Podcast Episodes

Why do Brits eat their entrees first? ? UK v US ENGLISH

Episode 80

Rob and Jess are engaged in another transatlantic war of words, pitting their British and American accents against one another.
🍽️ Why do Brits eat t…

10 hours ago

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Slurs and taboos with Professor John McWhorter

Episode 79

Rob and Jess are joined by the brilliant John McWhorter to discuss words you're not allowed to use. Professor McWhorter has written extensively abou…

3 weeks ago

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What was Pepsi originally called? | BRAND NAME ORIGINS

Episode 78

What does IKEA mean? What language is Häagen-Dasz? Who came up with the name Adidas? Why is Danone spelled Dannon in the US? These questions answere…

4 weeks ago

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What does 'philosophy' even mean? | PHILOSOPHICAL WORDS

Episode 77

Jess and Rob are digging into the origins of the words behind some of history’s biggest ideas – from stoicism and cynicism to logic, ethics, and met…

1 month, 1 week ago

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Why so many terms for 'doing it'? | SEX & LOVE

Episode 76

Jess and Rob are discussing "the shaking of the sheets". Join them to explore the origins of words for 'doing it' and a host of historic terms for f…

1 month, 2 weeks ago

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The words English forgot to invent | LEXICAL GAPS

Episode 75

Why doesn't English have a word for someone who is alive? Or a general term for your aunties and uncles? Should we bring back the word 'uhtceare' fr…

1 month, 3 weeks ago

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Could something 'escalate' before the escalator? INVENTIONS

Episode 74

Is necessity the mother of invention? NO! Latin is, etymologically speaking. That's just one of many revelations as Jess and Rob investigates words …

1 month, 4 weeks ago

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Does anyone know what 'London' means? | CITY NAME ORIGINS

Episode 73

Rob and Jess are touring the US and the UK in search of the most interesting city name origin stories.

💨 Does 'Chicago' have anything to do with wind…

2 months ago

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What does 'espionage' actually mean? | SECRETS & SPIES

Episode 72

Rob and Jess are going deep undercover to unearth the origins of words from the word of espionage.
🕵️‍♀️ What's the difference between a SPY, and ASS…

2 months, 1 week ago

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What did the first internet troll write? | TECH WORDS

Episode 71

Rob and Jess are talking tech! In this episode, they explore the linguistic origins of terms from technology, Sci-fi and the internet.
🧌 Who was the …

2 months, 2 weeks ago

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