What In The Word

What In The Word

By Portia Nagano & Carolyn LiebermanHistory
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What In The Word episodes

  • 24 - Coffee Devil Poop Disks

    We're back, baby! How have y'all been? Thank you for hanging around while we took a much-needed break. Podcasting with full-time jobs is hard, but you make it worth it. Today's episode covers coffee origin stories and the smelly story of "ostracize."


    Portia's Sources:

    • The History of Coffee (ncausa.org)
    • Coffee's Mysterious Origins - The Atlantic

    • Carolyn's Sources:

      • ostracize | Search Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com)
      • The History of Butt Wiping: What Did People Use Before Toilet Paper? – Pristine Sprays
      • Ostracism - How the Athenians voted people out of office (thevintagenews.com)
      • The Practice of Ostracism at Athens* | Antichthon | Cambridge Core
      • Ostracism, political practice in ancient Athens | Short history website
      • 30 min
      • WITW Short 23 - Sneeze Lurking For Internet Friends

        Hello! Sorry for the pause in uploads. I (Portia) am drowning in work and struggled to find the time to upload. We are in the process of hiring an editor so fingers crossed we won't have any more lags. Thank you for your patience! This week Carolyn talks about sneezelurkers and dirty handkerchiefs! Portia talks about parasocial relationships and why we all could use more time away from our phones. We definitely do want to be internet friends though! Send us a DM on Instagram @whatinthewordpod or send us an email at [email protected].

        Carolyn's Sources:

        • https://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2014/03/10-reasons-19th-century-slang-better-todays
        • https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/manly-slang-from-the-19th-century/
        • https://sites.google.com/site/motman/Home/information/slang
        • 18 min
        • WITW Special With Carrie Hardin of You Talk Funny

          Last month we had the pleasure of speaking with the delightful, funny, and wicked smaht human behind the You Talk Funny Podcast, Carrie Hardin. Carrie is a voice actor, dialect coach, podcaster, professor, and so much more. Not only did she teach us about the in's and out's of dialect coaching, but she gave us a quick preview of her killer Welsh accent (please teach us more!) Thank you for gracing our ears and our screen, Carrie. You can find her at www.carriehardintalksfunny.com and on Instagram @carriehardintalksfunny. 

          57 min
        • 23 - To Hell With Rummy Turtles!

          Hello, friends! This week we talk about one of Carolyn's favorite animals: The Turtle! And we dive into the history of rum (Did you know rum is made from sugar cane molasses. Look up the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, you will not be disappointed). Thanks, as always, for joining us on the show. We hope you enjoy this episode!

          Carolyn's Sources:

          • https://therumfestival.co.uk/where-does-the-word-rum-come-from/
          • https://mainrum.com/history/
          • https://www.foodandwine.com/cocktails-spirits/rum/brief-history-rum
          • 30 min
          • WITW Short 22 - Iced Out Cheugs

            Hello! This week we talk about all things TikTok. Are you on the app? Send us your handles, we would love to support you. Tune in for some fun internet slang and a true short. You won't be disappointed.

            Carolyn's Sources:

            https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ice-in-my-veins-pose

            https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56886857

            16 min
          • 22 - Signing Your Life Away

            This week Carolyn teaches us about the versatility of X (the math function, treasure marker, former flame hybrid). Portia tells us all about mortgages and...999 year leases?! Say no more. Head to Apple Podcasts and leave us a review and please write in at [email protected]. Have a great week!

            Carolyn's Sources:

            • https://www.dictionary.com/e/letter-x/
            • https://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_why_is_x_the_unknown?language=en
            • http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/11/origins-mathematical-convention-using-x-unknown/
            • https://public.oed.com/blog/the-x-factor-the-challenges-of-pronouncing-x/
            • https://web.archive.org/web/20110712230707/http://www.hugkiss.com/valentine/xoxo.shtml
            • https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-whole-lot-of-history-behind-x-and-o-kiss-and-hug/2014/02/13/0c3e218a-9341-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_story.html
            • https://mashedradish.com/2017/09/13/a-brief-history-of-x/
            • 27 min
            • The Anniversary Episode

              Listeners, friends, family, every single house pet... We've made it to one year! Thank you for supporting us along the way. We've learned a lot and hope you have too. In this episode, we discuss what worked (and what really didn't), our hopes and dreams for the future, and why we love our show.

              34 min
            • WITW Short 21 - Unbelie-bubble Reali-teas

              This week Carolyn teaches us about the dark arts, oooh! Spooky. But seriously, how many of y'all are Slytherin into Draco Malfoy's bed? Portia also uncovers the equally sexy translation of boba. This is quite the episode.

              Carolyn's Sources:

              • https://www.bustle.com/life/shifting-tiktok-viral-creepy-how-to
              • https://happytowander.com/how-to-shift-reality/
              • https://thoughtfulgiftclub.com/harry-potter-shifting-script-template/
              • https://geektrippers.com/reality-shifting-hogwarts/
              • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2QVMQbslWM&ab_channel=Jambasmurf
              • https://aminoapps.com/c/desired/page/blog/160-places-to-shift-to-ideas/nJEB_8kuLu8EJ8QqJL6krWRvve7dzqXKlG
              • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjRpDWh2Cto&ab_channel=CELESTIALSUBLIMINALS
              • 29 min
              • 21 - Being Nice in Sin City

                Carolyn's mom attended a Steve Aoki concert and stayed for the cake-ing. That is all you will ever need to know about Vegas. That's it. That's the caption. 

                --

                Carolyn's Notes:

                • https://www.dictionary.com/e/nice-guys/
                • https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=nice
                • https://www.etymologynerd.com/blog/nice-etymology
                • https://www.good.is/articles/history-of-nice-meaning
                • https://didyouknowfacts.com/the-history-of-the-word-nice-isnt-all-that-well-nice/
                • https://www.michiganradio.org/post/changing-meanings-nice-and-silly
                • https://medium.com/inspired-ideas-prek-12/10-shareable-facts-about-kindness-empathy-and-social-and-emotional-learning-1ec5c2f42f2b
                • https://www.quietrev.com/6-science-backed-ways-being-kind-is-good-for-your-health/
                • 36 min
                • WITW Short 20 - Hurry! This One's Gr-r-reat!

                  Due to technical difficulties, Portia was late on posting last week. But we are back, baby! With a true short. A true...Hurry, if you will. Eh? Eh? This week Carolyn covers Korean text slang with 8282 and Portia talks all things cereal mascots. Leave us a review, pour your heart out, pour some milk out, we love y'all lots. If you have children, Portia cusses, so cover their ears. 

                  15 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.