Ahoy, my sea whisperers, and welcome back! Today we go to the depths of the Arctic seas, to explore a creature both mystical and beautiful - sometimes referred to as the sea unicorn, today’s word is: narwhal. A narwhal is a type of whale found in Canadian Arctic, Greenlandian, and Russian waters, that is distinctive due to the tusk that protrudes from its head. It is, in fact, a canine tooth that projects from the left side of the upper jaw, through the lip, and forms a left-handed helix spiral....
Jan 18, 2021•4 min•Season 2Ep. 79
Good day to you, sparkling people of the word, and welcome back! Today’s word is for my social butterflies, my people persons, and my extroverts. Don’t worry my darling, introverts, you can listen to this one too, but today’s word might not be one you associate with, as today’s word is: anthropophilia. Anthropophilia is a biological word which means ‘to prefer human beings over animals.’ More specifically, it can refer to a parasite or dermatophyte preferring humans over animals, such as mosquit...
Jan 13, 2021•4 min•Season 2Ep. 80
Hello my little lambs, and thanks for being with me once again! Today I ask you to dig out your valuables, take down those old paintings, and find that weird tchotchke Nanna gave you for your sixteenth birthday, because who knows? It might be worth something. We may just find out as we explore today’s word: impignorate. Impignorate is a word meaning ‘to pawn or mortgage something’ and comes from the Latin ‘pignoration’, which is from ‘pignoratio’ from ‘pignerate’ meaning ‘to pledge’. For example...
Jan 13, 2021•4 min•Season 2Ep. 78
Servus, my lovely literary loves, and thank you for listening in once again! You may have guessed by European greeting, that we are once again heading to the wonderful land of Germany, to explore today’s nifty word: treppenwitz. Treppenwitz is a German word meaning ‘a clever remark that comes to mind when it’s too late to say it’. You might, for example, be lying in bed one night, when the rap battle of the previous day drifts to mind, and you experience treppenwitz, as you suddenly think of a b...
Jan 11, 2021•4 min•Season 2Ep. 77
Salutations, you beautiful thing, you, and thank you for joining me once again. No, I’m not sick, and it’s not the mumps. In fact, cast the viral infection that affects the salivary glands, easily preventable by vaccination FAR from your mind, as we explore today’s word: mumpsimus. ‘Mumpsimus’ is a word to describe ‘a stubborn person who insists on making an error in spite of being shown that it is wrong’. Okay, bring the mumps back into your mind as I provide you with this example: you might sa...
Jan 06, 2021•5 min•Season 2Ep. 76
A warm and sunshiney day to you, dear listener, and thank you for joining me once again! Today, we’re thinking sunflowers, we’re thinking lemons, we’re thinking rubber ducks, taxis and bananas! Have you guess it? Today’s word is: yellow. Believe it or not, the word for the colour yellow has a long and tangled evolution. Hope you’re wearing your best yellow boots, because here comes the etymology of ‘yellow’: from Middle English ‘yelwe’ or ‘yelou’, from Old English ‘ġeolwe’, which is an oblique f...
Jan 04, 2021•5 min•Season 2Ep. 75
Hola my little prickly pears! Thank you for joining me as we take a trip to Mexico to explore one of the world’s favourite fruits and today’s word: . I’m sure you’re familiar - avocado is a fruit with a soft, squishy centre, often mushed to make guacamole or spread on toast with a smattering of feta and offered for an increasingly high price by small cafe owners. The word ‘avocado’ is from the Spanish ‘aguacate’, which in turn comes from the Nahuatl word ‘āhuacatl’. This Nahuatl word could also ...
Dec 30, 2020•5 min•Season 2Ep. 74
Good day to you, my sweet smelling flowers of language! Today we journey to the centre of your very face, to the nose! To explore today’s word: macrosmatic. ‘Macrosmatic’ is a word meaning ‘to have a good sense of smell.’ You know that one person who goes, ‘Has Terrence been over lately? I swear I can smell his eau de cologne’, when in fact Terrence hasn’t been over in at least five weeks. Creepy. ‘Macrosmatic’ is made up of ‘macro’ meaning ‘large or long’ and ‘osmatic’ meaning ‘relating to the ...
Dec 28, 2020•5 min•Season 2Ep. 73
Hello hello my shining stars! And thank you for joining me this glowing day and/or night. Today, we are shooting for the stars, aiming for the moon, and flying high in the sky as we look at today’s word: constellate. ‘Constellate’, though related to the word ‘constellation’ does not necessarily relate to astronomy, but means ‘to combine as a cluster’. It comes from the Latin ‘constellatus’ meaning ‘starred’, ‘Constellate can also mean ‘to shine with united radiance, or one general light’. Now is...
Dec 23, 2020•5 min•Season 2Ep. 72
A wonderful welcome to you, language lovers, and thank you for joining me today! Today we explore a kind of person, and we have all met one of these - I’m sure you know the type. Annoying, grating, the kind that makes you want to roll your eyes at the nature of the situations they seem to put themselves into. I trust of course, dear listener, that today’s word does not apply to you! Today’s word is: lickspittle. A lickspittle is described as ‘a fawning subordinate; a suck-up’. The kind of person...
Dec 21, 2020•5 min•Season 2Ep. 71
Good day to you, or should I say good evening to you, my little literary dreamers. Get your coziest pyjamas on, your bunny slippers, your favourite teddy bear and take a deep breath, as we prepare to take on today’s word: somniphobia. ‘Somniphobia’ is the fear of going to bed, or extreme anxiety with the thought of sleeping or falling asleep. It is also known as hypnophobia, clinophobia, sleep anxiety, or sleep dread. It can be related to a fear of the unknown, concern with a ‘lack of control’ w...
Dec 14, 2020•5 min•Season 2Ep. 70
Goooooooooooood daaaaaaaaaaaaay to youuuuuuuuu, listeneeeeeeerrrrrr and thaaaaaank you for joining usssssssss today. You might think I’m speaking rather oddly, or even slowly today, dear listener, and you would be right, as I have been inspired by today’s word: sloth. The ‘sloth’ is a type of mammal noted for their slow movement, who live in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. They spend most of their lives hanging upside down in trees, and are closely related to anteaters. Wi...
Dec 09, 2020•5 min•Season 2Ep. 69
Ciao ciao, my bellas! I hope you’re ready for some pizza and pasta, for today we journey to Italy, to explore the word: cantastoria. ‘Cantastoria’ is an Italian word which is a ‘theatrical form where a performer tells or sings a story while gesturing to a series of images. These images can be painted, printed or drawn on any sort of material.’ The word comes from the Italian for ‘story-singer’; ‘canta’ meaning ‘to sing’ and ‘history or story’. ‘Cantare’ comes from the Latin ‘canō’ meaning, ‘I si...
Dec 07, 2020•5 min•Season 2Ep. 68
Ciao ciao, my bellas! I hope you’re ready for some pizza and pasta, for today we journey to Italy, to explore the word: cantastoria. ‘Cantastoria’ is an Italian word which is a ‘theatrical form where a performer tells or sings a story while gesturing to a series of images. These images can be painted, printed or drawn on any sort of material.’ The word comes from the Italian for ‘story-singer’; ‘canta’ meaning ‘to sing’ and ‘history or story’. ‘Cantare’ comes from the Latin ‘canō’ meaning, ‘I si...
Dec 02, 2020•5 min•Season 2Ep. 67
A bright and wonderful day to you, my little chickens! Take a trip to the farm with us today, down on the ol’ homestead, as we discuss today’s word: cockalorum. Cockalorum is a word meaning ‘a boastful and self-important person; a strutting little fellow’. For example, one might say, ‘Look at that cockalorum, eating all the cheese as if he had paid for it himself!’. The origin is not confirmed - it likely comes from the English word ‘cock’ meaning ‘rooster’, with -a- and Latin -lorum suffixed as...
Nov 30, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 66
Howdy hey there, partner! Get on down and welcome to An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents! Now did that greeting seem a little odd? Perhaps even crazy? Good! That is precisely what I was going for, as I explain today’s word: pandemonium. The most common usage of pandemonium is the definition stating ‘chaos; tumultuous or lawless violence’, or even ‘an outburst; loud, riotous uproar, especially that of a crowd.’ However, the archaic, and slightly more fantastical meaning is ‘a ...
Aug 06, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Good day to you, humble friend, and a kind and calm welcome to today’s journey to An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquests. Straighten that posture, get into position, and get ready to pray, because today’s word is: mantis. Mantises, or ‘praying mantises’ as they are more commonly known, are an order of insects distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks, and may or may not have wings. All manti...
Aug 05, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 64
Welcome welcome, kind friends! And thank you for joining me for today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today we are getting a little scientific, and a little philosophical, so strap yourselves in and prepare to think hard as we discuss today’s word: hylozoism. Hylozoism is ‘the doctrine that all matter has life’ or ‘any system that views all matter as alive, either in itself or by participation in the operation of a world soul or some similar principle.’ I to...
Aug 04, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 63
Wie geht’s Jungs! Or, how’s it going guys? And welcome to another round of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today, we’re going on a trip to the woods, to connect with nature and become one with ourselves, et cetera, et cetera. Join us, for today’s word is: Waldeinsamkeit. Waldeinsamkeit is a German word meaning ‘the feeling of solitude in the woods’. It is made of the German words ‘wald’ meaning ‘forest’ and ‘einsamkeit’ meaning’ loneliness; thus, ‘forest-loneliness’. The...
Aug 02, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 62
A good day to you, fellow literary lover, and welcome to today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. We are going to get a little existential here today, so strap yourselves in and prepare for today’s word: onism. ‘Onism’ is a rather complex, created word meaning ‘the frustration of being stuck in just one body, that inhabits only one place at a time, which is like standing in front of the departures screen at an airport, flickering over with strange place names l...
Aug 02, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 61
Why hello there, sumptuous syntax suitors, and welcome to another jolly episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. I must advise you, kind listener, to not use today’s word in polite society, and I hope that indeed you shan’t have any use for it, as today’s word is: foppotee. Foppotee is a word from the 1600s meaning ‘simpleton’. A common example is ‘What a pitiful foppotee he was, always oblivious to our jeers!’ The word has fallen out of popularity, and its origins are...
Jul 30, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 60
A blessed day, word whisperers, and welcome to another installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today, praise be, we look at a word that you might say is ‘holier than thou’, for today’s word is: hagiomania. Hagiomania is the obsession with saints and sainthood. ‘Hagio’ means ‘saint’, from the Ancient Greek ‘hágios’ meaning ‘holy or saintly’, paired of course with the familiar ‘mania’ meaning ‘compulsion or obsession’. The word ‘saint’ itself means ‘a person whom a ...
Jul 29, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 59
A most pleasant day to you today, my word worms! Welcome to another joyous episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Now to examine today’s word, we need to first get something out of the way. ‘Serendipity’ is the seminal classic 2001 film starring Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack, which follows the romance between a New Yorker and a British woman as they let fate determine if they are meant to be together. Years later, they hope that destiny reunites them. Today, howeve...
Jul 28, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 58
A hearty good day to you, fellow examiners of English, and welcome to another installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today’s episode is for the chefs out there, particularly those who like to prepare a traditional meal, but with a bit of a twist. Today’s word is: spatchcock. If you happen to have seen season 5 episode 8 of the seminal classic animated television series Bob’s Burgers, you might be familiar with this word, as it is something our titular character t...
Jul 27, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 57
A happy, happy day to you, wholesome listener, and a warm welcome to this episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today’s word brings back fond memories for me, of a speech I once gave with a friend in primary school. My dear friend could not pronounce today’s word, and I, the mighty seven year old that I was, took it upon myself to correct her each time. It seems that my love of words began at a young age, dear listener. I digress. Today’s word, pronounceable or unpr...
Jul 26, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 56
A wonderful day to you, lovely listener, and a warm welcome to this installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloqents. Buh boom, buh boom - can you hear that, dear friends? If you can, today’s word might just apply to you, because today’s word is: rubatosis. Rubatosis is word meaning ‘the unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat, whose tenuous muscular throbbing feels less like a metronome than a nervous ditty your heart is tapping to itself, the kind that people compulsive...
Jul 23, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 55
G’day mates! Good on ya for joinin us for another bonza ep of An Assemblage of Granidose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Dear listener, I promise that that is as colloquially a greeting as you will ever receive - and it is warranted, for today, we are headed down under to the wild and wonderous Australia for today’s word: wombat. Cheery listener, if you have never seen a wombat, I implore you to stop what you are doing and get to googling (please park your vehicle as necessary before proceeding, t...
Jul 22, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Dia duit, or hello to you, wonderful listeners, and welcome to another episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. For those of you are unsure, that there greeting came from the Gaelic language, which just so happens to be the origin of today’s word: whiskey. Whiskey! I’m going to guess most of you are familiar with this word, but for those that aren’t, whiskey is a liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain, such as rye, corn, or barley. It is a drink that is enjo...
Jul 21, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Howdy hi hello to you, my heroic heartbreakers! Thank you for joining me for another installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandilouquents! If you have a particularly witty friend, a habit of watching comedy specials, or you really enjoy this podcast, today’s word might serve as useful to you, for today’s word is: sottisier. Sottisier is ‘a collection of jokes or stupid comments’. You might say, for example, ‘Enough with that sottisier, Timothy, you must go upstairs and finish ...
Jul 20, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Good day to you all, bodacious bookworms! Welcome to this episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today we are examining what is referred to as a ‘made up word’, and I know what you might be thinking, ‘well, aren’t all words made up?’ and though in a way you are correct, cheery listener, some words have evolved from many centuries over time, and passed through several languages before becoming the established word we know today. Other words are simply made up, created...
Jul 19, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 51
