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 In this richly layered episode, the hosts follow up on unanswered questions from last week’s exploration of blue. They start by confirming what Russians actually call their beloved “Blue” cats—Синий русский (Siniy russkiy)—and dive into why Puritan “blue laws” might have literally come from blue paper or blue clothing. From there, the couple unpacks theories on how “blue” came to mean both “religious strictness” and “indecency,” tracing its tangled linguistic roots through New England idioms and 19th‑century slang.

The new word of the week, crèche, opens a thoughtful discussion on the Latin, French, and Greek origins of the manger scene and how baby Jesus’ “feeding trough” evolved into Christmas iconography. The episode closes on a spirited debate about when the holiday season should really begin, whether Thanksgiving deserves more respect, and even if daylight savings time should be abolished for good.

Keywords: Russian Blue cats, blue laws, etymology of “blue,” crèche, Christmas decorations, holiday culture, language history.

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Any views expressed on this podcast are those solely of the hosts and is for entertainment purposes only. None of the content is medical advice or financial advice.

Special thanks to Tim Wright aka CoLD SToRAGE for his permission to use the song Operatique.