the origin and history of that word or phrase specifically. A great idea indeed. It would be a great thing to do, sure... Instead, I’m going...

Ahoy there all my nerdy friends. It’s Mike. Fancy spotting you here in the endless podcast sea. Today we’re talking about an idiom, or idiomatic expression. What’s that? It’s a phrase with a meaning that is not clear just looking at the individual words, or by its literal meaning. My Two Cents was another episode about an idiomatic expression. Today since we’re here floating on the waters of the sea of etymology, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the origin of the phrase ‘ships...

Hi everyone, it’s Mike. Today we’re talking about a word that most would argue is definitely past its peak popularity. Groovy. We’ll look at the interesting origin of this word and also why we have seen a resurgence in popularity of the word groovy over recent decades.  Let’s start with the definition. The most common uses of groovy are standing in for words like excellent, enjoyable, exciting…. There are about a million synonyms for groovy, but I’ll narrow it down to just some of my...

Hello everyone. It’s Mike, your host of Get the Word! an etymology podcast for word nerds. I’m also an ESL teacher. I guide people through their journey of learning the English language. On a regular basis, I end up being the one learning new words from my students. Today’s word for our podcast episode is one of those words that I learned from a student of mine. Ben.  Audio transcript: https://www.englishsessionswithmike.com/2021/07/get-word-podcast-episode-have-you-been.html --- This...

Welcome everyone to another episode of Get the Word! I am your host Mike Butler. In a recent episode I used the phrase My Two Cents in a joke about the four penny coffins mentioned in the hangover episode. It got me thinkin’, how far back can I trace the use of this phrase, ‘my two cents’? So that’s what we’re going to dive into today.  Let’s start with what it means. My Two Cents is a phrase that some people say when they want to give their opinion on something, often when it’s not asked...

Welcome to another episode of Get the Word! everyone. This one’s for all you skins and rudies out there. It’s about the origin of the word ‘ska’. Ska is a type of music with a very danceable beat. Some of the distinctive elements of the ska rhythm are a walking bass line, an uptempo speed and a strong offbeat which you can hear in the background of this episode today. Let’s get a little background first before we try to pinpoint who coined this term. Before we begin our journey, I highly...

Hello everyone. It’s Mike, your host of Get the Word! It’s July 3rd and that means it’s a holiday weekend here in the United States, celebrating our independence from Britain. That’s not what I want to talk about today though. Rather I’m going to talk about the word ‘hangover’, in anticipation of a potential hangover this weekend from having a bit too much fun watching all the fireworks and cookin’ up some tofu wieners... For the full transcript of this audio, please go to the English...

This week we’re looking at the word ‘crow’. We’ll start with the word crow and its different meanings, and then talk about a few terms, phrases and other words in which we see crow appear. Words like crowbar. Terms like Jim Crow. We’ll discuss how the word ‘crow’ became associated with the Apsáaloke tribe and talk about the Crow language and the people who are keeping it alive.  An audio transcript of this episode can be found on https://www.englishsessionswithmike.com/ --- This episode...

-- STRONG LANGUAGE WARNING --  Hello everyone it’s Mike, your host of Get the Word! an etymology podcast for word nerds. This week I couldn’t stop reflecting on a phrase we talked about last week in our episode on antidisestablishmentarianism. It’s the phrase Resting Bitch Face... Go to https://www.englishsessionswithmike.com/ for an audio transcript of this episode.  If you are interested in ad-free episodes as well as occasional bonus content, you can show your love by subscribing to the...

Welcome everyone. I’m your host and fellow word nerd, Mike Butler. This week’s episode features a word often included in lists of the longest words in English. Antidisestablishmentarianism... Audio transcript on the website, https://www.englishsessionswithmike.com/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/get-the-word/message

Welcome to the first episode of Get the Word! An etymology podcast for word nerds. We’ll talk about the history and origin of words in English. If you’re coming over from The English Sessions, well, then I’ll give you even bigger welcome, loyal listener. The English Sessions is the podcast I’ve been doing for a while now, for English learners, and is where Get the Word! was first conceived. I decided to make Get the Word! its own podcast, since I started to realize I was making content...

From the creator of The English Sessions comes Get the Word! An etymology podcast for word nerds. Join Mike as he picks apart words and  phrases in English and lets you peek into his Fact Cabinet. More information and audio transcripts are available at www.englishsessionswithmike.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/get-the-word/message