What In The Word

What In The Word

By Portia Nagano & Carolyn LiebermanHistory
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What In The Word episodes

  • 2022 Announcement

    Hi y'all! A quick announcement from Carol here at your favorite word podcast. Hope 2022 is starting off well and we can't wait to get back in the saddle with you all.

    Stick around for the full 3 minutes to hear the shortest short ever on the pod as well as some delightful music to the ears at the very very end.

    Thank you all for listening! We really appreciate and love you (for real)!

    4 min
  • 28 - Rainy Punks

    This week we talk about the accuracy of your local weather people and the possibility of sustainable futures. (Such a departure from last week, huh?) We hope you're enjoying spooky season and we'll see you next week!

    29 min
  • WITW Short 27 - Why Is It Spicy?

    **THIS EPISODE IS 18+** If you don't know the "Why is it spicy?" TikTok audio... we need to get you up to speed, my friend! This week we uncover the meanings of some of your favorite spoicy emojis and learn about the succinct and unknown origins of soda. 

    17 min
  • 1 - Quarantine Nightmare Re-Release

    Hi friends! Today we're releasing a re-recording of our very first episode. It's our most played episode and we wanted to provide you with something that's a little easier on the ears. 


    Also, we're looking to hire an editor for our episodes! We're looking to hire urgently, and are looking for someone who is highly self-motivated and love tangents. Seriously, you need to love them to be able to sit through our un-cut episodes :) Please send your resume to [email protected]. We'd love to have you on our team!

    37 min
  • WITW Short 26 - Silver Lotus

    This week's short is looong, but it's a goodie, we promise! Today we unpack the history of Mah Jong and we settle the heated debate around the pronunciation of Argentina. 


    Carolyn's Sources:

    • http://www.biblioteca.jus.gov.ar/Argentina-Constitution.pdf
    • https://www.quora.com/Do-people-born-in-Argentina-prefer-to-be-called-Argentinian-or-Argentine
    • https://www.britannica.com/place/Rio-de-la-Plata
      • 33 min
    • 26 - Robo(p)op!

      If you're a child or you have a child in the room, don't listen to this one. It's spicy. Today we're talking about robots and corn!


      • https://www.npr.org/2011/04/22/135634400/science-diction-the-origin-of-the-word-robot?t=1633442879047
      • http://academic.depauw.edu/aevans_web/HONR101-02/WebPages/Spring2006/Akinbola(Mike)/R.U.R.%20(1921).html
      • https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/the-origin-of-the-word-robot/
      • https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/549054/isaac-asimov-facts
        • 35 min
      • WITW Short 25 - 10 Pound Heffer

        Sorry for the delay, but we have another short for ya! Today we learn about £10 Pommes and the gross, but kind of novel formulation of the first vaccine.


        Carolyn's Sources:

        • Post World War II British Migration to Australia (museumsvictoria.com.au)
        • Meanings and origins of Australian words and idioms | ANU School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics
        • SS Asturias
          • 26 min
        • WITW Short 25 - 10 Pound Heffer

          Sorry this is a day late, but we have another short for ya! Today we learn about 10 pound pommes and the gross, but kind of novel formulation of the first vaccine.

          ---
          Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/what-in-the-word/message
          26 min
        • 25 - Trivial Pursuit With Old Gr(o)g

          Sorry, friends! I (Portia) will do a better job at researching and reading said research before an episode. But today we have the history of trivia and the story behind the word, groggy. If you like our show, please leave us a review or a rating and we'll see you next week!

          Carolyn's Sources:

          • https://www.etymonline.com/word/trivial
          • https://www.sporcle.com/blog/2017/06/a-short-history-of-trivia/
          • https://uselessetymology.com/2020/09/05/965/
          • https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2020/01/in-a-word-trivia-three-ways/
            • 37 min
          • WITW Short 24 - Gee Wilikers, O(h)nomatopoeia

            Oh gee, oh no! This short has lots of banter. Today we talk about the origins of gee wilikers and guess the meanings of international onomatopoeias. Hope y'all are ready. We're back in the groove!


            Carolyn's Sources:

            • gee | Origin and meaning of gee by Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com)
            • Gee Willikers - phrase meaning and origin (phrases.org.uk)
            • golly | Origin and meaning of golly by Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com)
            • Gee willikers « The Word Detective (word-detective.com)
            • Irish words litter New York City slang | AOH Home of the Brooklyn Irish
            • Dia thoilleachas | cassidyslangscam (wordpress.com)
              • 21 min

            About What In The Word

            From the publisher's feed

            What In The Word Podcast is an etymology podcast hosted by Carolyn Lieberman & Portia Nagano. We explore the quirky, interesting, and surprising origins of words. We also dabble with portmanteaus and slang in our episode shorts.