Dead Air

The patron Saint of England, although he was not an English man and it is highly unlikely he even ever went to England. George is in fact a Saint with connections to countries across the globe. The story of his determination and faith in the face of oppression is an inspiration to people everywhere. Strip away the myth and the judgement and find out what we know about George the man! The article is also available on our website

Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, although he was not Irish. He is celebrated on March 17th , known as Saint Patrick's Day, which has become a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and heritage. Learn more about the life and works of Saint Patrick, the slave who became a saint and is now the global patron of excessive drinking! The celebration of his feast day has become so synonymous with partying that it has become a global phenomenon, but you may be surprised as to what you discover about festivities on this day around the world. Read more in our associated article here. Find the original script article here. Get the B2 Saint Patrick's Day teaching worksheet here.

"Hello again word lovers!" A finale to our first series of Interesting Etymologies as Charly dives into a hotch-potch, a mish-mash of his favourite etymologies. Join us for a last short journey before we prepare for series two. Knotts, Clue, Fiesty, Glamour, loss of S on words, Sly, Tawdry, Canary Islands and Halycon The associated article on our website is available here Our programme is also available on Youtube here.

Short story The Bet, part of our Soundbook collection. The tale sees a banker recalling a dinner party some 15 years previous in which he entered into an extraordinary bet with a young lawyer. After a passionate conversation on capital punishment the lawyer concludes he would prefer life imprisonment to death. The banker offered him 2 million Roubles if he could withstand 15 years of such isolation. A B2 worksheet to accompany this story is available on our website here An accompanying article including the full text in downloadable PDF is available on our website here A biography of Chekhov can be found on our website here Music: Autumn Leaves by Maarten Schellekens

"Hello again word lovers!" Some interesting examples of curious opposites in English in this penultimate episode of series one of Interesting Etymologies. The associated article on our website is available here Our programs are also available on our Youtube channel here

"Hello again Word Lovers!" In this episode we examine some words that have come into English from African. This is not as distinct from PIE roots as you mat first think. We have many examples of animal and vegetable/fruit names but some words that have made their way into English via the slave trade which have significant influence on music. Associated episodes include Ebonics and The Jazz Age to discover more on some of these words. An associated article is available on our website here and all episodes are also available on YouTube

A short story by Jack London published in 1902 explores the protagonist and how he is consumed with his irrational hatred of another man, John Claverhouse. His hatred drives him to increasingly horrendous actions to force suffering on the cheerful neighbour. When Claverhouse seems unfazed by the relentless misfortune that is wrought upon him, the narrator makes the decision to kill him. You can learn more about Jack London in the article about him on our website A downloadable PDF of the story, the cover artwork and a brief summary of the story are available here Introduction and end music : Another Autumn in Despair by techtheist

Dead Air - Strange Christmas Traditions We return at Christmas time to look at some strange traditions across the world. We discover what the Japanese eat for Christmas dinner, what Ukrainians decorate their Christmas tree with, why Spanish culture seems so obsessed with Christmas scatology and what the original Black Friday was with many more traditions to unpack. There is an accompanying article on the dark culture of Black Friday in the UK on our website here. It has been observed that the British media have rebranded this as Mad Friday this year. Our podcast on the history of Saint Nicholas and his transformation into Father Christmas with details on the Krampus era as well, is available on our playlist. The accompanying article is on our website here.

"Hello again word lovers!" As we near the end of the Interesting Etymology series Charly takes a whirlwind tour of Scottish words that have transferred into English The associated article is available here. This programme is also available on YouTube here.

"Hello again Word Lovers!" In this episode we are going to look at the names of flowers. There are different categories to consider, with words that come to English unchanged, words that have religious meanings or connected to the properties of the plant and the names of those who discovered or classified the plant. The associated article for this episode is available on our website here. This series is also available as a YouTube video here.

The 6th of December is the feast day of Saint Nicholas, better known to you and me as Santa Claus. The story of this man's journey from Greek/Turkish orphan to international globe trotting magical gift giver could be a superhero blockbuster film plot. Resurrecting children, cannibalism, calming the seas, the battle between good and evil, culture wars and alcohol, it has everything! A fascinating journey into myth making and reinvention that will amaze and bewilder. You thought you knew Santa Claus, well, prepare to be amazed! Alt Xmas Flicks The Night before Christmas The Three Kings

"Hello again Word Lovers!" Rather than investigate the origin of words this episode, we discover the original meaning of the letters of the alphabet. The associated article for this episode can be found here This programme is also on YouTube

Saint Andrew the Patron Saint of Scotland, fisherman and a host of other places and people is celebrated on his feast day 30th November. Read the article version of this episode here. Find our programmes on Youtube

"Hello again word lovers" A brief by-water of etymological discussion, hybrid words. Mixing words from Latin and Greek roots. Associated article is available here.

Saint Cecilia, the Saint of musicians amongst many others, celebrates her feast day on the 22nd of November. For the article version of this episode head over to our website Find our program on Youtube as well. To Listen to Ode to Saint Cecilia by Purcell go here

"Hello again word lovers" We continue our exploration of Greek with more prefixes and some interesting nods to mythology. Associated article is available here

"Hello again Word Lovers!" We continue our exploration of Greek as we delve into the words for people and relationships between people, numbers, academia and study. We can start to see some words in English made by combining two Greek words, for example the city of brotherly love Philadelphia is Philos - love of Adelphus - brother Associated article is available here

"Hello again word lovers" We begin our dive into Ancient Greek with some prefixes and parts of the body. There is a huge amount of material to cover and this is only the beginning so strap in and away we go....

Remember, Remember the 5th of November: A cultural touchstone in Britain, Guy Fawkes night, Bonfire night or Fireworks night is celebrated every November 5th. An opportunity to remember when an ambitious and devious plot was foiled in 1605. A Catholic conspiracy to blow up the Parliament, killing King James, his whole family and the entire political class in one explosion was narrowly averted after an anonymous tip off. The plotters were brutally tortured and executed but the elite instigated an obligatory annual night of thanksgiving that has become a lasting tradition in British culture. Find out all you need to know about the plot and how the personality of Guy Fawkes has become an international icon, through the comic book and film V for Vendetta and the mask of his face becoming the symbol of anonymous protest. We have alternative resources on the gunpowder plot, including a previous podcast discussion, class worksheets, an article on the plot and a further article on the anonymous mask in culture.

"Hello word lovers!" We deviate from our usual path this episode to investigate some translation from the Bible. The word of God can be tricky and translation can be challenging. Is the virgin birth down to a misunderstanding of language? Did you know Jesus liked a word play joke? Did John the Baptist actually survive on a diet of locusts? These and many other mysteries are examined by Charly on this latest episode. A full associated article with more consideration of some of the theological implications of these translations is available on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-48-the-bible

"Hello again Word Lovers" This is the third installment of words that come into English through Old Norse. We cover some basic nouns, adjectives in this last look at Old Norse before we return another day. Full details in the accompanying article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-47-3-old-norse

"Hello again Word Lovers" We continue with our journey through the word horde of Old Norse that feeds into Modern English. Some surprises in store this week with the fascinating etymology of "gun" and intense argument over "Steak", an obsession with dirt and excrement and a plethora of verbs. Enjoy! https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-47-2-old-norse

"Hello again word lovers!" Today we will begin the first of a three part exploration of one of the major repositories of English, Old Norse. So many of our common English words come from Old Norse and we will be tracing them back where possible and enjoying them along the way. Full articles for all Interesting Etymologies episodes are available here: https://www.bulldogz.org/ie

"Hello again word lovers!" Charly thinks that perhaps this should have been the first edition of Interesting Etymologies because etymology is the study of the meaning of words but we have not asked "what does a word mean?" yet and that is philosophy not etymology. To paraphrase Bertrand Russell, philosophy will take a statement that seems to be blindingly obvious and make you doubt it. Be prepared to doubt a great deal as we dip our toes into the world of the philosophy of language.  Full associated article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-46-philosophy

"Hello again word lovers!" In this instalment, we head west across the Irish sea to look at words that have come to English from Irish. This episode uncovers some dark stories though, with words thought to be Scottish being claimed as Irish and words thought to be English claimed as Irish and then words believed to be Irish that are believed to have come from English. Strap yourself in, this is a seven-minute wild ride sure to liven up the craic at your next mixer! Full article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-45-irish

"Hello again Word Lovers!" A little diversion today as we are going to look at Etymologists rather than Etymology! How many etymologists are there in the world? Do people actually get paid to explore the history of words? We take a look at the figures in history that can be considered the fathers, grandfathers and God Fathers of Etymology, from Vedic scholars in India and ancient Greek philosophers all the way through to the Brothers Grimm and the race to decode the Rosetta Stone. Full article available on our website https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-44-etymologists

"Hello again word lovers!" Today we are exploring the vocabulary surrounding the topic of heraldry. There are some genuinely interesting etymologies preserved within Heraldry which has effectively pickled some Norman French for us to enjoy. Full article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-43-heraldry

"Hello again word lovers!" And today we will be looking at words that come from the names of people. We are not going to delve into the etymology of the name as such but take a look at words for things or concepts that have come into the language via the name of the person that popularised the idea, product or concept.  Full article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-42-people

Once again we here in Zaragoza get to enjoy a local bank holiday this Monday. Let us explain all you need to know about this wonderful break from the working drudgery. What is it all about and why we celebrate the 5th of March?

Saint Valentine! A story of massacres and certainly no bed of roses. How did a third-century priest in Rome become the patron saint of flower sellers and the persecutor of all western men? As so often is the case, this is a story that results in a brutal murder..... Join us as we share with you all you need to know about the man who keeps greetings cards in print. Full associated article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/2019/02/10/need-to-know-saint-valentine

"Hello again word lovers!" In this show we are going to look at words that have merged from Persian. This is a relative mystery to our host Charly, who knows no Farsi (the modern equivalent language) but it seems like an interesting branch to explore, especially as it is the root of many modern Arab words. Now it will come as no surprise that many words considered Arabic come from Persian but the real shock is the number of words considered quintessentially Indian that made the journey east from Persia. There are definitely a couple of surprises in store here, even the Russians are stripped of a word that is considered one of their own. There is also some fun to be had with the original meaning of musk! An action-packed 5 minutes of etymological discovery. At least one o f these pieces of information is going to get you points in a pub quiz at some point in your life Full article on our website:

Have you noticed cakes in shop windows that look like, ahem, well, boobs? Have you wanted to know what this was all about but too terrified to ask? Well, never fear, we have all the answers here. Discover the story of Santa Agueda, celebrated on February 5th. It's a grim tale of torture and rejection, earthquakes and murder, oh, and cakes shaped like, well, boobs....

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This episode involves discussion of some terms that may cause offence. "Hello again word lovers!" In this episode we dip our toes in the complicated waters of political correctness. When society understand words or phrases to have an unpleasant etymology but study reveals no such connection things can get very uncomfortable. Charly explores some specific examples of this grey area of language: Chave and Pikey come under the microscope alongside hysterical/hysteria. Tranny and illegal are also explored before we take a look at some very controversial expressions. Nitty-gritty and Squaw have both come under fire as words that should be removed from the lexicon due to offensive or pejorative foundations. Charly sees if he can find evidence to support these claims. "N*ggardly" (asterisk employed to avoid the wrath of the algorithm) Charly explores the etymology of this word that has become archaic because it sounds so similar to "the N word" but shares no etymological root whatsoever. It actually comes via Old English from Old Norse. Please note Charly states in his programme that the mayor of Washington, Anthony Williams, resigned in 1999 after using the above term. As clarified in our article, it was in fact David Howard, the then Head of the Office of the Public Advocate who stumbled into difficulty. This episode can be listened to as a complement to episodes 26: Reappropriation and 23: Insults, which can be found in the programme archive. Full article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-40-political-correctness

"Hello again word lovers!" We have looked at words that have come to English from very far flung roots and some of the languages they have travelled through no longer exist. If we exclude Latin, Greek and Hebrew from our considerations, how many words exist in English that have come from dead languages and another question to consider, how does a language die? Find the full article for this episode on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-39-dead-languages

San Valero, Rosconero y ventolero! All you need to know about this celebration of Saint Valero, the Patron Saint of Zaragoza, is right here.

"Hello again word lovers!" In this episode we are looking for words in English that have come from a non PIE root. A packed epsiode with a plentiful supply of words. On this episode there is some additional information to be provided: Bamboo is credited as being a word from Telugu in this epsideo when it is more likely from Kannada or Malay. Taboo is listed as emerging from Hawaiian when it comes directly ito English via James Cook after his visit to Tonga. The etymology of Curry, Ginger, Cash and Ukulele are covered in more detail in the related article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-38-non-pie And if you want to know why wiki wiki can be seen on the front of a bus you will need to head to our website and discover the strange background to the word wiki entering international use in the same article.

"Hello again word lovers!" Today we are going into the realms of myth, particulalry that of mythical beasts. From the Phoenix to the undead. Monsters and ghosts to angels and manticores. Check out the full article of our website: https://www.bulldogz.org//post/interesting-etymologies-37-mythical-beasts

"Hello again word lovers!" and in this instalment we are going to look at words formed from initial letters, known as acronyms. These are not to be confused with initialisms, which do not form new words. - F.B.I, C.I.A for example. AIDS is an acronym, H.I.V is an initialism Check out the full article of our website: https://www.bulldogz.org//post/interesting-etymologies-36-acronyms

Need to know : The Three Kings Bearing gifts we travel afar....The Spanish tradition of "Reyes" that extends the magic of the Christmas season that little bit longer and brings city centres to a standstill. All you need to know right here! Full related article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org//post/2019/01/01/need-to-know-the-three-kings

"Hello again Word Lovers!" - In this week we are taking a slight diversion as we look at words developed within English but influenced by other languages and grammar. This created a type of English within English, spread mainly by black Americans, and named by a black American, Robert Williams in 1973, "Ebonics". Ebone to represent Black and "onics" as reference to Phonics. This has become understood as the way black populations use language in comparison to white speakers. It is also called African American Vernacular English (AAVE), formerly Black English Vernacular (BEV), dialect of American English spoken by a large proportion of African Americans. The name was intended to provide a label for the linguistic consequences of the slave trade without negative connotations that other labels could evoke. It remained a a little-known term that was not adopted by linguists or featured in the Oxford English Dictionary. This changed in 1996 when controversy emerged over the Oakland School Board decision to recognise it is a primary language for Afro American students and therefore acquire further funds to facilitate the teaching of standard English. Find the full article to accompany the programme on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-35-ebonics

"Hello again Word Lovers!" - Long time no see, well hopefully only a week, but this expression is a calque from Chinese. To learn all about calques and Chinese words in English enjoy our latest programme. Find the full article to accompany the programme on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-34-chinese An article about the history of tea can be found here: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/2018/04/27/tea-the-drink-that-fuelled-wars-revolutions

"Hello again Word Lovers!" In this instalment we are going to look at Latin words that have survived from Latin times into modern English. Full accompanying article available on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-33-latin

"Hello again word lovers!" In this episode, we investigate the etymology of words connected to illness and disease although you will be pleased to hear there is not a single reference to a certain infection with a name connected to a crown in Spanish... Full accompanying article is available on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-32-disease

"Hello again Word Lovers!" That is not a mistake, we do mean Turkic and not Turkish! Turkic is a language group, Turkish being the most obvious one in this group Turkic has given us many words, especially food words and names of places, with some global words coming into use in almost all languages. There are more words to uncover though in this introduction to the world of Turkic words in English. Find the full accompanying article on our website here: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-31-turkic

"Hello again Word Lovers!" In this episode we will explore some words that come into popular use during World War II. Some of the words and terms in this episode are actually first used in World War One but make it into the public consciousness during the second conflict. Find the full associated article here on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-30-world-war-two

Interesting Etymologies 29 : World War One "Hello again word lovers!" This episode is going to explore some words that come to us from World War One, The Great War. After an examination of War and Fight we work through some words of WWI that may surprise many. A series of clumsy French adaptations including Skive, Plonk and Toot Sweet. The origins of Blighty and Cushy from Urdu Several words from the trenches that people would never connect to the war. Tank and Sharpnel are also covered. Full details and notes on our webpage here: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-29-world-war-one

Interesting Etymologies 28 : Fiction "Hello again word lovers!" In this episode we will explore words that have migrated from fiction to everyday use Find the full associated article at our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-28-fiction

Welcome to ‘Tales from the Other Side' where we look at folklore, mythology and magic. One of the most recognised symbols of Hallowe'en is the iconic carved pumpkin. In recent years, pumpkin picking has become a popular autumn activity and designs have become more outlandish and elaborate. This ritual became popular in America in the 19th century following the arrival of Irish and Scottish immigrants who brought their traditions with them. Traditionally turnips were used but pumpkins became popular as they are larger and softer making them much easier to carve. But what did these lanterns represent and why were they used? Come and huddle by the fire as we tell you the story of Sting Jack and the origin of the Hallowe'en pumpkin..... Full article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/tales-from-the-other-side-the-hallowe-en-pumpkin

"Hello again word lovers!" In this instalment, we dive into the world of cockney rhyming slang. This is a slang style that uses levels of abstraction and implied rhymes to provide coded meaning. Once you understand the principles it can be a great deal of fun to play with or use, but for the beginner, it can be intimidating or impenetrable. This is hardly a surprise, it is believed to have developed from a code language for criminals to communicate without police or bystanders understanding them. So use your loaf and see if you can decipher some of the most abstract slang known to man! The full associated article is available on our website here: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-27-cockney-rhyming-slang

Welcome to ‘Tales from the Other Side' where we look at folklore, mythology and magic. All Hallows Eve, more commonly known as Hallowe'en, is a holiday full of mischief and merriment which has grown hugely in popularity across the globe. Many attribute this rise in popularity to the influence of American culture where it is celebrated with costume parties, trick-or-treating, chilling stories, carving pumpkins as well as a number of other activities. These traditions became popular in the USA in the 19th Century but their origins go back much further. Explore the Celtic origins of Samhain, the ancient festival that has become the sugary spookfest that is Hallowe'en Full associated article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/tales-from-the-other-side-origins-of-hallowe-en

"Hello again Word Lovers!" after diving into some insults (see IE23) we can explore some words and phrases that started as insults but have been claimed back by victims returning it back into language without a pejorative meaning, this is called "reappropriation" in etymological circles. Full notes in the accompanying article can be found on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-26-reappropriation