Word History is a weekly 15 minute etymology podcast by Etymoleon, dedicated to uncovering the history behind words and names. Each episode unveils the journey of words and their connections to various languages such as Old English, Ancient Greek, Latin, Old French, Proto-Germanic and many more. Episodes also highlight historical events related to the topic and terms explored. New episodes every Sunday. If you like etymology try Derivety, a daily word game by Etymoleon. Can you guess the wor ...
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Whole 9 Yards is a weekly podcast that will simultaneously educate, astonish, and amuse. Listen while we share equivocal research about the origin of words, phrases, and idioms we use every day. From the team at Big Science Pods, we bring you the whole 9 yards, the entire kit and caboodle, the whole shebang of this quick, entertaining look at our language and the history therein. Learn why we call New York "The Big Apple," what "red-handed" REALLY means and why sometimes people are "happy as ...
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Words for Granted is a podcast that looks at how words change over time. Host Ray Belli uses linguistic evolution as a way of understanding larger historical and cultural changes.
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I am a dream activist, practitioner and teacher. I am the host of An Etymology of Dreaming - a podcast on digging into the roots of the language of dreams.
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Word Journeys is a podcast about etymology and the surprising stories behind the origins of English words. English is constantly evolving and the meanings of words are always shifting. In each episode, we take words united by a common theme and explore how they made their way into English and the historical circumstances which shaped their definitions. For more information or to contact us, visit www.wordjourneyspodcast.com. If you would like to contribute to the show and want to see the per ...
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The study of the origin of words of Hindi, Sanskrit & other languages and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history which has enhanced the knowledge of the society & brings out the broader version of the culture. We here provide you our listener with in-depth knowledge. This show will release episodes weekly in both Hindi & English alternatively. Hindi By Mrs. Gayitri Chhibber English By Puranjay Savar Mattas *DISCLAIMER* The English episodes are transcriptions of the H ...
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This episode uncovers the etymologies behind the names of style icons from screen, stage, catwalk and beyond. Looking into Karl Lagerfeld's last name reveals the reason we call beer lager, while a cabaret song inspired Coco Chanel's iconic moniker. Lenny Kravitz's surname traces back to Slavic roots, and Rihanna's name has roots in either Welsh or …
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Episode 247: Jay & Ray get squared away with old idioms. - Encore spic and span squared away Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and …
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This episode delivers the origins of words related to pregnancy. IVF is a common term today, but early media reports often used the phrase test tube baby, which predates the 1970s when in-vitro fertilisation first emerged. Discover how the term folic, for the B vitamin, connects to the word for leaves, and why preeclampsia traces back to an ancient…
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Episode 246: Jay & Ray have old idioms flying out their wazoo. - Encore teetotaller wazoo Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and vid…
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In this episode, we scrub up the origins of cleaning-related words. The English towns of West Bromwich and Castle Bromwich share an etymology with a term for sweeping floors, while laundry has roots connected to lavatory. The phrase spick-and-span is believed to have nautical origins, just like the word squeegee. Learn who invented the vacuum clean…
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Episode 245: Jay & Ray enjoy the scent of some old idioms. - Encore p.u. tit for tat Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video in…
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This time, we're weighing the evidence behind the origins of words related to justice. The word dock is thought to trace back to a term for a chicken coop, while the Latin root of innocent links to the word noxious. Discover why we use the term panel for both jurors and conference speakers, and how adjourned is connected diary entries. We also exam…
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Episode 244: Jay & Ray have some piping hot idioms. - encore piping hot bellwether Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video indu…
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This episode is all about words that are their own opposites. Clip can mean both to trim and to attach, while refrain can mean to hold back or to repeat something endlessly. We also explore words that have flipped meanings over time; egregious once meant remarkably good, but now means shockingly bad, and villain has undergone a similar transformati…
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Episode 242: Jay & Ray have some skin in the game. - Encore skin in the game trip the light fantastic Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, f…
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This time, we're hitting all the right notes as we explore the origins and meanings of names through the lens of female singers. Shania Twain, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette share a distant relative, but only one of them carries a version of his surname. Kylie became a popular name in Australia, inspired by an Indigenous Australian word for a bo…
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Episode 242: Jay & Ray take a few old idioms to court. -Encore break the ice kangaroo court Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and v…
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In this episode, we dig deep into the grave origins of words related to death. The term eulogy comes from ancient Greek and etymologically translates to 'good words' while euthanasia means 'good death'. An executor ensures that the wishes in a will are fulfilled, deriving from a Latin word meaning 'to follow', which also gives us the word sequence.…
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Episode 241: Jay & Ray slice up some old food idioms. - Encore cheesy in a nutshell Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video ind…
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This episode takes a look at the origins of autumn/fall related terms, from harvest and foliage to Halloween and the months September, October and November. Find out why the school year starts in September, when fireworks became an autumn tradition, and what was originally burned in bonfires. We also explore the autumnal colours of ochre, amber and…
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Episode 240: Jay & Ray hash out some new food idioms. sour grapes just desserts Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video industr…
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This episode traces the origins of soft drinks, many of which began life marketed as health remedies. We start with Joseph Priestley's discovery, which was crucial to the production of carbonated drinks. Learn how Coca-Cola got its name from its historic ingredients, and how Red Bull is a translation of a Thai beverage. The term seltzer traces back…
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Episode 239: Jay & Ray take a thunderous approach to old etymologies. - Encore steal your thunder why is Macbeth referred to as 'The Scottish Play?' Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-…
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This episode unlaces the origins of terms for different types of footwear. Plimsolls owe their name to a British politician, while sneakers got theirs from the idea of wearers sneaking around unnoticed. Persian soldiers inspired European nobles to adopt high heels, which were practical for standing in stirrups; the term stiletto, referring to a lon…
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Episode 238: Jay & Ray stitch up a few old idioms. - Encore know the ropes hell bent for leather Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, …
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This episode explores the origins and meanings of names beginning with D. Dorothy shares its etymology with Theodore, both names implying their bearers are 'God's gift'. The surname Dior as seen in the brand Christian Dior, traces back to a French word that also gives us the 'D'Or' in the British ice cream brand Carte D'Or. Find out how names synon…
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Episode 237: Jay & Ray cash in on some old money idioms. - Encore filthy rich foot the bill Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and v…
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In this episode, we get into the language of ageing, uncovering the surprising origins and histories behind words like geriatric, sage, pensioner and senior - a term originally used to distinguish fathers from their sons before taking on additional meanings. We also explore the darker side of language, revealing the connection between the word 'cro…
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Episode 236: Jay & Ray learn about each other's pet peeves. - Encore curry your favor pet peeve Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, a…
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Episode 235: Jay & Ray learn about a few old odds and ends. - Encore scuttlebutt odds and ends Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, an…
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This podcast returns in September. In the meantime, take a listen to this recap featuring a mix of clips from past episodes. Remember to leave a rating or review.Por Leon Bailey-Green
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Episode 234: Jay & Ray find old idioms dealing with spatial or temporal relations. - Encore rifle through gin up Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the adv…
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This podcast returns in September. In the meantime, take a listen to this recap featuring a mix of clips from past episodes. Remember to leave a rating or review.Por Leon Bailey-Green
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Episode 233: Jay & Ray get chilly with a few old idioms. - Encore arctic full bore Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video indu…
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This podcast returns in September. In the meantime, take a listen to this recap featuring a mix of clips from past episodes. Remember to leave a rating or review.Por Leon Bailey-Green
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Episode 232: Jay & Ray do a number on a few new idioms. believe you me do a number on Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video i…
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This podcast is celebrating its first anniversary, thank you for listening and subscribing. In this episode, we explore the etymology of expressions of gratitude, tracing the origins of words like thanks, grateful, blessed and applaud. Clapping is a common gesture of appreciation, but the word clap also has a secondary meaning related to infection.…
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Episode 231: Jay & Ray take a bite of out of old food idioms. - Encore carboy zest Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video indu…
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This episode gets into the origins of musical instrument names, from the guitar and ukulele to the harmonica, saxophone, drum and more. Learn how the saxophone got its name from its inventor, whose surname, Sax, is locational, tracing to Saxony. The Theremin is another instrument named after its creator. Discover Benjamin Franklin's surprising conn…
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Episode 230: Jay & Ray pull a old magical idioms out of their hats. - Encore open sesame hokum Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, an…
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This episode uncovers etymology related to the pharmaceutical industry. Learn how Ozempic and Tylenol got their names, as well as pharmaceutical giants like Roche and Pfizer. Pfizer, for instance, is an occupational surname rooted in a Latin word meaning "baker". Find out how a male enhancement drug might be named after a Sanskrit word meaning "tig…
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Episode 229: Jay & Ray are feeling some old idioms. - Encore hankering bedsides yourself Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and vide…
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In this episode, we uncover the origins of words related to the summer season, such as sweltering, holiday, barbecue and scorching. Learn about the dahlia, a flower of the British summer season, named after Swedish botanist Anders Dahl, who shares a surname with the famous author Roald Dahl. The name means "valley" with the English variant being "d…
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Episode 228: Jay & Ray get hungry for a some old foodioms. - Encore ham-fisted egg on your face Hambone Blues by Milton Brown / 1936 Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production …
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This episode explores the origins and meanings of names popular with royalty. Discover why the nickname of a 10th century Nordic king lives on in the 20th century technology term Bluetooth. Learn how the name Harry, a pet form of Henry, traces back to the French pronunciation during the Middle English period. We also look into the ancient Greek roo…
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Episode 227: Jay & Ray are confused by a few new idioms. piss and vinegar flummox Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video indus…
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This episode gets into the origins of sleep-related terminology. Starting with how synonyms for sleep such as rest, nap, slumber and ZZZs entered the English language, we explain a theory as to why it's "forty winks" instead of twenty, thirty or fifty. Learn why the Old English word for snore is connected to rooting for someone to win, and why Aust…
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Episode 226: Jay & Ray get cool with a few new idioms. boondoggle cool as a cucumber Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video in…
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In this episode, we explore the stories behind the names of some of the world's most iconic landmarks and the etymology of the words used. We examine Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Gherkin, Burj Khalifa and more. Also uncovered are the origins and meanings of the names of architects associated with …
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Episode 225: Jay & Ray take a few Ls. - Encore lazy susan lo and behold Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video industries. Gra…
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This time we're looking into the origins of global corporations, exploring the etymology of their brand names and uncovering snippets of their histories. Some corporate names are derived from everyday words (Microsoft, Apple, Shell) and others from their founders' names (Audi, JP Morgan, Toyota). Learn why a payment provider's name also means trave…
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Episode 145: Jay & Ray kibitz over some old idioms. - Encore roger kibitz Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video industries. G…
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In this episode we're taking a look at hair terminology, including the etymology behind diverse synonyms for hair, including dreads, mane and tresses. Learn about intriguing connections such as the association between the term "alopecia" and foxes, and the link between pomades and apples. Ever wondered about the origins of the word "shampoo" or the…
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Episode 223: Jay & Ray talk to some people about idioms. - Encore latchkey kid buckaroo Subscribe, review, and come find us on Twitter, Instagram, & FB. Big Science Music is an award-winning original music and sound boutique. Providing scoring, sound design, radio, podcast, and all audio-post production services for the advertising, film, and video…
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This episode uncovers various theories behind why and how we use certain non-verbal gestures to communicate, along with the origins of the terms that describe them. Discover the surprising history behind gestures like the high-five, said to be popularised by American baseball, and elbow touching, first suggested by the World Health Organization in …
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