Episodes
What do the words companion and mate have in common with food? What is a Calque? Listen to this episode to find...
Published 08/31/23
What do ancient theatre goers of Rome and the word explode have in common? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://mashedradish.com/2017/03/28/the-dramatic-roots-of-explode/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explode
Published 08/13/23
What are words which contradict themselves called? Fast means to go fast, but, to stand fast means to not move at all. Listen to this episode to understand such...
Published 10/30/22
What is the difference between a pirate and a privateer? What link has the pirate William Dampier has to guacomole, mango chutney, and to Charles Darwin? Listen to the episode to find...
Published 07/16/22
What does the word cereal and panic have to do with Greek mythology? Listen to the episode to find...
Published 11/20/21
Are the words humid and humour related? What does the word melancholy have to do with bile? Listen to the episode to find...
Published 11/05/21
What does the word 'ado' mean in the phrase much ado about nothing? Why do we say fast food and not quick food? Listen to the episode to find...
Published 10/24/21
What does pandemic and pandemonium have in common? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://letsproofread.com/text/124/
https://wordhistories.net/2016/08/25/pandemonium/
https://blog.oup.com/2008/10/pandemonium/
https://www.etymonline.com/word/pandemonium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pand%C3%A6monium_(Paradise_Lost)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_Lost
Published 09/21/21
Was the animal sloth named after the Cardinal sin or was it the other way around? Listen to this episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/sloth
https://mashedradish.com/2016/02/26/sloth/
https://www.etymonline.com/word/sloth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloth_(deadly_sin)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acedia
Published 09/12/21
What does the Goddess of love have to do with the etymology of the word venom? Listen to find out!
Sources:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/venom-and-the-goddess-of-love
https://www.etymonline.com/word/poison
https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/o4x247/the_revered_deadly_beasts_loved_gonorrhea_venus/
https://www.etymonline.com/word/*wen-?ref=etymonline_crossreference#etymonline_v_52678
https://www.etymonline.com/word/venom
Published 07/03/21
What does the word accolade have to word with a knight? Listen to this episode to find...
Published 06/26/21
What does milk have to do with the Milky way? Does asterisk means little star? Answers to all these questions are found in this...
Published 06/19/21
Was the fruit orange named after the colour or is it the other way around? Listen to this episode to find out!
Sources:
https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/the-etymology-of-the-orange
https://lithub.com/color-or-fruit-on-the-unlikely-etymology-of-orange/
Published 06/12/21
In this episode, we look into certain words that describe words like onomatopoeia, embolalia, portmanteau, tmesis and...
Published 06/05/21
Who is Jack and why is he associated with Halloween? Listen to this episode to find...
Published 05/29/21
What does the S.O.S distress signal have to do with the Titanic's fateful crash? Listen to find out!
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayday
https://yorkshireairmuseum.org/latest-news/its-mayday-but-that-means-trouble-for-aviators/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-pan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31911/what-does-sos-stand
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/why-titanic-first-call-help-not-sos-signal
Published 05/22/21
Why are Vampires called Vampires? Are there different types of Vampire like creatures in other cultures? Listen to find out!
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vlad-the-Impaler
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_folklore_by_region
Wilson, K. M. (1985). The History of the Word “Vampire.” Journal of the History of Ideas, 46(4), 577. doi:10.2307/2709546
Published 05/15/21
Where did the word juggernaut come from? Did it come from the name of a Hindu god? Listen to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juggernaut
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mandeville
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odoric_of_Pordenone
https://www.learnreligions.com/rath-yatra-1770555
https://blog.oup.com/2017/08/origins-juggernaut-jagannath/
Published 05/01/21
Why is a potato called a potato? Is it related to the poisonous nightshade family? Who is Parmentier and what did he do to popularise potatoes? Listen to the episode to find...
Published 04/24/21
What is the purpose of Gargoyles? Why are they called Gargoyles? Listen to the episode to find out!
Source:
https://www.academia.edu/9706139/A_Collision_of_Gargoyles_in_Evental_Aesthetics_2013_
https://goingtotehran.com/the-history-of-gargoyles/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargoyle
Published 04/18/21
Have you ever wondered why Bluetooth technology was called Bluetooth? Listen to the podcast to find out why! In this episode we discuss the history of the word Bluetooth.
Sources:
https://www.bluetooth.com/about-us/bluetooth-origin/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Bluetooth
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harald-I-king-of-Denmark
Published 02/19/21
What does the gemstone amethyst have to do with drinking and intoxication? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/amethyst
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/rosetta-stones/the-origin-of-amethysts-may-leave-you-tingly/
https://www.gia.edu/amethyst-history-lore
https://sententiaeantiquae.com/2016/11/12/amethyst-the-sober-stone/
https://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_greece/dionysus.php
Published 02/16/21
Here in this episode we cover the history of one of the most versatile words in the English language. Curious to know what O.K. means? Listen to the episode to find...
Published 02/14/21
Why do the words tock-tick and raff-riff seem weird to hear? Listen to this episode to find...
Published 02/12/21