Dead Air

"Hello again Word Lovers!" after diving into some insults (see IE23) we can explore some words and phrases that started as insults but have been claimed back by victims returning it back into language without a pejorative meaning, this is called "reappropriation" in etymological circles. Full notes in the accompanying article can be found on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-26-reappropriation

In the second of our "Iconography of Britain" series we take a look at the globally recognised London red bus. There are in fact two iconic designs, the RT Regent and RM Routemaster, both built by AEC.

We explore the history and service of the big red bus and the secrets behind the enduring success.

A full accompanying article is available on our website along with resources and recommended further information :

https://www.bulldogz.org/post/the-iconography-of-britain-2-the-red-london-bus

"Hello again word lovers" In this episode, we dip our toes in the waters of Nadsat, the invented language in the Anthony Burgess novel "A Clockwork Orange".

Find the full text of the article on our website at: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-25-nadsat

"Hello again Word Lovers!" Today we look at words we use in English that come from Yiddish.

Yiddish is a curious language, it is not actually based on Hebrew although it has many Hebrew words, it is in fact Germanic. A clue is in the name of the language itself which is derived from the German for Jewish.

Full article to accompany this programme on our website :

https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-24-yiddish

"Hello again Word Lovers!" and today lots of insults! Please be warned, obviously, this episode and article features some slurs and insults and are presented here for scholarly purposes only.

We review some pejorative terms for people of certain nationalities: Germans, the different British nationalities, the Spanish, Americans, Italians and of course, the French. (We cover the term Spaniards which is often mistaken as a pejorative term but has no pejorative connotation.

General Insults:

We investigate the use of "swerve" as an insult and how it transforms to "dodger" in modern use.

Pejoratives for professionals

Pejoratives for forms of transport

Pejoratives for bad people

We take a look at the etymology of some recent language such as Quisling and Shill

Further reading

We recommend the Viz swearing dictionary "Roger's Profanisaurus" and the "Urban Dictionary". Links can be found on our website.

Welcome to ‘Tales from the Other Side’ where we look at folklore, mythology and magic.

Throughout history and to this day there are many old wives’ tales surrounding childbirth. From

guessing due dates and the gender of the baby to foods eaten to induce labour. It’s often the case

that the more unusual the pregnancy or birth, the more superstition there is associated with it and today we are going to look at some of the beliefs surrounding caulbearers.

Full text available on our website :

https://www.bulldogz.org/post/tales-from-the-other-side-secret-diary-of-a-caul-girl

"Hello again word lovers!"

Interesting Etymologies is back and a more modern investigation in this episode as we investigate the background to the names of some of the biggest rock and pop bands of all time!

Check out the accompanying article for more information on the origins of the band names and the stories behind them on our website:

https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-22-band-names

The British Red Telephone Box is perhaps the most iconic piece of design ever commissioned and is recognised globally as a symbol of Britishness.

In this programme, we explore the history and the design of an icon and how they are being used today in a world of mobile phone use.

More fascinating resources, further facts in the accompanying article available at our website here:

https://www.bulldogz.org/post/the-iconography-of-britain-the-red-telephone-box

Locate K6 boxes around the world and share your pictures:

https://www.x2connect.com/RedPhonebox/K6PhotoGallery

Fantastic information on the different telephone box designs:

http://www.the-telephone-box.co.uk/

https://www.britishtelephones.com/

A visual history of the red telephone box:

https://museumcrush.org/a-visual-history-of-the-british-telephone-box/

A museum collection of all red telephone boxes:

https://avoncroft.org.uk/

Interesting Etymologies Premier League Special

"Hello again Word Lovers!" To start our return to the fascinating world of words we are going to take a look at the roots of the names of the top football teams in English football.

Some names known the world over, now you can amaze your friends and colleagues with some fascinating knowledge on the origin of some of the most famous names in football history!

Full etymological notes available on our website:https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-the-premier-league-special

All music from The Consequences of Courage Project

Red-headed, folklore junky, Claire Alcock regales us with the story of Macha, a tale of treachery, revenge and a woman scorned.