This week’s podcast is an absolute joke… in a good way! Join Gyles and Susie as they whisk us through the history of the things that make us laugh. From the first recorded joke in history (newsflash: toilet humour is nothing new) to the best jokes of recent Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, prepare to guffaw (and groan) your way through the next 45 minutes. We’ve got chickens crossing roads, a banned Christmas cracker joke, the origin of Knock Knock humour, and Gyles keeps things ticking over by dusti...
Aug 25, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Dictionaries, depression, a doctorate and a 311th birthday to celebrate…can you guess? Oh yes, this week Susie and Gyles are saluting one of their literary heroes: Doctor Samuel Johnson! We will journey from Litchfield to London and whilst liaising with the literary greats of the day (and falling in love) we will discover how Johnson's desire to halt the degradation of the English language gave us his dictionary. A tumultuous tale involving embryos, rants, hiccups and kisses and a trip to the br...
Aug 18, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Cheers! This week we're looking for answers at the bottom of the glass as we drink in the history behind the fascinating names of the boozers of Britain. Like Chaucer's pilgrims we start at The Tabard before cantering through the rivalry between the Red Lion and the White Hart. We find a stowaway king inside the Royal Oak, a rather befuddled duck in Ambleside, and we wonder why Livery Companies always move in threes. Along the way there's time for Susie to get up on the bar and entertain us with...
Aug 11, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 71
3..2..1..Get ready to launch into an episode that is out of this world as Susie and Gyles explore the language of outer space. Via the fast-flighted messenger Mercury to the saturnine tendencies of an overthrown Roman God, we explore how the planets came to be named and the legacy they have left within our everyday vocabularies. There’s just about time to stop off for a chocolate bar or two while Susie takes the opportunity to drop a celebrity name and Gyles discusses their compatibility… based ...
Aug 04, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 70
Doctor, Doctor, I’ve forgotten to listen to my favourite podcast! This week we delve into to the world of non-medical doctors… from Dr Johnson through to Dr Dolittle by way of Dr Frankenstein, we explore the fascinating world behind all those who have had that title bestowed upon them… for better or for worse! Along the way Gyles recounts meeting ALL those who have played Doctor Who and Susie reveals the murky world behind medical slang. As always Susie has three new words to introduce to your v...
Jul 28, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 69
What do Humpty Dumpty, Contrary Mary, and Baa Baa Black Sheep all have in common? Well, you might think twice about reading them as bedtime stories, I’m afraid. This week, Gyles and Susie are delving into those centuries old Nursery Rhymes to uncover their - often sinister - meanings and possible origins. Expect ‘silver bells and cockleshells’ to sound less like gardening utensils and more like instruments of torture, and be prepared to have that image as Humpty Dumpty as an egg dispelled foreve...
Jul 21, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 68
This week we officially became the Best Entertainment Podcast of the year at the British Podcast Awards. Thank you so much to all the Purple People who listen… you make this show what it is and we couldn’t do it without you. But to provide some balance to all this happiness, this week we’re talking about those linguistic tics that really get on our wick. I mean, you know, you could care less, but we’ll give it 100%, so… As well as swapping their language bugbears, Susie offers us three words for...
Jul 14, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 67
From elite sports to class systems, it’s a hairy episode this week as Glyes and Susie delve into the history of hair which prompts Gyles to spill all on his past life’s involvement with the Porn industry. Via the astronomical, tribal and in some cases very bloody history of hair, you’re in for some fascinating tales or should that be "(pig)tails"... We’ll also be hearing Susie’s trio of words for the week and Gyles sends us off with a powerful poem. If you would like to ask Gyles & Susie a q...
Jul 07, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 66
"Music makes (Purple) people, come together." That’s not the only Madonna lyric that gets mistreated in this lyrical romp through the fascinating world of musical genres and phrases. We’ll be hip-hopping our way from the house (and garage) all the way to the discotheque to soak up the funk, with just enough time for Susie to channel her inner Wonder Mike and for Gyles to let his hips do the talking… We’ll also be going through the fabulous ‘mondegreens’ you’ve been mishearing, Susie has a brilli...
Jun 30, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 65
Join Susie and Gyles as they venture back to pre-biblical times to uncover the history of punctuation marks. This week we’ll be diving into the drama of the comma whilst teasing out the moments when the semi-colon provides the perfect pause. We also unearth a confession from both Gyles and Susie about their - as of yet, unsuccessful - attempts to read James Joyce's Ulysses (hint: there's a sentence that contains 4391 words). We also get through lots of your brilliant emails and we want you to ge...
Jun 23, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 64
Aghast that Gyles still thinks ‘YOLO’ is a new word, Susie talks us through the process of creating new words and, more importantly, how to get them into the dictionary. Via oldies like ‘groupies’, ‘burtons’ and ‘velcro’ Susie discusses which words stick and passes judgment on whether new words like ‘Covidiot’ are here for the long haul. She reminds us that you can’t campaign for a word to be added to the dictionary (as the Potato Council found to their disappointment)… but that won’t stop Gyles...
Jun 16, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 63
Purple People! We are very excited to announce that we have some brand new Something Rhymes With Purple merchandise out now for you… especially if you’re in need of somewhere to store your Bellytimber… it’s a wonderful canvas shopping bag! The perfect accompaniment for a trip to the shops (when they reopen) or the ideal gift for that Purple Person in your life. The bags are available to purchase now from purple.backstreetmerch.com so get yours today! A Somethin’ Else production. Learn more about...
Jun 10, 2020•2 min
Come into the garden Purple People as we take a look at the interesting histories behind the names of the plants blooming in the beds. Find out why basil is royal, why you use more rock celery that you might think, and which common herb is the ‘dew of the sea’. Also in this week’s bouquet are dragons, Spartan lovers and gladiators, plus we find out why the pansy is the thinking person’s flower. We also get through lots of your brilliant emails and we want you to get in touch with your own names ...
Jun 09, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 62
Join us in our linguistic dystopia as we proles explore the language of George Orwell. We’ll be discussing newspeak and oldspeak, and attempting to double-think all under the watchful eye of Big Brother… hoping that we won’t get thrown into Room 101… somewhere Gyles has been before actually. Elsewhere we’ll be dissecting Orwell’s six rules of writing, Gyles encourages Susie to write a novel, and we discover more about Orwell’s nom du plume, his moniker, his nickname if you will… As always, a tri...
Jun 02, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 61
Roll up, roll up! Read all about it! This week we're stalking the pavements of Fleet Street to get the scoop on the lingo from the world of journalism. We'll be finding out what links an urchin to a hedgehog, why you'd rather your basement wasn't spiked, and why a tabloid might be just the pill that you need. It's all part of the furniture. Also, through the smoke of the newsroom, Susie types up her weekly trio of words and Gyles delivers a fantastic poem about the joys of reclining... If you wa...
May 26, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 60
This week we're speaking double Dutch, navigating a Mexican standoff, and playing Russian roulette as we investigate how different nationalities have embedded themselves into English. We'll be playing Chinese whispers, dreaming of Indian summers and hoping to receive a French kiss rather than one from Glasgow... Elsewhere Susie will be furnishing us with her weekly trio, Gyles reveals what Liz Hurley taught him about the female anatomy, and we'll be answering as many of your brilliant emails as ...
May 19, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 59
This week it's all about spreading some joy as we go through words that bring us pleasure. We touch on some old favourites, words that describe joyous things, like halcyon, spindrift and sussuration, as well as words that satisfy in a different way like unprosperousness, or words that are just fun to say, like sausage. Alongside individual words Susie explains why she finds German to be a joyous language and Gyles describes a recent case of anticipointment as well as waxing lyrical about the hum...
May 12, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 58
This week we're being a couple of Smart Alecs and Clever Dicks and we're exploring the world of names hidden in common phrases... and were they based on real people? Was there an original Joe Bloggs? Did he ever cross paths with John Doe? Why was Jack such a lad? Upon whom was Tom peeping? All whilst being 'on our tod' recording from separate locations. Gyles will be testing our general knowledge with some questions he picked up at a star-studded charity event and, as usual, Susie will be provid...
May 05, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 57
One in the hand, is worth two in the bush... This week Gyles and Susie dig into the surprisingly significant etymology of birds. From the unlucky albatross to the onomatopoeic cuckoo, find out what Professor Dumbledore has to do with bees and what parrots have to do with the Kama Sutra... Elsewhere, Susie has her trio of words for you to sprinkle into casual conversation this week and Gyles reads an original 20s poem you can wash your hands to.... A Somethin’ Else production. Learn more about yo...
Apr 28, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 56
This week we’re all at sea… in a good way! We’re plumbing the depths of the ocean, nailing our colours to the mast and, by and large, dipping our toe into the etymological waters of nautical terminology. Who was Davey Jones? We all know she sold sea shells on the sea shore… but who was she? What do pot-washers have to do with Captain Nemo? All will be revealed if you’re willing to take a dip… Away from the water, Gyles tells us of his virtual tea party with Twiggy, Susie has three words to slip ...
Apr 21, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Sadly we’re not in Rome… Gyles is in London and Susie is in Oxford but we're still going on an etymological journey through the origins and quirks of some of our best-known proverbs. Will an apple a day really keep the doctor away? How can it be possible to have your cake and eat it too? Why was Lord Nelson the first person to turn a blind eye? And, just to butter you up, all the regular features are there too: we’ll be responding to your emails, Susie’s got a trio for you, and Gyles has a poeti...
Apr 15, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Happy Easter Weekend Purple People! Due to the UK Bank Holidays, this coming week's Something Rhymes With Purple will be released on Wednesday 15th April, and Susie & Gyles will be dissecting and discussing some very famous proverbs. To tide you over until then, here are a couple of rather timely word origins for you. We hope you are well and staying safe. Please do keep in touch with us via purple@somethinelse.com. A Somethin' Else production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...
Apr 12, 2020•3 min
Hello Purple People! We hope you’re not feeling too blue, or marooned right now, but fear not Gyles and Susie are here to take you down another etymological rabbit hole to get you back into the pink. This week it’s all about colours! Why are the blues blue, envious eyes green, and a coward’s belly yellow? We’ll be donning our rose-tinted spectacles, avoiding white elephants and searching for the silver linings in all of this. Also, we’ll find out why a black sheep is a good thing in Italy… As al...
Apr 07, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Hold the phone! Stop what you’re doing and dial in to a new Purple Podcast coming to you down the line. For obvious reasons Susie and Gyles can’t record together this week, but fear not, through the magic of technology they’re still able to chat and offer you their usual mix of interesting etymology and amusing anecdotes. As they’re on the blower, they’ll be delving into the world of the telephone and it’s successors/contenders. Why do we give someone a bell? How should you answer the phone? All...
Mar 31, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Join us this week as we look back over our first fifty episodes of Something Rhymes With Purple. This wouldn’t have been possible without you so thank you for listening and for keeping us on our toes with your questions and suggestions… please keep them coming! If you haven’t listened to all fifty episodes then now is the time to catch up and here are some clips to entice you and point you in the right direction. In this episode Susie and Gyles reveal which came first: orange the colour or orang...
Mar 24, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 51
Top o’ the morning to you and happy St Patrick’s Day! This week we’re filling up our whiskey glasses and surrounding ourselves with words of Irish origin. Donning our finest trousers and brogues they’ll be Irish phrases galore as we boycott the banshees and really dig the vocabulary of the Emerald Isle. As always, Susie will furnish us with her fantastic trio of interesting or underused words and Gyles offers advice on how to stay young… A Somethin’ Else production. If you have a question for Gy...
Mar 17, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Have you ever given a second thought to where the brands we use every day got their names from? Well we have! And we’re here to share our findings with you. Staying very much ‘on brand’ we’ll be revealing the history behind PG Tips, the fantasy of Fanta, and how a sibling rivalry in Germany spawned two of the globe’s biggest sports brands. We’ll ‘play well’ with our Lego, unpack our IKEA, and find out how a Welsh harpist (may have) had a hand in one of our most recognisable breakfast brands. As ...
Mar 10, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 49
It’s time to delve into the inbox once again and dedicate a whole episode to answering your queries that come in each week. A massive thank you to all you Purple People for keeping us on our toes… if there’s something word-related that has been puzzling you then please do the same as Sammy, Dave, Cat, Rebecca and many more by emailing us at purple@somethinelse.com. They asked: where does the term ‘grockle’ come from? Why would someone be the ‘spitting image’ of another? All will be revealed as w...
Mar 03, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 48
What-ho Purple People! This week we’re ‘up to the eyebrows’ and having a good old ‘chortle’ at some of the words introduced to the English language by authors. Prepare to be ‘bedazzled’ by this ‘unputdownable’ episode where we’ll be looking into the inventions of PG Wodehouse, Lewis Carroll, Joseph Heller and many more, as well as hopefully avoiding falling into a ‘honeytrap’ or getting stuck in a ‘Catch-22’. Oh and we’ll reveal the origin of the word ‘podcast’ too. As always we’ll be answering ...
Feb 25, 2020•29 min•Season 1Ep. 47
This week we’re taking a little downtime and exploring the language behind some well-known hobbies and pastimes. Do you know your ‘aggie' from your ‘slag'? Your ‘taw' from your ‘duck'? Don’t worry, we haven’t lost our marbles but rather we’ll be playing with them. Plus we’ll be getting our binoculars out, having a little twitch, and attempting to finally 'grill' that ‘blocker'. And, if that wasn’t exhausting enough, we’re hitting the green to find out the meanings of ‘flub', ‘whiff', and ‘shank'...
Feb 18, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 46
