Ye olde word: Recent Episodes
Adithya Mohan
What do the words companion and mate have in common with food? What is a Calque? Listen to this episode to find out!
Sources:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/history-of-word-companion
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/companion#:~:text=companion%20(plural%20companions),accompany%20or%20travel%20with%20another.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mate
https://www.smh.com.au/national/mate-what-s-the-history-of-our-most-treasured-salutation-20210513-p57rhk.html
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comrade
What do ancient theatre goers of Rome and the word explode have in common? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources: https://mashedradish.com/2017/03/28/the-dramatic-roots-of-explode/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explode
What are words which contradict themselves called? Fast means to go fast, but, to stand fast means to not move at all. Listen to this episode to understand such words!
Sources:
https://medium.com/@jackashepherd/these-extremely-cool-words-mean-the-opposite-of-themselves-8e4f5fd63cd3
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/words-own-opposites#:~:text=A%20'Janus%20word'%20is%20a,antagonyms%2C%20or%20auto%2Dantonyms.
https://blog.maltalingua.com/what-are-janus-words/
https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/09/08/some-words-have-two-opposite-meanings-why
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janus#:~:text=In%20ancient%20Roman%20religion%20and,named%20for%20Janus%20(Ianuarius).
https://www.andersonlock.com/blog/god-doors/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-antonym#:~:text=An%20auto%2Dantonym%20or%20autantonym,or%20%22to%20bind%20together%22.
What is the difference between a pirate and a privateer? What link has the pirate William Dampier has to guacomole, mango chutney, and to Charles Darwin? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Dampier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Selkirk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Hatley
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/eat-like-a-pirate
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/first-food-writer
https://ocean.si.edu/human-connections/exploration/william-dampier-pirate-who-collected-plants
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/arrival-of-english-explorer-william-dampier
https://www.britannica.com/story/pirates-privateers-corsairs-buccaneers-whats-the-difference#:~:text=A%20privateer%20was%20a%20pirate,belonging%20to%20a%20rival%20country.
https://blog.marinersmuseum.org/2012/09/the-difference-between-pirates-privateers-and-buccaneers-pt-1/
What does the word cereal and panic have to do with Greek mythology? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cereal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_(god)
https://drhoffman.com/article/the-origin-of-panic-3/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-mythological-origin-of-panic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronos
https://www.etymonline.com/word/victory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_(mythology)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike_(mythology)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanus
Are the words humid and humour related? What does the word melancholy have to do with bile? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the-origin-of-the-word-humor/
https://www.britannica.com/science/humor-ancient-physiology
https://uselessetymology.com/2017/11/29/the-etymology-of-humor/
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/112655/how-did-the-word-humor-which-originally-represented-bodily-fluids-end-up-rep
https://www.thecolourworks.com/hippocrates-galen-the-four-humours/
What does the word 'ado' mean in the phrase much ado about nothing? Why do we say fast food and not quick food? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_word
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/fossil-words/shod-in-slipshod-and-roughshod
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irreversible_binomial
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_collocations
https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/collocations.htm
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/myl/Malkiel1959.pdf
What does pandemic and pandemonium have in common? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://letsproofread.com/text/124/
https://wordhistories.net/2016/08/25/pandemonium/
https://blog.oup.com/2008/10/pandemonium/
https://www.etymonline.com/word/pandemonium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pand%C3%A6monium_(Paradise_Lost)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_Lost
Was the animal sloth named after the Cardinal sin or was it the other way around? Listen to this episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/sloth
https://mashedradish.com/2016/02/26/sloth/
https://www.etymonline.com/word/sloth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloth_(deadly_sin)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acedia
What does the Goddess of love have to do with the etymology of the word venom? Listen to find out!
Sources:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/venom-and-the-goddess-of-love
https://www.etymonline.com/word/poison
https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/o4x247/the_revered_deadly_beasts_loved_gonorrhea_venus/
https://www.etymonline.com/word/*wen-?ref=etymonline_crossreference#etymonline_v_52678
https://www.etymonline.com/word/venom
What does the word accolade have to word with a knight? Listen to this episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accolade
https://www.britannica.com/topic/knight-cavalryman
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/brief-history-of-knights/
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/dcslfi/how_did_one_become_a_knight_in_the_medival_ages/
https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/jcs078/accolade_an_embrace_kiss_especially_that_given_to/
https://historyofyesterday.com/how-did-squires-become-knights-in-the-medieval-era-e8a10d2f2db7
What does milk have to do with the Milky way? Does asterisk means little star? Answers to all these questions are found in this episode!
Sources:
https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/science-diction-sun/
https://www.etymologynerd.com/blog/sunny-disposition
https://medium.com/the-philipendium/word-connections-sun-moon-stars-946d9d0e5a13
https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question48.html
https://www.history.com/news/who-named-the-planets
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-history-of-galaxy
https://wordhistories.net/2016/08/11/galaxy-lettuce/
Was the fruit orange named after the colour or is it the other way around? Listen to this episode to find out!
Sources:
https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/the-etymology-of-the-orange
https://lithub.com/color-or-fruit-on-the-unlikely-etymology-of-orange/
In this episode, we look into certain words that describe words like onomatopoeia, embolalia, portmanteau, tmesis and bahuvrihi.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/news/where-did-the-word-barbarian-come-from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/barbarian
https://www.britannica.com/topic/portmanteau-word
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formulaic_language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tmesis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahuvrihi
https://humanparts.medium.com/ten-great-words-about-words-63c6e8622cca
Who is Jack and why is he associated with Halloween? Listen to this episode to find out!
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain
https://perma.cc/D4X6-PSHX
https://www.dictionary.com/e/jack/
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/the-story-of-jack-o-lantern-if-you-knew-the-sufferings-of-that-forsaken-craythur-1.4065773
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/the-twisted-transatlantic-tale-of-american-jack-o-lanterns
https://www.history.com/news/history-of-the-jack-o-lantern-irish-origins
What does the S.O.S distress signal have to do with the Titanic's fateful crash? Listen to find out!
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayday
https://yorkshireairmuseum.org/latest-news/its-mayday-but-that-means-trouble-for-aviators/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-pan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOS
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31911/what-does-sos-stand
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/why-titanic-first-call-help-not-sos-signal
Why are Vampires called Vampires? Are there different types of Vampire like creatures in other cultures? Listen to find out!
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vlad-the-Impaler
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_folklore_by_region
Wilson, K. M. (1985). The History of the Word “Vampire.” Journal of the History of Ideas, 46(4), 577. doi:10.2307/2709546
Where did the word juggernaut come from? Did it come from the name of a Hindu god? Listen to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juggernaut
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mandeville
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odoric_of_Pordenone
https://www.learnreligions.com/rath-yatra-1770555
https://blog.oup.com/2017/08/origins-juggernaut-jagannath/
Why is a potato called a potato? Is it related to the poisonous nightshade family? Who is Parmentier and what did he do to popularise potatoes? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato
https://culturedarm.com/cultural-history-potato-earth-apple/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine-Augustin_Parmentier
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_the_Great
https://www.farmersalmanac.com/parmentier-made-potatoes-popular
https://laidbackgardener.blog/2016/02/23/how-the-potato-got-its-name/
https://wordhistories.net/2017/09/29/spud-potato-origin/
What is the purpose of Gargoyles? Why are they called Gargoyles? Listen to the episode to find out!
Source:
https://www.academia.edu/9706139/A_Collision_of_Gargoyles_in_Evental_Aesthetics_2013_
https://goingtotehran.com/the-history-of-gargoyles/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargoyle
Have you ever wondered why Bluetooth technology was called Bluetooth? Listen to the podcast to find out why! In this episode we discuss the history of the word Bluetooth.
Sources:
https://www.bluetooth.com/about-us/bluetooth-origin/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_Bluetooth
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harald-I-king-of-Denmark
What does the gemstone amethyst have to do with drinking and intoxication? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/amethyst
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/rosetta-stones/the-origin-of-amethysts-may-leave-you-tingly/
https://www.gia.edu/amethyst-history-lore
https://sententiaeantiquae.com/2016/11/12/amethyst-the-sober-stone/
https://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_greece/dionysus.php
Here in this episode we cover the history of one of the most versatile words in the English language. Curious to know what O.K. means? Listen to the episode to find out!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_proposed_etymologies_of_OK
https://www.history.com/news/the-birth-of-ok-175-years-ago
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-hilarious-history-of-ok-okay
https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2017/11/16/ok-is-a-four-letter-word/
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12503686
Why do the words tock-tick and raff-riff seem weird to hear? Listen to this episode to find out!
Sources:
https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/ablaut-reduplication-why-does-saying-flip-flop-feels-more-correct-than-flop-flip.html#:~:text=Most%20people%20do%20not%20realize,that%20you%20are%20doing%20so
https://www.academia.edu/10100970/Extra_grammatical_morphology_English_reduplicatives
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20160908-the-language-rules-we-know-but-dont-know-we-know
https://www.almtranslations.com/news/blogs/why-do-we-say-hip-hop-instead-of-hop-hip/
https://www.ef.com/ca/english-resources/english-grammar/ordering-multiple-adjectives/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduplication
Why is a trailer called a trailer when it is shown before movies? What is a cliff-hanger? Listen to this episode, to have these questions answered.
Sources:
https://priceonomics.com/why-are-movie-trailers-called-trailers/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_(promotion)
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/hardy/diniejko6.html
In this episode, we go over different theories pertaining to the origin of the infamous rhyme 'Ring a ring o' roses'. Did it really have anything to do with the plague? Listen to find out!
Sources: Wilde, Robert. "Fact or Fiction: Debunking Ring a Ring a Roses." ThoughtCo, Aug. 25, 2020, thoughtco.com/debunking-ring-a-ring-a-roses-1221610.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_a_Ring_o%27_Roses
https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2014/07/ring-around-the-rosie-metafolklore-rhyme-and-reason/
Here we discuss the origin and history of the word 'Kamikaze'.
Sources:
https://medium.com/history-of-yesterday/the-origins-of-kamikaze-2344148484e8
https://www.ancient.eu/article/1415/the-mongol-invasions-of-japan-1274--1281-ce/
https://www.britannica.com/event/kamikaze-of-1274-and-1281