Getting Down & Wordy

We talk about the film, the song, Space Jam, and we discuss the word "slam", its origins and evolution.

Orange you glad to see us again? Today we’re talking about the colorful music of Zach Bryan, the scurvy-killing superfruit and Russell’s favorite color (of the three he can see)! CiTRUST us— we know a thing or two (but no more than two!) about orange!

Content warning at the top: this episode prominently features themes of suicide. If that’s not for you, we’ll see you later! 

Content warning in the middle: this episode prominently features nerds talking about etymology. If that’s not for you, we won’t see you later!

Content note here at the end: if you are struggling with thoughts of self-harm, please reach out to someone you trust, or (in the US) dial 988 so we can see you later!

250 years after the Declaration of Independence, what does America really MEAN? As ever, an etymological understanding is basically useless, but nonetheless interesting! We’ll also discuss the nerdy names the Map Guys gave themselves, the discovery of the American continents and what makes Americans the MOST Idiots!

This week, we’re not just etymaxxing— we’re maxxmaxxing. That’s right, we’re giving maximum effort and podmaxxing all about the suffix “-maxx!” Along the way, we’ll learn Will Smith’s true name, our favorite TTRPG cheat and just how Russell got his voice to do THAT! Wow! Still weird! -

It’s the mother of all “etymology-of-mother” podcasts, just in time to be a month late for Mother’s Day! Why? Because this ain’t your mother’s mother— it’s a Pride Month special! We’re talking ballroom, queer inventors, motherfucks and mother liquors! Maybe if you’re good, we’ll even teach you about our favorite English lenitions! --

Code Pod! Code Pod! You can stop scrolling— we’ve gone on an (academic-coded) deep dive on the surprising history behind your 20 year old niece’s new favorite way to drag your butt! (Not YET sponsored by Code Red soda, but we’re working on it!)

Happy birthday, Gemini! This one is all about you! It’s also about the language of twins, stars, twin stars and the worst people for dating! This one’s a real Gem, and I(‘m there too!) -

Oh wheeeeere do these words come from? We’re reaching all the way back into our early CGI childhoods for a fruitful etymology topic: vegetables! Where do they come from? Why do we call them that? Where are their legs? We don’t have all the answers-— only the bible does— but we’ve got a lot to chew on!

What are the odds our “bet” etymology episode comes out the same week as our indictments for insider trading on Kalshi? Well, according to Kalshi, it’s— wait, our lawyers said we can’t say that. Instead, how about we talk about one of America’s favorite timeless classics (The Devil Went Down to Georgia,) and another one of America’s favorite timeless classics (gambling)!--

Wait just one sloppy second! Are you telling me words like “slop” have been grossing us out since before AI? Yuck! And also cool- etymology can be both!

Sorry, did you wait long? Our sincere apologies! We’ve got another biweekly etymology infodump for you, and it’s all about the delicate language of “Sorry.” Why do we say it? What makes a good one? And why did men in the aughts suck at them so bad?

Oy, Mista! Do you even know why we call you that, or is it still a Mr. E? Today, we’re gonna learn all about the most generic honorifics in English! And, why not— let’s throw some LDS musicians, early bloomers and generational formality in the Mx!

Mm, smell that? We’re cooking up a storm in the etymology kitchen, and PIE (Proto-Indo European!) is on the menu! We’re also serving a Hiram roast and piping hot internet takes, so come hungry and bring a Tupperware— we made a LOT!

Glad everyone’s finally stopped talking about KPop Demon Hunters? TOO BAD! Because we loved it and we wanna talk about fandom culture, Hallyu and keeping your mystery father out of your dating pool! Then, we’re gonna bring our journey full circle: the podcast formally known as Pop Etymology will do the etymology of pop. And you just won’t BELIEVE how dumb American names for soda can get!

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Well, it is Valentine’s Day and it’s time to get all our gooner etymology out of the way at the same time. Let’s all be grownups about this, because we also have to squeeze in roasting Celine Dion’s Boss-Husband, taking a trip to the moon and figuring out which TV ladies are the goonerest coded! Is this a topic two asexual nerds are qualified to speak to? Who can say? But did we irreparably damage our algorithms doing research for the episode? Yes. You’re welcome.

Shalom, and welcome to our American Jewish English episode! We’ve got your AI bat mitzvah playlists! We’ve got your diasporic language evolution! We’ve got the absolutely final word on the origins of “break a leg!”

Chat, is this real? A whole episode on the word “chat” by your favorite smatterers? And along the way, we’ll yadda yadda about blahblah, and give a little shout out to all the bug enthusiasts that accidentally clicked on an etymology podcast- we see you, and half of us agree that bugs are cool!

Yes, sir, we’re back again with another annual celebration of centennial music! This year, we’re talking about 1925’s smash hit, Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby, by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson, as well as the honorifics “sir” and “ma’am.” Along the way, we’ll discuss the world of 1925, the social dynamics of English language honorifics and the most polite ways to call people old across the world! You’re SIR to learn something new!

So long! Farewell! Bye bye! Okay, now come back- today, we’re discussing the art of the goodbye, the inventor of the Jell-O shot and the lost art of satire! Later, we’ll have a funeral for words based on obsolete technologies- so we’d better not catch you rewinding anymore!

We're talking about the Lizzo and Cardi B song "Rumors", the context around the song, and a quick rundown of who Cardi B and Lizzo are and their history of rumors and scandals.

Then we talk about "lock in", an old phrase but somewhat reinvented in the culture with new meanings.

This week we discuss a Connie Francis song that recently went viral on Tiktok, and Connie's other claims to faim, including the first 60s beach party movie and popularizing the song that became our theme song!

And we talk about all our baby animal words - cub, calf, puppy, kitten, chick, etc.! Wherer did they come from? How is a baby cat a kitten but a baby lion a cub? And other such questions. Answered!

Content Warning for this episode: discussion of rape and sexual assault.

This week we're talking about Billie Eilish's hit "Bad Guy", along with finally getting around to giving a short bio of Eilish, our first 3 time featured artist, and why not, she is in many ways the most successful zoomer pop artist.

And we talk about guy, its usage and origins before and since the Guy Fawkes plot. And we discuss the similarities in the now growing usage of Luigi in word-like ways to talk about assassination and class consciousness, after the Luigi Mangione alleged act.

Happy halloween polterguys and ghouls. We're talking about vampires, the kings of halloween monsters, so we're talking about the king of contemporary pop songs in my humble opinion, "Vampire" by Olivia Rodrigo.

In the course of talking about that, we'll talk a bit about monster fuckers and Chuck Tingle. And of course we'll talk about the etymology of the word vampire, and the history of the concept.

We discuss Calvin Harris's hit "Feels" featuring Katy Perry, Pharrell, and Big Sean, and the casual pill popping culture it reflects.

And we discuss the etymology of pill, the history of pills, and the modern rise of being pilled - red-pilled, black-pilled, and ______-pilled, in which someone can be anything-pilled, describing a thing that they've recently gotten into or come around to.

We discuss the Jonas Brothers, their wives, and the etymology and evolution of everyone's favorite food, pizza.

We're talking about the current US administration's war on science through an effective word ban on words in research projects related to "woke" topics such as trans, climate change, autism, and even words like trauma, bias, and woman, such that if they appear in your research article, your government funding gets cut.

And to do so, of course we're talking about Radiohead's anti-fascism song 2+2=5, an allusion to 1984 by George Orwell. We talk about the history of censorship, of course the etymology of censorship and ban, and the current events and their impact of scientific communication. Also, we read the list of banned words in its entirety.

In the Eurovision segment, we talk about UK's 2025 entry "What the Hell Just Happened" by Remember Monday. And we talk about Bowdler and bowlderization.

Are you afraid of no ghost in August? We talk boo, the word that is the thing ghosts say for some reason, and the thing we say to show disapproval, and a word for romantic partners, among many other uses! Plus, gemination and reduplication.

And we talk Paul Russell's feel good hit, "Lil Boo Thang".

In Eurovision talk, we discuss Poland's 2025 entry "Gaja" by Justyna Steczkowska.

We talk about the mysterious meaning of Kelis's milkshake, and what else she's done, from her pentecostal upbringing to her transition into the culinary world.

And we discuss milk, the origin of the word, other animals' non-breast-originating baby nourishments which are called milk, and the controversy around calling non-dairy beverages milk, such as almond milk and oat milk.

In Eurovision, we of course talk about Australia's 2025 entry "Milkshake Man" by Go-Jo.

Today we talk about a couple of Getting Down & Wordy veterans, Rose from Black Pink and Bruno Mars. We talk about the meaning of APT in Korea, English loan words in Korean, and our differing opinions of the song.

In the etymology portion, we discuss the origin of various housing words including apartment, house, home, and rent.

For Eurovision, we discuss Estonia's Tommy Cash and his song "Espresso Macchiato".

We get down to business, talking about Paramore, fantasy high school, and what is and is not emo.

We look at the history and evolution of the word business. Why is it spelled different from how it sounds? Why did it used to mean worry? And where do other languages get their word for business?

In Eurovision, we talk about Germany's 2025 entry, "Baller" by Abor and Tynna, and we learn some German business idioms.

Remember the Kendrick Lamar x Drake beef? We talk about the greatest rap beef of all time, so great it won (tied for) the most grammies of all time.

We discuss the etymology of beef and the origin and evolution of a word for a dispute, including the first beef in hip hop history.

In Eurovision, we discuss Ukraine's 2025 offering, "Bird of Pray" by Ziferblat.

It's our 100th episode! So we're talking about one hundred, the word, and "100 Years" the song. Oh no! Now what song will we feature when we have been podcasting for 100 years??

We'll discuss apparent numberphile Five for Fighting, the etymology of hundred, cent, and related words.

In Eurovision, we discuss France's classic winning song from 1965, "Poupee De Cire" by France Gall. And, a song paying tribute to it in 2025, "La poupée monte le son" by Laura Thorn representing Luxembourg.

It's 7pm Friday, it's 95 degrees. And we're ringing in the summer by talking about Glorilla's "TGIF", famously cited by congresswoman Ayanna Presley to illustrate the reality of the climate crisis for our youth.

We look at how our words related to the climate crisis originated and evolved, and the impact of the climate crisis on our language.

In Eurovision, we talk about Slovenia's "How Much Time Do We Have Left" by Klemen.

This week we return to Beyonce to talk about her foray into country music and the most infamous word in "improper" grammar - ain't.

We look at where ain't comes from, how it was originally used, who originally used it, and what was the opinion of it in the past? We explain its evolution and the history of the pushback against it.

In Eurovision, we discuss Albania's 2025 entry "Zjerm" by Shkodra Elektronike.

A murder of crows, a pride of lions. These names for groups of animals are called terms of venery! Who comes up with this stuff? We'll tell you!

And what better song to pair with this than "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran? Is there a better song, period? Ok, so there are lots of better songs in the world, but Ed Sheeran seems like a pretty likeable guy it turns out!

For Eurovision, we're talking about Montenegro's "Clickbait" by NeonoeN, a song which was selected but ultimately disqualified!

In 2023, Steven Tyler fractured his larynx and subsequently retired from singing. We discuss Aerosmith . . .

And the larynx and vocal cords a.k.a. vocal folds! How do they work? What animals do and don't have vocal cords? What other ways do animals make sounds? What can go wrong with the voice?

In preparation for next week's episode about the vocal cords, we talk to phenomenal Asheville alt-pop musician, vocalist, voice over actor, and audiobook narrator Moon Bride about the ins and outs of working with one's voice.

You can find Moon Bride's music on all the major platforms like Spotify and Youtube by searching her name. And you can follow her on Instagram to keep up with her music releases and concerts.

Here's some links to her stuff:

Youtube:

In this episode we talk about AJR, their invention of a synthesizing process for morphing instrument sounds into different instrument sounds (idk, I don't understand it to be honest), and synesthesia. Did you know there are a bunch of different types of synesthesia? You will know after you listen. And possibly see colors while you're listening? Synesthetes, write in and tell us what colors our voices are.

We look at trends and misuses of mental health buzz words. Self care. Trigger. Gas light. Etc. Everyone's using these words, but do they mean what they think they mean?

In Eurovision, we talk about Australia 2024's offering - One Milkali by Electric Fields, and we talk about the indigenous culture of Australia.

We're looking at the etymology and evolution of "rawdog" so we decided to rawdog this episode! That's right, no planning, decision making, or research was done before we started recording. Listen if you dare as we go mask off and show you just how slow and dumb we really are.

We chose Pussy Cat Dolls "Don't Cha" for the music segment, and looked at a song for Eurovision that was in the running but ultimately didn't get picked.

If you like it raw, today's your lucky day.

We talk about the history and evolution of "woke" from the simple opposite of slept to the catchall term for everything the fascists of the world dislike.

Music-wise, we'll talk about a semi-recent song that implores us to stay woke, Childish Gambino's "Redbone".

In Eurovision, we look at Cyprus's competitor, Theo Evan, and political and racial words with Greek and Turkish origins.

In America we use red blooded blue collar measurements like feet and yards and miles. But what's up with that? And what's a furlong? And a perch?

We talk about the Proclaimers' hit song and their evolution, and we talk about the evolution of the mile and other measurements that we just can't let go of even as the rest of the world has gone metric.

In Eurovision, we talk about the debut of Celine Dion, with her 1988 song for Switzerland, "Ne partez pas sans moi".

We talk about everyone's favorite lesbian pop star, where she came from and her own impact on language and the pop music discourse.

And we discuss the etymology of baby, its origins, its evolution of use over time. When and why did we start using it to mean romantic partners?

In Eurovision, we discuss Latvia's 2024 entry "Hollow" by Dons, and we talk about Latvian words for baby and for romantic partners.

Since August of 2024, women in Afghanistan have been banned by the Taliban from speaking or being heard in public places. Some Afghan women have bravely released recordings of themselves singing in protest of this horrific loss of basic freedom.

We discuss the ban, and we discuss Miley Cyrus's song "Wrecking Ball", a song which in many ways exemplifies the oppressive masculine forces at play in the American pop music industry.

Find the Afghan woman's song we share in the episode here:

Valentine's Day is coming up, so we talk about the thing that no one does on Valentine's Day since we're all on dates. Fart!

And who better to pair with farts than Canadian pop sensation Feist?

We talk about the etymology of fart, other words for fart, words you didn't know mean fart, and the science and cultural history of farting.

For Eurovision, we look at Sweden 2024's Marcus and Martinus and their song "Unforgettable".

We look at the sneakily successful Mark Ambor. Give his music a listen, and you may be surprised to realize that you already know it.

And we look at the second of time. How did we come to call it that? What relation does it have to second as in 2nd place? Learn about the people who standardize time and how that came about. And learn about why we use a base 60 system for time.

In Eurovision we talk about Armenia 2024 - "Jako" by Ladaniva.

Today we discuss one of the biggest hits of 2024, and we look into the etymology and history of the endless list of words for coffee, from coffee itself to descriptors of types of coffee like macchiato.

For Eurovision, we discuss Norway's 2024 song "Gåte" by Ulveham, and we talk about Norway's coffee culture including weird coffee pairings.

Next week we will be talking about "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter, so this week we brought on a Sabrina Carpenter fan, our friend Jess from the wonderful music news podcast Music Notes with Jess.

We also talk about her podcast, music pet peeves, and the New York dialect.

Find Jess's podcast anywhere you get podcasts, or at this link:

We are once again looking at the most popular song from 100 years ago! It's 1924's "Ain't Gonna Rain No More", an old folk song performed by a variety of artists, but most famously by Wendell Woods Hall, considered by some to be the first modern pop star.

We'll explore some of the popular lyrics of the song, a song which has countless verses since lots of singers like to add new ones.

And we'll explore the dialectical variation of losing the "R" sounds, particularly after vowels, like how in the song of the episode, "more" becomes "mo". This is a phenomenon known as derhoticization, R-dropping, R-less, and various other things. Where did this pronunciation quirk originate, and where did it spread to?

We'll also talk about the concept of R-like sounds in general, and how they're different in different languages. What makes a sound R-like, even in a language that doesn't have the letter R?

For Eurovision, we're talking about Cyprus's 2024 song "Liar" by Silia Kapsis.

Next week we are talking about r-dropping accents - accents that say cah for car and so on, often found in British accents, and so we hunted down a real live British person to talk to about the British accent.