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Butter No Parsnips
By Butter No ParsnipsComedy
Butter No Parsnips episodes
- 173. E-Prime
We're going LIVE TOMORROW, 8pm US ET, December 23rd, 2025 at https://www.twitch.tv/butternoparsnips. You can follow us there to stay up to date on all of our monthly streams!
Kyle and Emily stumble into an old Shakespearean dilemma this Chump season when Seth introduces them to E-Prime. To be or not to be? That is a question, but the bigger question is just semantics.
From the wayward roots of an existential verb to Magritte’s “The Treachery of Images”, the Chump Chump challenges the Butter No Parsnips trio to communicate on a higher level of abstraction for the holidays. What does that mean exactly? Ask none other than the founder of the Institute of General Semantics Count Alfred Korzybski. He’s dead though, so Seth gives it his best shot.
What’s life like without being? Who am I? What were we? Where have we been? Is this all there is?! All of these questions with none of the answers await you in this philosophically, semantically burdensome episode that sheds all the weight of being and replaces it with something seemingly so much more difficult. Cheery Chump!
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 YouTube @ButterNoParsnips
Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips
Want to watch us live? Follow us on Twitch!
Support us
www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips or by visiting www.bnppod.com
Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
1 hr 6 min - 172. Verglas
We're going LIVE at Tuesday, 8pm US ET, December 23rd, 2025 at Twitch. You can follow us there to stay up to date on all of our monthly streams!
This week, Kyle and Emily take a slippery step into the world of verglas. A sleek French borrowing with roots in poetry, peril, and absolutely eating it on the pavement. What does it have to do with medieval “Verses of Death”, physics, and the word vitriol? You may want to tread carefully.
Verglas isn’t just a lexical curiosity. In fact, it’s one of the most quietly treacherous things you’ll never see coming. From black ice to silver thaw, hoarfrost to glaze, Emily sorts through the sparkling terminology of frozen water and the secret lives of icy layers, all while managing to stay on two feet.
From mountaintops to Montreal, Kyle discovers how a single term can bridge medieval French poetry, weather reports, and the high-stakes world of alpine climbing. And although the frigid ferocity of black ice remains a threat on the peaks, the crystalline vision of frozen-over fields is a Robert Frost poem just waiting to happen.
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 YouTube @ButterNoParsnips
Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips
Support us
www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips or by visiting www.bnppod.com
Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
38 min - 171. Jorum
We're going LIVE at Tuesday, 8pm US ET, December 23rd, 2025 at Twitch. You can follow us there to stay up to date on all of our monthly streams
Kyle and Emily allow their cups to spilleth over in this cheery, beery, and all around festive dive into the word ‘jorum’. From Hebrew scripture to Arabic pottery to Jesus himself, these biblical vessels are full to the brim with etymological curiosity.
Things start to fizz in 18th-century England, thanks to playwright Henry Fielding and a puppet show goddess named Nonsense. The word bubbles into beer ballads and raucous operas, and inspires one and all to “Push About the Jorum,” as it carries with it an unmistakable mood: merriment in abundance.
From Dickensian tea to egg-flip by the fire, jorum becomes a toast to the season and a vessel for storytelling. It’s a spirited journey through centuries of literary tipples, festive flips, and a ghost who, like any of us, just wants a jorum of skee. So grab your own beverage of choice and join us for a word that leaves the belly full and the brain merry.
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 YouTube @ButterNoParsnips
Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips
Want to watch us live? Follow us on Twitch!
Support us
www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips or by visiting www.bnppod.com
Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
42 min - 170. Halcyon
Emily and Kyle enjoy a bit of a break in the weather, and bring you on a journey of a lovesick couple, gods both vengeful and kindhearted, seafaring birds, and the word halcyon.
This word tells a thrilling tale from Greek mythology, full of romance, tragedy, and magical salvation. And this story tells of not only halcyon’s origin, but the origin of the kingfisher as well. Our hosts dive into mythological characters, Greek etymology, and avian taxonomy all in one fell swoop.
When Emily reveals the end of this classic tale, Kyle discovers what makes the halcyon days so beautiful. The pair discuss what—in myth and in reality—brings about this peaceful, winter-time span. And it becomes easy to see why, after these days are gone, one might look back with nostalgia.
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 YouTube @ButterNoParsnips
Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips
Want to watch us live? Follow us on Twitch!
Support us
www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips or by visiting www.bnppod.com
Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
39 min - 169. Gegenschein
As dusk falls, Kyle and Emily set out a blanket and do some stargazing, trying to catch a glimpse of that rare and captivating phenomenon: the gegenschein.
Our hosts dive into the origins of this decidedly German word. Along the way, Emily discovers some unexpectedly “shiny” words, and Kyle unpacks what it means to “gainsay” someone. But the pair quickly put etymology aside in favor of some mind-boggling astronomy.
Kyle helps Emily understand exactly how sunlight can be seen in the night sky. By the end of the episode, they’re pretty sure it’s down to either cosmic dust or a retro children’s toy. Thankfully, our hosts have plenty of experts to refer to: from astronomers to science fiction authors, from kooky researcher Charles Fort to Queen guitarist Brian May.
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 YouTube @ButterNoParsnips
Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips
Want to watch us live? Follow us on Twitch!
Support us
www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips or by visiting www.bnppod.com
Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
43 min - 168. Lexipedia with Joshua Blackburn
Kyle and Emily welcome back the creator of the League of the Lexicon Joshua Blackburn, whose latest work is not a game, but a gorgeously illustrated compendium for the incurably curious, The Language-Lover’s Lexipedia. Inviting readers to play in the margins of language from ampersands and fossil words to why Dickensian characters are named that way, the Lexipedia is for anyone who’s ever found themselves tumbling down an endless, linguistic rabbit hole.
Blackburn shares how a pandemic-era effort to make English more exciting became a codex of some of the quirkiest, most charming language phenomena around. With homage to the design of vintage academia, the Lexipedia makes curiosity the driving force of all the lingual delights within. It even introduces you to some of the people who’ve bolstered our language throughout history, like the murderer behind the greatest number of citation submissions to the OED.
Joshua Blackburn’s League of the Lexicon is a growing world, and alongside the release of The Language-Lover’s Lexipedia comes the US Edition of the original word quiz game that sparked Blackburn’s word fame. Whether you’re a hardcore word nerd or just linguistically curious, this episode has a little something for everyone.
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 YouTube @ButterNoParsnips
Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips
Want to watch us live? Follow us on Twitch!
Support us
www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips or by visiting www.bnppod.com
Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
1 hr 3 min - 167. Palindrome with Barry Duncan
Kyle and Emily go back and forth this week with palindromist Barry Duncan, whose masterfully mirrored sentences are more than just clever tricks of language. From his early inspirations to his mega-length compositions, Barry walks us through the curious, reflective world of reversibility, and why starting in the middle is sometimes the only way forward.
Along the way, the trio explores what makes a palindrome “good,” and how constraint can actually unlock creativity. Barry shares how structure, rhythm, and the emotional weight of a topic all come into play when writing in this uniquely symmetrical form. Whether the words are light and playful or heavy and profound, the challenge of balance remains the same.
As the conversation unfolds, Barry makes a case for palindromes as more than mere wordplay. They’re a kind of poetry, a kind of puzzle, and maybe even a kind of philosophy. Poetry. Puzzles. Palindromes.
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 @ButterNoParsnipsPodcastFollow us on YouTube @ButterNoParsnips
Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips
Want to watch us live? Follow us on Twitch!
Support us
www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips or by visiting www.bnppod.com
Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
49 min - 166. Koan
This week’s word gets Emily and Kyle one step closer to enlightenment. Well, linguistic enlightenment, if not spiritual. Settle in for a crash course in eastern Buddhism, a ponderous paradox or two, and the history of the word koan.
Our hosts unpack the roots of this Japanese word in even earlier Chinese terms, and discover their new favorite fictional detective along the way. They likewise explore the roots of Zen Buddhism in earlier Chan literature, glimpsing the head-scratcher questions that have plagued readers for centuries.
Emily introduces us to some of the most famous questions that students of Zen seek to answer, like the mu-koan and the “one hand clapping”. And, putting aside spiritual meditation, they also look at some of the English language’s more casual uses of the word koan.
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 YouTube @ButterNoParsnips
Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips
Support us
www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips or by visiting www.bnppod.com
Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
38 min - 165. Scribal Error
This week, the Lexiconicon drags Kyle and Emily to Wordition, a hellish realm of scribal errors. Plunging the duo into the fiery margins of medieval manuscripts, the pair must banish an infernal force that now possesses Seth the morally ambiguous word wizard.
From haplography to homeoteleuton, they battle the classic blunders of scribes past, decoding the corrupt world of textual criticism with their etymological knowledge, rhyming spells, and… some of the best darn scattin’ you’ve heard in a dog’s age.
Come face-to-face with the taxonomy of scribal omission, duplication, and misreading, and venture into the heart of this paperbound pandemonium where there lurks a centuries-old demon who may be behind it all. In the end, though, this demon may be the greatest error among them.
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 YouTube @ButterNoParsnips
Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips
Support us
www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips or by visiting www.bnppod.com
Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
1 hr - 164. Necropants
Kyle and Emily kick Spooky Season into high gear with a word that is sure to shake you to your core. Come with us, only if you dare, to learn about the spooky, scary, and definitely unsanitary necropants.
Our hosts explore this object of Icelandic legends and folklore–which, unfortunately, is just as morbid as the name “necropants” suggests. They first dive through some familiar etymology, but the episode quickly takes a turn for the creepy. Emily recoils at the sight of these deathly pants, while Kyle explains the ritual which supposedly creates them.
But the sorcery doesn’t stop there! Kyle tells us tales of ancient runes, including those most powerful and dangerous fart runes. Our hosts look at some stories of necropants wearers, both the legendary and the possibly real. And Emily tries her best to unpack some other stores from Nordic folklore.
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 @ButterNoParsnipsPodcastFollow us on YouTube @ButterNoParsnips
Follow us on TikTok @ButterNoParsnips
Support us
www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips or by visiting www.bnppod.com
Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
40 min
About Butter No Parsnips
From the publisher's feed
Every week on Butter No Parsnips, your hosts Emily Moyers and Kyle Imperatore take you on an adventure through the weird, wacky, wonderful, and sometimes wicked history of one wayside word. Strange…
characters, delightful bits, and general joyousness abound, join them as they test each other's etymological expertise!