Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchCould 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 …
8 months, 2 weeks ago
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…
8 months, 3 weeks ago
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…
9 months ago
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 …
9 months, 1 week ago
What is the 'Nocebo Effect'? | MEDICAL TERMS EXPLAINED
Episode 70
Rob and Jess are taking a surgical look at words from the world of medicine.
💊 What is the Nocebo Effect?
🩺 Are doctors named after leeches (or the ot…
9 months, 2 weeks ago
What does 'chupacabra' literally mean? | CRYPTIDS & MYTHICAL BEASTS
Episode 69
Jess and Rob are exploring the etymological origins of mythical beasts and cryptids.
🐺 What does "Chupacabra" mean?
🦑 Why are we getting the name "Krak…
10 months ago
Why do we say 'bury the hatchet'? | SAYINGS EXPLAINED
Episode 68
In this episode, Rob and Jess explore the stories behind a host of common sayings.
🪓 Does anyone actually 'bury the hatchet'?
😈 Was there ever a 'devil…
10 months, 1 week ago
Vulgar language and criminal slang
Episode 67
This episode of Words Unravelled is not for the easily offended, as Rob and Jess explore dictionaries dedicated to underground slang.
Focusing first …
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Is English a Germanic language?
Episode 66
It's sometimes said that English has taken on so many Latin and French words that it is now a Romance language. Rob and Jess believe this is false, a…
10 months, 3 weeks ago
Getting quizzed on the quirks of English (with Joshua Blackburn)
Episode 65
What is the Baader-Meinhof effect? How many quotes are wrongly attributed to Churchill? What's Jess's funniest linguistics joke?
These questions answe…
11 months ago