Butter No Parsnips

This week, Kyle and Emily talk, chat, banter, converse, and more with author and dance critic Sarah L. Kaufman about her new book Verb Your Enthusiasm. Drawing from her background in dance, Kaufman connects movement on stage to movement on the page, showing the surprising power of verbs to make writing more vivid and precise.

From the practical to the poetic, Sarah expounds on verbs of manner, active vs. passive voice, and the nasty role adverbs can have in gumming up the works. They plunge deep into the concept of “show don’t tell” and how a few, well-chosen verbs can communicate big, encompassing ideas.

Along the way, Kaufman preaches “clarity and grace”, good habits, and the ways in which verbs serve good writing. The episode–and the book–offers an approachable guide to making everyday writing sharper, more engaging, and more alive.

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.

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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Kyle and Emily have a traitor in their midst, and his name is Quisling. They’ll talk about a decidedly terrible politician, a quagmire of Q words, and a word for all betrayers great and small.

This eponym takes us back to World War II, and unfortunately straight to the man dubbed Norwegian Hitler. Our hosts discuss how this WW2 traitor became a household name, why the name itself feels so satisfying, and how the origin of this name might relate to a beloved theater candy.

Kyle sheds some light about the words quiz and quizzical, surprisingly unrelated to each other and to quisling. The questionable Q words don’t stop there, as Emily learns about quisle, quisler, and quislingize. And the pair look at traitors in history, literature, and the modern day.

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.

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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Get ready to think more than ever about the way you talk and the way people talk to you as Emily and Kyle sit down this week with sociolinguist Valerie Fridland to discuss her latest book Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents. 

From baby talk to regional accents, the trio explores how our speech patterns develop as a combined effort of the brain and the world of speakers around us. History and culture shape the way people speak, and the way people speak shapes our judgments of them.  

What does it mean to drop the ‘r’ at the end of a word? Posh British? Good ole Southern United States? Or perhaps native New Yorker? Dialects, accents, and the subtle ways they evolve  weigh heavily on how we interact with one another. Fridland makes a case study of this with African American English, revealing a deep history that challenges the idea of “incorrect” speech.

As the conversation unfolds, Fridland highlights our perception, bias, and the shared responsibility between speakers and listeners to approach every conversation with consideration and compassion.

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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Emily and Kyle think, therefore they are—and this week thinking is the name of the game! They’re digging into the philosophy of human intelligence, the mind that set the universe turning, and common sense in British slang, as they discuss the meaning and origin of nous.

Our hosts parse through the Ancient Greeks’ understanding of the mind. They look at quotes from Homer as well as Parmenides—whose name is begging for a punchline that Kyle and Emily can’t quite reach. But the conversation soon turns from the individual to the cosmic, as the works of Aristotle reveal that philosophy and theology might be closer than you think.

Emily then leads a jaunt from Ancient Greece to early modern Britain, where nous gained not only new meaning but new pronunciation. And Kyle employs his common sense to guess the meanings of some ancient turns of phrase.

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 what you hear? Follow Butter No Parsnips elsewhere:

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Support the show:

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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

How closely does one need to stick to the letter of the law? Emily and Kyle explore just that, as they discuss Greek grouches, Christian controversy, diabolical discourse, and the word adiaphoron.

Our hosts separate the roots of this word, and add them up to find a solution equal to indifference. Taking a walk through Ancient Greece, Kyle provides a crash-course on Cynicism and Emily is reminded what she loves about Stoicism. But, before long, this word whisks our hosts out of Classical philosophy and into medieval theology.

As the meaning and usage of adiaphoron shifts, Kyle helps Emily brush up on the Reformation and Protestant history. Our hosts talk about dubious indulgences, the English major’s approach to doctrine, the most diabolical figure in a baseball game, and Santa Claus lore that needs no debate.

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 what you hear? Follow Butter No Parsnips elsewhere:

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Support the show:

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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Kyle encounters what he thinks is an obvious word, in more ways than one, but Emily puts some complications in his path. Together they’ll parse through unexpected definitions, clunky phrases, and linguistic repetition, all in pursuit of the word obviate.

This word leads our hosts through a smorgasbord of linguistic topics. Emily introduces a unique feature of Algonquian grammar. Kyle recalls a couple of Latin roots for winding paths and things in the way. And the pair of them discuss how a roadblock might, in fact, clear the way.

However, obviate also presents some tricky questions of word usage for our hosts, such as: What does it mean to be redundant in language? How many of our words are in fact unnecessary? When is a phrase annoyingly clunky, and when is it delightfully playful?

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 what you hear? Follow Butter No Parsnips elsewhere:

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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Who’s got the power? Anyone from proper princesses to mighty militias, and devastating dandies to high-jumping horses, as Kyle and Emily reveal in discussing the word puissant.

Our hosts dive into yet another journey of French words into the English lexicon, from translations of French morality tales, to Shakespearean lines about powerful liege lords. Puissant describes that which is mighty in every way—including physical strength, societal value, and even fashion expertise.

But puissance also makes an unexpected appearance in the equestrian world, leading our hosts to a discussion about showjumping. Kyle tells the story of history’s highest jumping horse, and Emily pitches what we all can agree would’ve been a superior version of A Bug’s Life.

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 what you hear? Follow Butter No Parsnips elsewhere:

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Support the show:

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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Emily has thrown down the gauntlet and challenged Kyle to a swordfight, but the blade she pulls is a little smaller than expected. The two hack and slash at language and history, as they discuss the winding origins of the word snickersnee.

Our hosts look back at some Dutch roots that stick like glue, put a stitch in your side, and are even surprisingly snide. Kyle gets a refresher on how words can come together to make something new and beautiful… In this case, a knife! And Emily puts this knife in context with a bit of Anglo-Dutch history.

Snickersnee leads our hosts to several related words and phrases, including snicker that’s not as funny as it sounds, as well as a memorable term from the poem “Jabberwocky”. Emily upgrades from a knife to a sword, revealing what it means to be cut and thrust. And Kyle takes a stab at naming some fictional weapons.

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 what you hear? Follow Butter No Parsnips elsewhere:

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Support the show:

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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

Get ready for some classic love potion hijinks! This week Kyle and Emily are talking about magical concoctions, dubious enchantments, desirable faces, and the word 'philtrum'.

This word gets our hosts in the mood for love. They delve into antiquity and ask what a philter is made of, how it’s administered, and what it can do. Spoiler alert, all the answers are bad. It turns out there’s a dangerously fine line between a potion and a poison.

But it’s not all alchemy today! Emily and Kyle also discuss face anatomy, and ask that age old question, “what IS the deal with those little grooves above your lip?” They chat about the formation of faces, the cupid’s bow with its dart of love, and secret sex appeal nestled under your nose.

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 what you hear? Follow Butter No Parsnips elsewhere:

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Support the show:

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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore

You can support worm.so directly at https://www.worm.so/worm-plus. After three months of membership, you’ll be eligible to receive a worm.so–branded tote!

Kyle and Emily sit down with Kara Raynoha this week to share the good word about a new name in book tracking apps: worm.so. Kara walks the hosts through how the idea first took root, and why the current landscape of reader platforms leaves a lot to be desired.

From discovery feeds and swipe features to reading goals, clubs, and events, the conversation explores what happens when book tracking shifts from monomaniacal corporate incentive to active and informed community-building. Along the way, they dig into thornier questions: data privacy, corporate ownership, algorithmic influence, and how massive platforms shape what readers see.

At the heart of it all, though, is this: what does “community” really mean for readers? Libraries, indie bookshops, BookTok, worm.so positions itself as an app that responds to a need. Whether you log every page or just love talking books, this episode will get you think about who really benefits from the way we track our reading… and who should.

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 what you hear? Follow Butter No Parsnips elsewhere:

• Instagram • Facebook • TikTok • Twitch •

Support the show:

• Patreon • Website • Ko-fi •

Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore