Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchWhy 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 10 hours 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 1 week 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 weeks 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 3 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 4 weeks ago
Why do pilots sit in a 'cockpit'? | AVIATION WORDS
Episode 53
Welcome aboard flight WU321 bound for Etymology Island. In this episode, Rob and Jess take to the skies and soar through the word origins of a multitude of aviation terms.
✈️ Is it an 'airplane' or …
Published on 1 month ago
How did currencies get their names? | MONEY WORDS
Episode 52
In for a penny, in for a pound: Rob and Jess discuss money word origins in this episode of Words Unravelled.
💰 Where did the dollar sign come from?
💷 What is the British currency a pound of?
🤑 Which…
Published on 1 month, 1 week ago
Does English use the wrong word for clouds? | WEATHER WORDS
Episode 51
Jess and Rob have got their heads in the clouds, exploring the origins of our words for weather.
☄️ Why don't meteorologists deal with meteors?
☁️ How are we using the wrong word for 'cloud'?
☔️ Wha…
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Exposing grammar myths and mistakes with Grammar Girl
Episode 50
Is it "on accident" or "by accident"? Should "red, white, and blue" have that second comma? Is "10 items or less" okay? Jess and Rob are joined by the internet's Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty, to exam…
Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Why is English full of French words?
Episode 49
Bienvenue dans cet épisode de "Mot Décortiqué"! Rob and Jess are exploring the enormous influence French has had on the English language.
📊What proportion of English words are French?
🥩Why do our me…
Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago