Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchWhat does your name mean? | FIRST NAMES EXPLAINED
Episode 63
Rob and Jess are exploring the origins of first names.
👩 Are all MARYS actually MIRIAMS?
🕵️♀️ How can JAMES, IAGO and JACOB be the same?
💡 What do ROBERT and JESSICA mean?
These questions answered …
Published on 8 hours ago
Are pets called 'pets' because we pet them? | PET WORDS
Episode 62
In this episode, Rob and Jess dig into the origins of the words we use for our furry, feathered, and occasionally scaly companions.
🐕 Where does the word 'dog' come from?
🐈 What does 'cat' literall…
Published on 1 week ago
Can a hill be taller than a mountain? | GEOGRAPHY WORDS
Episode 61
From mountain high to valley low, Rob Watts and Jess Zafarris are exploring the origins of geography words.
🐻❄️ Why are the poles called 'poles'?
🗻 What is the difference between a hill and a mount…
Published on 2 weeks ago
100 Word Facts... and Rob & Jess meet!
Episode 60
Internet word nerds RobWords and Jess Zafarris share 100 word facts. They met in person for the first time after Words Unravelled reached 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. Prepare for 49 minutes of pur…
Published on 3 weeks ago
Who was the first to 'spill the beans'? | IDIOM ORIGINS
Episode 59
In this episode, Jess and Rob 'spill the beans' about all manner of food-related idioms.
🍌 Why does 'going bananas' mean going mad?
☕️ Who is the Joe in a 'cup of Joe'?
🍏 What did we compare apples …
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Why are we saying 'Caesar' wrong? | TITLES & POWER
Episode 58
In this episode, Rob and Jess take a right royal romp through the etymologies of eminent titles. They discuss the origins of words like "lord", "emperor", "queen" and a whole host of others:
🏛️ How …
Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago
What does 'stegosaurus' literally mean? | DINOSAUR NAMES
Episode 57
We’re digging into prehistoric word origins. In this episode, Jess and Rob unearth the literal meanings behind the names of the dinosaurs.
🦖 What does Tyrannosaurus rex really mean?
🦕 Why is Stegosa…
Published on 2 months ago
Why is England called 'England'? | COUNTRY NAME ORIGINS
Episode 56
We're taking a world tour of word origins. In this episode, Jess and Rob discuss how a multitude of countries got their names.
🇺🇸 Where was the original "America"?
🇬🇧 Why is Britain called "Great"?
…
Published on 2 months, 1 week ago
Why do news anchors talk like that? | JOURNALESE
Episode 55
BREAKING: Rob and Jess uncover news clichés and weird journalistic words.
📺 Why do TV news anchors talk in that strange way?
🗞️ Why do newspaper journalists spell lead as "lede"?
🎤 Why do journalis…
Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago
How could one man write a dictionary? | SAMUEL JOHNSON
Episode 54
Samuel Johnson's 1755 dictionary was one heck of an achievement. But it is also far from perfect. In this episode, Jess and Rob discuss some of the more amusing entries within its pages, and even the…
Published on 2 months, 3 weeks ago