Welcome linguistophiles! Today I have a tale to tell you about the word “Allodoxaphobia”. Allodoxaphobia is an extremely rare phobia; that is, the phobia of the opinions of other people. The phobia is believed to be associated with previous encounters wherein the person affected has not been able to properly express themselves, or has been mocked for their opinion. It is most obvious in social situations when the Allodoxaphobic refuses to involve themselves in discussions or shows a fear of conf...
Jul 16, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Greetings Word-Friends! I have a treat for you today, one of the most famous animals of all time, indeed, so famous that it’s name is synonymous with the concept of death and indeed, total extinction. My friends, I present to you the Dodo. The dodo’s scientific name is Raphus cucullatus and was a flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius. Now that, my friends is an island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Taxonomically the dodo is related to the pigeon, and since the 1600...
Jul 15, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Greetings all of you verbiage affectionados! The word we are examining today is a very pleasant word. Both to hear, and to say, and, by definition to experience for oneself. Or perhaps, it would paradoxically be more correct to say - suffer for oneself. Today we are talking about ‘habromania’, the simple definition of which is “a form of delusional insanity in which the imaginings assume a cheerful or joyous character”. Now, this is a very old word that is not often used today but, to my knowled...
Jul 14, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Greetings word-fiends! Today we tackle one of the famous impossible to translate words! A word famous for having no English counterpart, who’s very essence is beyond the tongue of an Englishman. We are talking about the word ‘gigil’ that originates from the Filipino language in the Philippines. The Constitution of the Philippines states that the nation has two official languages, both English and Filipino. However Tagalog deserves a mention and this tongue is the basis of the Filipino language. ...
Jul 13, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Greetings you wonderful logophiles! Today once more we are delving into that all-too trusty and all-too deep well of insults! I am sure we are all aware of at least one character, either real or fictional, that just does not seem to have the will or the constitution to stand up for what they want. That will let others dance all over them, as they serve their master. Some toxic-masculine types might call these types ‘betas’, others might refer to them as ‘whipped’, but today we shall all refer to...
Jul 12, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Greetings fellow bookworms! Today we explore a topic close to all of our hearts, language. And not just any language, today we are talking about obscene language. More specifically we are talking about the people who enjoy such language in intimate settings. We are talking about ‘narratophilia’ Narratophilia is a sexual fetish, in which the telling of dirty and obscene words or stories to a partner is sexually arousing. The term is also used for arousal by means of listening to obscene words and...
Jul 09, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Hello again linguisticians! Let us all pause for a moment to consider the wondrous shape of the word we shall be exploring today, Wobbegong. Isn’t it just delightful? The Wobbegong refers to any of a number of species of Australian shark, a carpet shark specifically. The name can refer to any of eight species of bottom-dwelling carpet sharks in the Orectolobidae family, distinguished by their small vegetation-like flaps of skin around their mouth. Wobbegongs are generally not considered dangerou...
Jul 08, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Greetings Gammarians! Today we are examining the hilarious, sometimes pleasurable and every-so-often deadly, bodily function: sneezing. Now, the word ‘sneeze’ can wait until another day. Today we are talking about the cause of sneezing - ‘sternutators’. This noun can refer to any substance that causes sneezing, coughing, and tears. This word descends from the Latin sternūtātōrius, from sternuō (“sneeze”). The root ‘sternutation’, also Latin, is a descendant of the verb sternuere, meaning "to sne...
Jul 07, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Hello linguisticarians! Today we focus on the most Finnish form of measurement we could find, ‘poronkusema’. In as far as a definition it means a distance of about 5 to 7 kilometres, the distance equal to how far a reindeer can travel without a ‘comfort break’. ‘Poronkusema’ literally means ‘reindeer’s urine’. Finland is the land of a thousand lakes and the midnight sun. Its dense forests, fertile mires and pristine lakes, and traditional lifestyles, have shaped the linguistic landscape of the F...
Jul 06, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Hello again word-wonderers! In this episode we explore the darker and more ominous side of language, as we examine the word ‘minacious’. ‘Minacious’ is used to describe something that is menacing or threatening. An example in context is “The shuttle traders asked the government to legalize and regulate their vanishing trade and thus to save them from avaricious and minacious customs officials.” First recorded in the 1650s, ‘minacious’ stems from the Latin ‘minaci-’, itself a stem of ‘minax’ "thr...
Jul 05, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Salutations, rambunctious readers! It’s time for another round of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Put away the spray and wipe, the mop and the broom, because today’s word is: ablutophobia. Ablutophobia is a word for the persistent fear of cleaning, washing or bathing. It occurs most frequently in children and women than men, but is not a very common phobia. The word comes from the Latin ‘abluere’ where ‘ab’ means ‘away’ and ‘luere’ meanings ‘wash’, paired of course with ...
Jul 02, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Howdy hi there, my sunshiney scholars! Thank you for joining me for another chapter of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. On today’s episode we’re heading down under to Australia, but forget your koalas and kangaroos; today’s word is: platypus. The platypus, sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus is a semiaquatic egg-laying mammal native to easter Australia, including the island Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative of its family and genus, tho...
Jul 01, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Good day to you, kind linguists, and welcome to another round of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Now - some of you may identify with today’s word, and others will not. But I ask you to strap yourselves in, and join with me as we examine today’s word: misogamy. ‘Misogamy’, simply put, is the hatred of marriage. It’s a word from the 1650s, from the Modern Latin ‘misogamia’, which in turn is from the Greek ‘misogamos’ meaning ‘hating marriage’. If we delve further into the ...
Jun 30, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 38
E kuʻu hoaloha! And welcome to today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents! Today we are headed to beautiful, tropical Hawaii, so get out your best swimsuits and your surfboard, because today’s word is: Pana Po’o. Pana Po’o is a word that means ‘to scratch your head in order to help you remember something you’ve forgotten’. For example, you might have misplaced your hairbrush, and as you are searching for it, you might ‘pana po’o’, or scratch your head as you try t...
Jun 29, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Seid gegrüßt, delightful and dedicated listerns, and welcome to another round of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Once again we are headed to the land of bratwurst and hamburgers, as we examine today’s rather pointed word: backpfeifengesicht. Backpfeifengesicht is a word meaning ‘a face badly in need of a fist’, or ‘a face that is slappable’. Pretty self explanatory, I should think. It is from the German ‘backpfeife’ meaning ‘slap in the face’ and ‘geischt’ meaning ‘face’...
Jun 28, 2020•4 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Hello hello, my little monsters, and welcome to today’s spooky edition of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. You might be asking yourself, now why is today’s episode a spooky one, isn’t it just a regular Friday? It may be so, cheerey listener, but I ask you to proceed with caution, for today’s word is: teratophilia. Teratophillia is the sexual attraction to monsters, including fictional and mythical creatures, or ‘monstrous people’. The word comes from the Greek ‘téras’, me...
Jun 25, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Kia ora, lovely linguists, and welcome to today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. We’re headed to beautiful New Zealand to explore the islands for today’s word: kakapo. The kakapo, also known as the ‘owl parrot’ is a species of large, flightless, ground-dwelling parrot, native to New Zealand. With a face like an owl, the posture of a penguin and a walk like a duck, the tame and gentle kakapo is regarded as one of the strangest and rarest birds in the world. Th...
Jun 24, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 34
A blessed day, and a warm welcome to you, humble listener. Thank you for joining me for today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. I shall ask you not to go all ‘holier than thou’ as we discuss today’s word: cathedral. Cathedral is a word from the 1580s meaning ‘church of a bishop’, from the phrase ‘cathedral church’. It can be partially translated from the late Latin phrase ‘ecclesia cathedralis’ meaning ‘church of a bishop’s seat’, which in turn comes from the ...
Jun 23, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Hallo, mein schatz, and willkommen to another Deutsch installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents! That’s right, my klein strudels, we are off to Germany for today’s word: Fremdschämen. Fremdschämen, is an informal German word meaning ‘to feel ashamed about something someone else has done; to be embarrassed because someone else has embarrassed himself, and doesn’t notice’. In other words, it’s embarrassment on behalf of another person. An example of Fremdschämen would ...
Jun 22, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 32
What is going on, fellow words worms? Welcome to today’s installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents! Now before we begin, I need you to understand something, listeners. Today’s word is not penguin. Though today’s word bears an audible resemblance, we are not discussing the cute, flightless birds. Listen closely, for today’s word is: pinguid. Pinguid is a word from the 1630s that means ‘resembling fat, oily or greasy, or unctuous’. Hopefully one is not using this word ...
Jun 21, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Why hello there, letter loving listeners! And thank you for joining me on today’s portion of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today I’m asking you to shut the bathroom door, put away your compacts and avoid shiny surfaces, because today’s word is: sepctrophobia. Spectrophobia is the abnormal and persistent fear of mirrors, sometimes related to the fear of ghosts or the undead. Generally, an individual that has been diagnosed with spectrophobia has been previously traumati...
Jun 18, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 30
All aboard, sanguine sailors, and a hearty welcome to today’s chapter of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. You may have guessed that today we are heading to the ocean and exploring the deep blue sea, for today’s word is: manatee. A manatee is a large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammal, sometimes known as a sea cow, in the kindest way possible, of course. They resemble cows because they are slow plant-eaters, peaceful, and graze on water plants in tropical sea...
Jun 17, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Greetings, trailblazing travellers, and welcome to today’s installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Now it’s time to put on your flying goggles and spread your wings, because today’s word is: nubivagant. Nubivagant is an adjective meaning ‘moving throughout or among clouds’. For example, you might say, ‘I do hope that nubivagant skydiver is wearing a parachute, he’s a long way from the ground’. The word comes from the Latin ‘nubes’ meaning ‘cloud’ and ‘vagari’ whic...
Jun 16, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Bonjour, mes amis, and bienvenue to today’s ‘versement’ of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. I can assure you that today’s word is something I am familiar with, and that you may be familiar with too, for today’s word is: chantepleurer. Chantepleurer is a French word meaning ‘singing and crying at the same time’. Aha! I suspected you might be familiar with this scenario, earnest listener, for I always knew you were a tender soul. It is also referred to as ‘alternate singing...
Jun 15, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Hello hello, loquacious listeners, and welcome to An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. I certainly hope today’s word does not apply to you, or anyone else you may happen to come across, for today’s word is: snollygoster. Snollygoster, rather simply means a shrewd or unprincipled person, especially a politician but can be further described as ‘a fellow who who wants office, regardless of party, platform or principles, and who, whenever he wins, gets there by sheer force of mon...
Jun 14, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Warmest of welcomes to you, word whisperers! Welcome to today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Shut those windows, secure all loose objects, and pin back that gorgeous hair of yours, because today’s word is: anemophobia. Anemophobia is the extreme fear of air drafts and winds. People who have this fear tend to fear weather changes, such as storms and cold fronts because they could contain wind drafts or strong winds. It is extremely rare and treatable, but ca...
Jun 11, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Ahoy, sailors of the knowledge sea! And welcome to this installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. To the seas we go, to find today’s creature of the ocean, and today’s word: blue glaucus. The blue glaucus, or ‘glaucus atlanticus’ is a species of small, blue sea slug, a shell-less gastropod mollusk in the family Glaucidae. Its other names include the sea swallow, blue angel, blue dragon, blue sea slug, and blue ocean slug. A rose by any other name, no? The blue glauc...
Jun 10, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Good tidings to you, philomaths! And welcome to today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. My dear listener, I sincerely hope that you and yours are in good health, so that today’s word may not apply to you, for today’s word is: valetudinarian. Valetudinarian is a sickly or weak person, especially one who is constantly and morbidly concerned with their health. The word originates in 1703, from ‘valetudinary’, which is in turn from the Latin ‘valetudinarius’ meani...
Jun 09, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Guten tag, Sprachliebhabers! That’s language lovers in German, my little schnitzels, and danke for joining me for today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents! Today we venture to Germany, and I hope you’re wearing your best pair of elastic-waisted pants, because today’s word is: Kumerspeck. ‘Kummerspeck’ is a German word meaning ‘excess weight gained from emotional overeating’. Literally, it means ‘grief bacon’. We’ve all been there. The emotional overeating, I mea...
Jun 08, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 22
A frabjous day to you, lingual listeners! And welcome to this episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. It might be time to plug your nose, and light that strong smelling candle your Aunt Judy gave you for your birthday, even though you’re not really a fan of the scent. It’ll be better than what’s coming, because today’s word is: jumentous. Jumentous means ‘resembling horse’s urine’ or ‘smelling strongly like a beast of burden’. Ew! I know. But allow me to explain. It c...
Jun 07, 2020•5 min•Season 1Ep. 21
