93. Names: F
This episode traces the meanings and origins of names beginning with F, through the lens of historical figures connected to mythology, politics, innovation and the beauty industry. Falguni Nayar, the ...
20 Jul 202513min
92. Assumptions
This episode looks at terms connected to making assumptions, starting with the often-cited origin of the phrase "when you assume, you make an ass out of u/you and me". The word bias originally referre...
13 Jul 202513min
91. Tabloids
This episode looks into the language of tabloid journalism, starting with the surprising pharmaceutical origins of the word tabloid itself. The British Daily Mail and Daily Mirror were the first newsp...
6 Jul 202514min
90. Independence
This time we're looking at terms related to independence and free will, as Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day. The episode opens with a brief look at the events leading to America's break...
29 Jun 202514min
89. Eateries
This episode traces the origins of words for the places we eat, from the soupy history that gave us restaurant to the unknown roots of bistro, which entered English in the early 20th century, and bras...
22 Jun 202514min
88. Espionage
This time we're uncovering the origins of espionage-related terms, from bug, alias, and surveillance to eavesdrop and secret, tracing how they entered the English language (and words they are related ...
15 Jun 202515min
87. Biblical
This episode takes a look at terms and phrases that trace back to biblical roots. To "wash your hands of something/someone" has origins linked to the crucifixion, while a commonly misquoted phrase abo...
8 Jun 202514min
86. Names: Sayings
This episode looks at the origins of names used in common sayings, uncovering the theories behind how these phrases came about and tracing the names to their historical linguistic roots. Gordon Bennet...
1 Jun 202515min
