Welcome to the party Purple People as we celebrate reaching our 100th episode - we promise that it is going to be full of pep, zest and pizazz! Featuring booze, banquets and cockerels, Susie will take us on a tour of all the eating options at this bash from canapés to buffets, Slap-up meals to a Jacob’s Join whilst Gyles recounts tales of private soirees with the queen and punting parties of the Oxford scholars. Talking politics is strictly prohibited as it has been a LONG time since a party was...
Mar 02, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Come and see Gyles and Susie in action as Something Rhymes With Purple goes LIVE and ONLINE in 2021. After the success of last year’s live theatre show, SRWP is opening its doors once again but this time we’re streaming it online, so wherever you are in the world, come and JOIN US! Thursday 25th March 2021 7.30pm (GMT) For tickets please go HERE! Expect bizarre word journeys, the gruesome origins of everyday phrases, celebrity name-drops aplenty… plus a live Q&A with Gyles and Susie on the n...
Feb 27, 2021•1 min
In this our 99th episode we’re calling our Purple People to the bar and passing judgement on the words of law! Susie tells us what a large number of judges and a large amount of food have in common, why the Old Bailey has Roman origins and explains why a Juror must swear but never curse. Gyles asks some ad hoc questions, as is his modus operandi, and proves that he’s no ignoramus when it comes to stories of late, great lawyers. Later, Susie and Gyles are brief about briefs, explain the significa...
Feb 23, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Do you know your Bournes from your Burghs, your Casters from your Chesters, your Kils from your Kirks? This week we’re having another look at place names and the fascinating stories behind some of our nationally treasured locations. Gyles and Susie tell us why Plymouth Hoe is not a misogynistic slur, why the God Thor never visits The Devil’s Punch Bowl and and where the oxen used to cross the river. Plus a hair-raising story from Halifax and a cry for compassion from Durham and Cornwall! Susie's...
Feb 16, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Purple People we have been feeling flumped and slumped, so this week we’re getting pumped for Protest! And how thrilling protest can be. Whether its sedition or insurrection, riot or revolt, Susie and Gyles explore the words of protest and revolution. Susie tells us why the Roman god Jupiter may have some thoughts about that incident at Capitol Hill, Gyles delights in the anti-ageism of the Senate and even manages to find something saucy in Congress. Gyles and Susie also answer mail, get to the ...
Feb 09, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Another month, another week, another episode for our dear Purple People! Take a whiff of that petrichor and allow us to metaphorically remove the phloem from life's banana. Come join us in this wordy oasis! This week Gyles and Susie will be remembering enough forgotten words to keep you thinking today, tomorrow and over-morrow. If you're fond of procrastination, or even a bit of perendination, never fear we'll be here whatever day of the week you like to listen. Gyles wonders if his hallux makes...
Feb 02, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Gyles and Susie are sticking to their New Years Resolutions and really getting out of their comfort zone this week as they focus their etymological microscope on the world of science and chemistry… so expect lots of head-scratching from our hosts as they attempt to decode the periodic table with the help from Greek gods, cockerels and silver mines. Today’s journey of discovery will also encounter the life and achievements of Robert Bunsen, how sacrificial goats gave us pharmacies and if that was...
Jan 26, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Calling all cruciverbalists! Susie and Gyles have a treat in store for you as they deep-dive into the most popular word game around: the Crossword. Since its creation 108 years ago, the crossword has transfixed millions on both sides of the Atlantic and the charm of this game has worked its way into literature, fashion, film - even the Royals are known to be fans! In today’s episode, come be a sleuth(hound) and see if you can outwit Topsy Turvy Roast Mules or a kissing monkey as our very own hos...
Jan 19, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Take a seat, recline if you’d like or perhaps, even lie down because this week Susie and Gyles are going to be exploring the wonderful wordy world of furniture. Do you know your Chaise Lounge from your Divan? The Chesterfield from the Sedan? Get ready to be paraded around on a litter and discover why the secretaire is full of secrets, why bankruptcy ended in smashed benches and how a day-to-day bodily function named one of our most trusted household items… A Somethin’ Else production If you have...
Jan 12, 2021•43 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Hello and Happy New Year! This first week of January we are reacquainting ourselves with you lovely Purple People and replying to some of the questions, queries and quibbles that you’ve emailed in. From pelmanism to punters, from Guinness to Mustard we’ll be finding out whether a spendthrift is thrifty or spendy, and examining why you’d rather not go gallivanting with a gallant, even if he claims to be a gentleman. Susie and Gyles also get a bit European (ooh la la), explaining why it’s rather g...
Jan 05, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Merry Christmas, a Festive Merrineum and a Happy New Year! It is the end of 2020; a year full of covidiots, royal viruses and quaranteenies. This week’s episode has everything you need to get you through to the New Year. We kick off with the bare facts and the naked truth about Christmas cracker jokes, Gyles then puts Susie through her paces with some tricksy word games you too can enjoy at home, before we round up our SRWP Words of the Year for 2020. So get your pen and paper at the ready as Su...
Dec 29, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 91
This week we are on an absolute rampage, alleviating boredom and staving off the Scrooge in the news as we acquaint ourselves with that master wordsmith, Charles Dickens. Gyles gives us a salacious biography and Susie demonstrates her aptitude for a career in talking books. Keep a tight grip on your podcatcher Butterfingers because we’ve got your number and promise book recommendations so perfect for a Christmas cloff, that it’s sure to give you the creeps… A Somethin’ Else production If you wan...
Dec 22, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Get wrapped up in your cosiest cashmeres and grab a glass of velvety vino and if you haven’t cottoned on already, today we’re going to be discussing textiles and fabrics. Susie and Gyles will weave their way through our wardrobes discussing our silks to our satins. Through the world of fabric we’ll discover many things and lots of stuff as well as finding out what links taffetas and tabby cats, and why the best togas are always the most succinct. A Somethin’ Else production If you want to get in...
Dec 15, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 89
This episode may not be suitable for younger listeners. Parental discretion is advised. This week we’ll be boinking, bonking, and banging our way through baby-making and its associated lexicon. Whether you prefer to make the beast with two backs or shake off the sheets, we Purple People aren’t here to judge. Gyles tells a fun buddy story from the ‘60s and Susie serves a decisive judgement on why you’d rather be Aphrodite than Venus. We’ll also be dropping F-bombs, developing an aversion to crump...
Dec 08, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Suffering from a festive cold or a flu? Susie and Gyles have some (questionable) remedies for you! Come delve into the wondrous (and often disgusting) world of potions and lotions on this week’s episode of Something Rhymes with Purple. Involving witchcraft, and Kings and Quacks, as we ‘gild the pill’ with the ‘hair of the dog’, all taken, of course, with a healthy ‘pinch of salt’. We’ll also weave a tarantella through some infamous incidents of poisonous foul-play which piques Gyles’ fascination...
Dec 01, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 87
This week, Susie and Gyles are reporting on the names and origins of London Town - of England, Europe, The World, The Universe. Come wind through the streets of Susie’s old hangout in Soho discovering its connection to battle cries and the history of germ theory, we’ll then take the Tube north to see how bishops and cottages birthed the names of some beautiful spots in North London. Gyles will then act as lead guide as he tours us through his past haunts in West London and South of the river whe...
Nov 24, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 86
LIMITED OFFER: This week why not turn Black Friday Purple with a cheeky 20% off all merch on our website with the code PURPLE20. It’s not just Quality Street that’ll taste better in purple this year… head over to purple.backstreetmerch.com to peruse our delightful mugs and canvas shopping bags… the perfect stocking filler for the word nerd in your life…website: purple.backstreetmerch.com code: PURPLE20. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Nov 23, 2020•2 min
Oh the Grand Old Duke of York, he had ten-thousand men… but was his son a Marquis or a Marquess? To find out, join us under the marquee as Gyles and Susie climb the etymological pecking order this week, giving lovers of Downtown Abbey a look at why a Butler serving breakfast might be cause for concern. Gyles has a hoity toity anecdote, and Susie demands justice for the hussy and the villain. But if an Earl can be churlish, can a Churl be... earlish? We want to hear from you! If you are a Bootboy...
Nov 17, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Little Strings, Little Tongues and Butterflies… what could Gyles and Susie pasta-bly be talking about?! In this episode we’ll be lobbing a bunch of pasta terms at the wall to see what sticks. We start by delving into ancient myths and legends to unearth pasta’s beginnings, Susie takes us on a trip to a brothel to serve up one of the most delicious spaghetti dishes of today, and Gyles shares his favourite pasta dish which comes with a little bit of apricity much to his delight. A Somethin’ Else p...
Nov 10, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 84
This week we’re counting our blessings and saying our prayers as we take a look at the tales behind some of the patron saints and their language. From martyrs to miracles and from sanctity to sanctuary we unpick the blessed language of those who have been canonised. But if all that sounds a bit holier-than-thou, don’t worry because there’s still plenty of time to enjoy idio-repulsive belfies, tuck into a cannon of beef, and find out why you might not want to find yourself needing to pray to St J...
Nov 03, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 83
If you’re easily grossed out then probably best to cover your ears for this one… in honour of the spookiest time of the year we’re digging around words with gruesome origins. From black books to black boxes, sarcasm to travel, and from loopholes to chivvying along, we uncover the often bloody backgrounds to these seemingly innocent terms. We also recoil at those everyday words that send a shiver down our spines, Susie has a trio of words to remember, and Gyles tells some particularly gruesome ta...
Oct 27, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 82
This week we’re heading back to school to discuss beaks, divs, rostrums, and to get to the bottom of why UK public schools don’t seem very open to the public. We discuss the benefits of an encyclopaedia education, why school is actually a leisure activity, and we debate whether it’s skiving, bunking, or playing hooky. Away from the classroom there’s lots of reminiscing about favourite school-related books and tv shows, and some rather grand claims to fame from both Enid Blyton and Jacqueline Wil...
Oct 20, 2020•42 min•Season 1Ep. 81
P-p-p-p-p-ick up a podcast… and join us as we spill the tea (both figuratively and literally) and get busy dunking biscuits into our brew. From the Wagon Wheel to the Jammie Dodger, Susie and Gyles unpick the fascinating stories behind the names of our favourite twice-baked treats, as well as finding a little time to reveal their desert island biscuits… and quite how many they can eat in one sitting. There’s lots to digest as we learn about hobnobbing Italian Generals rubbing shoulders with flig...
Oct 13, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 80
According to the great philosophers Heraclitus and Gyles Brandreth, “change is the only constant”. After an absolute Katzenjammer of a week for Susie we focus on change of all kinds, from the shifting seasons to what defines the ‘new normal’. As we Fall into Autumn, we find out why sozzled cads are bonking less and, avoiding the treadmill, we pour a large cuddle-me-buff, to embrace the hygge and snudge our way through the dreich conditions. Elsewhere Gyles picks three of his favourite words from...
Oct 06, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Hi Something Rhymes With Purple fans, we've made a show we think you'll like.... On September 11th 2001, as he faced incalculable losses after the terrorist attacks that day, President George W Bush made a call to his greatest international ally: British Prime Minister Tony Blair. 18 months later, Bush and Blair led a coalition into a war that went horribly wrong. David Dimbleby, one of the BBC’s best known news hosts and reporters, takes us back to those crucial 18 months. Talking to prime mini...
Oct 02, 2020•5 min
“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question” Eugene Ionesco Hopefully he’s only half right… but this week we are entirely in your hands and answering your enlightening questions that have been coming into the inbox in recent weeks. In this correspondence special Susie and Gyles are tackling migraines with essential oils, finding out how chickens keep sneaking into phrases, and wondering who in the heavens was Betsy? Susie makes the ineffable effable and the whole thing 'pans out' to ...
Sep 29, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Atten-SHUN! Lace up your boots and join Privates Dent and Brandreth as we take a linguistic yomp through the world of army slang. Wearing their canteen medals with pride, Gyles and Susie travel from Civvie Street to the mess, breaking bread with a sky pilot, a fetch, and a fobbit, before donning their crap hats, taking advantage of a desert lily and heading off to their doss bags feeling utterly chinstrapped. A Somethin' Else production Email Gyles and Susie via purple@somethinelse.com Susie's t...
Sep 22, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Having tackled the stars in the sky, this week we’re turning our gaze to the stars who walk upon the earth. From the first celebrities to Beatle-mania via way of the inaugural ‘It Girl’ we’re tackling the full A-List of famous terminologies. This gives Gyles the perfect platform for some legitimate name-dropping, we delve deeper into Susie’s Arsene Wenger brain crush, and we discover Oscar Wilde’s numerous and ingenious methods of getting noticed. We also find time to give a few listeners their ...
Sep 15, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 76
With the season kicking off on Saturday we’re lacing up our linguistic shooting boots and taking a dive (boo!) into the language of football… or should that be soccer? Either way Gyles is ‘taking one for the team’ this week as he plays more of a ‘cheese sandwich’ to Susie’s footie ‘fanatic’. She throws nutmegs, Panenkas, and Rabonas into the ‘mixer’ whilst deftly avoiding throwing him a ‘hospital pass’. In the second half we whizz through some fascinating club nicknames from the Mackems to the T...
Sep 08, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Pssst… yes you… how do you fancy being a birdwatcher or perhaps a sleeper ready to wake up in time for the dead drop? Well, listen in and allow Agents Brandreth and Dent to provide you with the linguistic pocket-litter to avoid you blowing your cover. If you haven’t yet cracked the code, this week we’re discussing the intricate language of the murky world of espionage. Find out the difference between the Scalphunters and the Lamplighters, get your “shoes” from the Cobbler and join us as we go un...
Sep 01, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 74
