Butter No Parsnips

Kyle and Emily are joined this week by musician and host of the podcast Coffee Clutch with Ron and Jill, Ronnie Gross, as Kyle shares the cinematic origins of the word greeble.

From model-making to the silver screen, Kyle takes his companions through the history of one teeny-tiny part of the massive space opera Star Wars, missing no opportunity to flaunt his George Lucas impression. 

But it’s not just that one space epic, from Star Trek to 2001: A Space Odyssey, greebles pervade the sci-fi realm and even some fantasy. Though, Ronnie has some notes on the sound of the word.

Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.

Like and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ButterNoParsnipsPodcast

Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips

Support us!

⁠www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips⁠

Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

This Halloween, Kyle and Emily discover that following a mishap in the lab, Seth has raised ghost words back from the dead using that most lugubrious ledger, the Lexiconicon! 

Follow the gang as they meet these etymologically dubious terms which weave them through dictionary history and echo the names of such famous friends as the scholar Cicero, the founder of the OED James Murray, and the woefully wet writer Walter Scott.

Will they prevent these ghost words from crossing back over to the mortal realm? Will they answer each meddlesome riddle so as to vanquish the semantic spirits? Will Kyle be able to pull as many film references from the ether as will definitely be needed to make to the end? Find out! As that ghastly ghostly grimoire haunts us once more!

Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.

Like and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ButterNoParsnipsPodcast

Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips

Support us!

⁠www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips⁠

Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Additional Music:

"Tragic Story" by Myuu

"Signs in the Fields" by Rafael Krux

Cthulhu fans rejoice, because this week Emily and Kyle discuss the meaning and origin of chthonic, a word that likely inspired the name of Lovecraft’s most beloved beast.

They talk about this word’s association with both the underground and the underworld, and get in a delightful dose of Greek mythology to boot. Chthonic can be used to describe Greek gods of both Hell and Earth, including Hades, Persephone, Dionysus, and more.

Our hosts also bring in another word for describing the gods, this one deriving from the primordial god of the sky, Uranus. These “uranic” gods of Mount Olympus seem entirely opposite to the chthonic gods, even with their own forms of ritual and sacrifice. But Kyle and Emily discuss how they might not be so far apart after all.

Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.

Like and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ButterNoParsnipsPodcast

Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips

Support us!

⁠www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips⁠

Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

This episode sees Kyle and Emily discuss the meaning and origin of humdudgeon. And believe us–this word is nothing to gripe about!

This slang word from Scotland is great for when you’re feeling ill, falsely or otherwise, and you want to make sure everybody knows about it. Our hosts explore how it’s been used to describe an unnecessary whine, a genuine sickness, or a downright coward.

In breaking down this blended word, they uncover the nonsense that Scrooge was talking about when he uttered his most famous phrase: “Bah humbug!” And that’s not the only Charles Dickens character full of anger in this episode. And, before they close out, our hosts also reveal an unexpected connection between a Scottish author and a breed of terrier.

Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.

Like and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ButterNoParsnipsPodcast

Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips

Support us!

⁠www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips⁠

Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

This word is everything. And it’s also just ken. This week, Emily and Kyle discover that ken is a lot more than just a doll in Barbie land.

They find that this word begins, aptly, with Old English definitions related to birth and kin. Ken quickly leaves the next, however, flying to Scotland and gaining a myriad of meanings about knowledge and sight. Turns out it even relates to the everyday word ‘can’!

They discuss how ken still shows up in Scottish English meaning know or see--as well as ken’s existence in American English as something called a fossil word. But perhaps that part is much ado about nothing… 

Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.

Like and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ButterNoParsnipsPodcast

Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips

Support us!

⁠www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips⁠

Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Kyle’s in a giving spirit this week, and shows his charitable nature by telling Emily all about the word eleemosynary.

They reveal the word’s Latin and Greek roots, and how it’s related to words for donation, mercy, and even a war cry! They talk about the importance of charity, the plight of the beggar--and how there are, perhaps, better words to use than this rather long one.

They also discuss the world of welfare, and the role of prayer in the Middle Ages shelter. This brings an unexpected connection to prayer beads and the origin of the word beads itself!

Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.

Like and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ButterNoParsnipsPodcast

Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips

Support us!

⁠www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips⁠

Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Emily and Kyle talk unearth ancient treasure and sift through linguistic bric-a-brac as they discuss the word mathom.

They talk about the word’s origin in Old English, and the definition’s journey from valuable gifts to sundry knick-knacks. They also explore some long-forgotten letters of the English alphabet, like a consonant called thorn and a vowel called ethel.

Our hosts then turn to the world of fantasy, discussing how mathom fits into the word of Lord of the Rings. They talk about the hobbit habit of hoarding trinkets, and the impressive linguistic expertise of J.R.R. Tolkien. And their discussion of the Elvish leads them to talk about other fictional languages from Game of Thrones, Avatar, and even Sims 4.

Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.

Like and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ButterNoParsnipsPodcast

Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips

Support us!

⁠www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips⁠

Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

This week, Kyle takes Emily on a circular journey around the word deasil. (And, no, he didn’t just misspell the word diesel.)

They discover the secret of why clockwise is clockwise, and discuss how the movement of the sun was once seen as lucky. They also reveal their north bias, wondering if clocks turn the right way south of the equator.

But they also discuss the opposite of deasil, widdershins, and take a hard left turn into the occult. Kyle and Emily discuss the first witch trial of Scotland, the reason King James was so superstitious, and how those events affected the career of William Shakespeare.

Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.

Like and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ButterNoParsnipsPodcast

Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips

Support us!

⁠www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips⁠

Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Emily and Kyle go on a quest through a rich etymology and a myriad of meanings, and battle the linguistic dragon that is the word swinge.

No, not swing. Not singe. Swinge. Emily and Kyle delve into exactly what separates all these similar words--and the facets of linguistics that connect them, like etymological doublets and shifts in pronunciation.

Our hosts take a liking to “swinge” as an epic fantasy word. A word to wield a sword to. A word to smite dragons with. A word which Shakespeare used for the duel of St. George, and Milton used for the fury of Satan!

Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.

Like and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ButterNoParsnipsPodcast

Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips

Support us!

⁠www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips⁠

Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Taxonomy fans rejoice! Kyle and Emily are talking about animal adjectives--in particular, a word that is both dear and deer, elaphine.

The pair discuss the red deer stag: king of all other deer! They dig into the plethora of Greek, Latin, and English words that have been applied to these animals. And they peer into the world of old-timey deer hunting.

But it’s not all antlers and hunting today. Kyle and Emily also read some truly devastating zoology insults. And they also explore the mythical tragelaphus, half goat, half stag. It’s a stunning mythical creature which… might have just been an antelope.

Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.

Like and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ButterNoParsnipsPodcast

Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips

Support us!

⁠www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips⁠

Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore