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Butter No Parsnips
By Butter No ParsnipsComedy
Butter No Parsnips episodes
- 144. Exurb
Emily and Kyle get away from the hustle and bustle, and take a linguistic drive to the countryside--discussing suburbs, cemeteries, and the history of the word exurb.
Our hosts begin by finding the origins of the exurbs, both as a word and as an extension of the city. They talk about the urbane ancient Romans, the suburbs of Gomorrah, and the advent of the rural cemetery. Thankfully, the exurban residents that followed were a little more lively.
The episode then turns towards city life. Or, rather, the life of the commuter trying desperately to escape the city. Emily provides insights into the exurbs of both yesteryear and today. The mid-century exurbanite is a character Kyle recognizes well, but today’s exurbia lies further away than he might’ve expected.
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
35 min - 143. Simplified Spelling w/ Gabe Henry
In this very special guest episode, Kyle, Emily, and Seth are all joined by author Gabe Henry who’s been walking in the particularly large shoes of Teddy Roosevelt lately with the recent release of his book Enough is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell .
In Enough is Enuf, Henry explores hundreds of years of spelling reform efforts as led by the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain, George Bernard Shaw, and many, many more. From spelling bees to the SoundSpel, and from Ben Franklin to the artist formerly known as Prince, Henry covers the gamut.
Henry answers all the questions asked by episode 123. Decalogue, and demands us to look at the world thru the lenz of absent silent leters, single leters where there 1ce were 2, and alfabets made completely anu in a conversation we hope will respark the spelling reform 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 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
1 hr - 142. Bizarro
Kyle and Emily are embroiled once more in Seth’s conjurations of the Lexiconicon when he introduces them to this week’s word: bizarro. Seth traces this word’s tangled roots from French to Italian to Spanish (and maybe Basque?) only as a courtesy to what lies ahead.
Summoning linguists Parkvall and Androutsopoulos, Seth reveals the “O-word taxonomy”—sharing everything from agentive weirdos and apocoped typos to parasitical kiddos and paragogic Jackos. But firstly, us meet the DC villain thatself, Bizarro, Superman’s backwards-talking, cube-planet-living, worstest-friend-having foil, whose legacy extends far beyond the Silver Age of Comics that birthed him.
And all of this leads Seth to introduce the works of Carlton Mellick III and other authors pushing narrative past the edge of coherence and into something much stranger—where logic is boring, skeletons crawl out of orifices, and your partner’s insides might just contain your soulmate. It’s not just fiction. It’s bizarro.
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
58 min - 141. Formication
Kyle really gets Emily itching for a word this week, but don’t worry, it’s probably just formication. From medieval pustules to meth mites, this week's word scurries through centuries of medical language and insect-inspired metaphors.
Kyle takes us through the Latin root formīca and the many creepy-crawly terms it spawned, while exploring the fine line between a nerve impulse and a full-blown hallucination. Plus: fainting pulses, swarming peasants, and the surprising link between ants and your kitchen countertop.
From skin-deep symptoms to countertop laminate, it’s an episode that crawls in unexpected directions, and really starts to blur the lines between entomology and etymology.
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
41 min - 140. Aphotic
Emily and Kyle plumb the depths this week—literally and linguistically—as they explore the word aphotic and the eerie world it describes beneath the ocean’s surface.
From Greek roots to Victorian bacteria reports, our hosts trace the word’s journey into scientific language, uncovering how aphotic came to define a zone of the deep sea. Emily describes the disinfectant powers of sunlight, and sheds light on bioluminescence and the glowing tricks of deep-sea predators.
And yes, we’re talking anglerfish—from glowing lures to one unexpected viral goodbye, it turns out even the darkest depths can catch the spotlight.
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
36 min - 139. Planet Word w/ Ann B. Friedman
Emily and Kyle are joined this week by Ann B. Friedman, founder of Planet Word, a museum in Washington, D.C. dedicated to the language arts.
Planet Word, located in the historic Franklin School building in Washington, D.C., transforms the fascinating world of language arts into something interactive, engaging, and universally enjoyable. From a karaoke lounge celebrating the art of songwriting, to a library where books come to life, to a 22-foot-tall wall of words you can speak to — the museum is a playground for language lovers!
Friedman shares the journey of turning this innovative concept into a vibrant, immersive museum experience, and reveals how each installation encourages visitors to actively engage with language in new and exciting ways. She also offers the hosts her unique perspective on the purpose and impact of museums, stressing the importance of creating spaces that not only educate but also inspire curiosity and connection in this episode all about the curation of the language arts.
Go to https://planetwordmuseum.org to plan your trip today!
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
53 min - 138. Codswallop
Kyle and Emily crack open a cold soda and go fishing with Hagrid. And if that sounded like absolute nonsense, then boy are you in for a treat with this history of the word codswallop.
This slang word takes our hosts down strange and disparate paths, though the strangest of all is just how recent this word’s origin might be. Kyle begins at a brewery, talking about a bottle with a hidden prize inside, and a bottle opener that packs a punch. But Emily learns that codswallop has plenty more surprises to offer.
The rest of the episode gets more than a little fishy, and we don’t mean that it’s rubbish. Our hosts suss out what a whopper refers to, who’s the biggest delinquent at the fish market, and how safe for work this episode is. They also bring things back around to our very first episode, touching on the vulgar gossip of fools and fishwives.
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 - 137. Jejune
Emily and Kyle dig into a word which is anything but lacking. Both their appetites and their minds will be well sated by this exploration of the word jejune.
Examining this word’s earliest roots, our hosts chat about sacrifice in Ancient Rome, a fasting ritual inherited from Ancient Greece, and what is certainly the best synonym for breakfast. And, speaking of mealtime, jejune shows its versatility in describing all kinds of emptiness, whether a metaphorical feeling in your gut, or a medical term describing digestion.
But even still, Kyle is hungry for more, and Emily provides! They discuss artistic works that leave a little to be desired, some hidden definitions of the words frothy and dangerous, and a mistakenly juvenile connection to jejune. To close out, they reveal that we might all be naive to some words’ oldest definitions.
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 - 136. Etymonline w/ Doug Harper
Kyle and Emily sit down this week with the founder of the Online Etymology Dictionary (https://www.etymonline.com) and hesitant word wizard himself Doug Harper.
Harper takes our hosts through the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of compiling one of the most exhaustive etymology resources on the internet, one which got its sea legs during the genesis of the virtual public square. While expounding on the practical wisdom that must accompany any approach to etymology, Harper reminds the hosts of the differences between etymology and lexicography, just how far one should go when deep diving, and the role history plays in understanding a word’s roots.
There’s a lot to learn in this episode, and in Harper’s purview, there’s a lot to learn from the intrinsically multidisciplinary field of etymology. How do you put the past in its own terms? Which sources are worth pursuing? What role is AI playing in the degradation of learning? Believe it or not, Harper covers it all… and more!
Be sure to support Harper’s efforts to make the world wordier on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/etymonline.
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 - 135. Euouae
Kyle and Emily warm up their vocal chords and join the church choir, as they discuss the history of a vexingly vowel-laden word, euouae.
Our hosts look at the history of everyone’s favorite tunes, Gregorian chants! They discover what a little bird told Pope Gregory I, learn what little phrase sneaks between psalms and hymns in a Catholic mass, and reveal what truly maniacal way it was abbreviated.
Kyle discusses the ‘forever and ever’ heard in the Hallelujah chorus, as well as a surprisingly secular connection to this religious phrase. Emily runs into some familiar faces who have used the word euouae. And before their singing ‘amen’, our hosts explore a few more well-known Latin phrases!
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
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!