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Butter No Parsnips
By Butter No ParsnipsComedy
Butter No Parsnips episodes
- 163. Blemmyes with Monstrum Obscura
This week, Emily and Kyle are joined by Gary Reddin, the creator of the modern-day bestiary Monstrum Obscura, to discuss ‘Blemmyes,’ an etymologically puzzling word that may cause you to lose your head about it.
Journeying through a history of the world, tales of Blemmyes and the like litter humanity’s story through myth, legend, and even cartography. And it’s not even Blemmyes all the way down! Mankind has an alarmingly lengthy list of words for headless humanoids, corporeal and beyond.
But where did these stories come from? Were they misunderstandings, metaphors, or cultural inventions to explain the unfamiliar? With echoes in Zoroastrian, Hindu, Chinese, and Japanese lore, the Blemmyes show just how far the myth of the headless man could travel, and how thin the line between history and monster can be.
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
48 min - 162. Lychnobite
Kyle’s been burning the midnight oil to show Emily the things that go bump in the night. Turns out the frighteningly named lychnobite isn’t so scary after all!
Our hosts discuss the history of those who live by lamplight, those who work the graveyard shift, and those who live in the apartment directly above yours doing step aerobics at 4 A.M. They also talk about other kinds of nightwalkers such as vampires and nighttime robbers.
But Emily learns that the most common kind of lychnobite is just trying to earn an honest dollar. And Kyle reveals the hilarious confusion this seemingly scathing word can lead to. If you’re a night owl, and are willing to give this word a chance, this is the episode for you!
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
39 min - 161. Filemot
This week, Kyle and Emily fall into autumn with the warm, withering filemot. From feuille-morte to folium, the journey of this delicate hue reveals a surprising history of paper, pastry, and petals, and flitters freely like a leaf in a fall breeze into much, much more.
Our hosts uncover how a French shade once beloved in poetry and fashion made its way into English. They trace the word through Locke’s philosophy and Swift’s satire, with a delightful nod to the filing systems of archivists.
From autumn color palettes to forgotten pastry doughs, filemot is a word that whispers its meanings through centuries of transformation. And whether it appears on a painter’s canvas, a head of hair, or a shelf of aging folios, it remains, as ever, somewhere between fading and flourishing.
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 - 160. Useless Etymology with Jess Zafarris
This week, Butter No Parsnips welcomes back author, podcaster, and etymological powerhouse Jess Zafarris (Words from Hell, Words Unravelled), whose latest book Useless Etymology proves that it is anything but!
Jess leads Kyle and Emily on an etymological expedition through the origins of everyday greetings, the sneaky influence of folk etymology, and the reason why mistakes make our language the beautiful freak that it is. Along the way, Jess shares what keeps word nerds coming back to the art of word origins, which Kyle is certain is the “word-math” of "whither" and "hither.”
With wit, insight, and only a healthy dose of pedantry, this episode is a love letter to the word-curious. If you've ever been tripped up by an eggcorn, baffled by a backronym, or found yourself preferring “ahoy” to “hello,” Useless Etymology might just be your next obsession.
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
54 min - 159. Ludibrious
Kyle and Emily enter the arena this week for a word of derision, spectacle, and ancient sport: ludibrious. With roots stretching from Roman games to Protestant persecution, this term once conjured laughter and contempt in equal measure, whether on the stage, the battlefield, or the pulpit.
Our hosts trace the evolution of play into scorn, and examine how public games became public shame. Along the way, they encounter martyrs, emperors, and playwrights, and of course, the Society of Florists, because what would we be without the Society Florists?
And you can join them at the Florists’ Feast, as they travel from Renaissance satire to failed American epics, and watch as the word reemerges again and again, as if to say: no one escapes becoming the punchline.
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
40 min - 158. Stevedore
Emily and Kyle learn what the average Steve does for a living, what makes shipping so expensive, and who swears like a sailor (aside from a sailor), as they explore the history of the word stevedore.
Our hosts dig into the origins of this word—which, shockingly, perhaps disappointingly, have nothing to do with the name Steve. In fact, it has more to do with the ins and outs of dock work, and the person doing that work. And discussing this subject reveals that our ancestors were just as annoyed about shipping costs as we are.
The conversation also meanders towards other terms for dockworkers, and Kyle learns the deceptively simple origin of the term longshoreman. Emily gives us a look at maritime history, the plights of dockworkers, and some insight on a union strike that might sound familiar.
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
37 min - 157. Churlish
Kyle and Emily get a little impolite, discussing the meaning and origin of churlish—a word you might’ve heard before but has plenty to surprise you!
Our hosts travel all the way back to medieval times and beyond, looking at the earliest forms of not only churlish but also husband and wife, geriatrics and grain. They also sift through some archaic terms for peasants and earls alike. And it turns out that the terms in Skyrim weren’t so fantastical after all!
Kyle reveals a connection between this week’s word and King Charles. He also walks us through how to do the crime without doing the time under medieval law. (Hint: It involves being born a lord.) And Emily learns how the word churlish suffered a similar fate to the word villain, meaning “poor” one day and “rude” the next.
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
43 min - 156. Panjandrum
This week, Emily and Kyle are tackling the great panjandrum himself, exploring the humorous origins and unexpected usage of this decidedly impressive word.
Our hosts begin with a passage of 18th century nonsense, and a memory exercise that acting pros like Kyle can handle with ease. Emily then gives us a look at panjandrums through Victorian era children’s literature, satirical magazines, and modern day newspapers alike.
But the panjandrum that really blasts off comes around in World War II. Our hosts explore a weapon that could’ve stormed the beaches on D-Day, but in fact just careened around the beaches of Westward Ho! And before they close out, Emily quizzes Kyle on a few more wheeled terrors of WW2.
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
44 min - PATREON UNLOCKED - Butter'd Parsnips, Ep. 32: EPICnyms Pt. 5: "A Guy That Got Wounded and Captured and Fell Down the Stairs and Died & Also Math"
EPICnyms are back! In this, the fifth (third?) installment of the EPICnyms series, Emily and Seth take you on a ride from phooey to philosophy.
Starting in the Deep South with a word named for a county named for a man with some awfully bad luck, Emily reveals how a synonym for nonsense came from a political move to get right with his constituency.
Seth follows up with a 9th century mathematician whose work gave us that awful buzzword you see being blamed for our deteriorating attention spans.
And finally, as per usual, they'd already been recording for so long at the point that Seth and Emily got through their words that Kyle has a special Part 6 (or Part II?) coming that's dedicated entirely to him! Keep an ear out for it!
This is a special look at the Patreon exclusive podcast Butter’d Parsnips available on our Patreon at www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips. For just $5 a month, you gain access to our entire backlog as well as a bunch of other fun perks.
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
45 min - 155. Catachresis w/ Mignon Fogarty
This week, Kyle and Emily are joined by special guest Mignon Fogarty, aka Grammar Girl, as they take a deep dive into catachresis, a word that stretches the very concept of meaning and walks the line between metaphor and malfunction.
Together, the trio untangles how catachresis functions when language falls short, collapsing analogies and forcing words to stand in where none exist. Along the way, they encounter rhetorical castaways, troublesome table legs, and metaphorical meadows mowed by razors. Plus: a taxonomy of misfires and mix-ups, from collapsed logic to John Cleveland’s precarious poetry to Sheridan’s pineapple of politeness.
What begins with a figure of speech ends in a full-on identity crisis for language itself. Join the conversation as the Grammar Girl herself helps to figure out where the meaning ends… and the misuse begins.
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.
You can check out all of Mignon's work at Quick and Dirty Tips. Grammar Girl is on YouTube, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok.
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
46 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!