Humorous Etymological Research Probing English Songs - A moderately researched, moderately funny chat show about popular music and language.
The Getting Down & Wordy podcast is a clever and unique show that combines influential music and linguistic knowledge to paint a detailed portrait of cultural moments. The hosts, Russell and Hannah, are incredibly well-informed and have great chemistry, making the podcast both informative and entertaining. They dive deep into a wide range of artists and explore the origins of interesting and relevant words and phrases. It's refreshing to see such a fun and fresh look at significant junctures in our shared pop culture history.
One of the best aspects of this podcast is how it ties together music and language in such an engaging way. The hosts do thorough research, providing listeners with a wealth of knowledge about the origins of words and phrases related to influential songs. Their enthusiasm for the subject matter shines through, making each episode enjoyable to listen to. Additionally, their humor adds another layer of entertainment, making even complex linguistic concepts accessible to all listeners.
Another positive aspect is the chemistry between Russell and Hannah. They have a natural rapport that makes their conversations flow easily, keeping listeners engaged throughout each episode. Their genuine passion for the topic is evident, creating an immersive experience for anyone interested in linguistics or music history. Furthermore, they have developed a solid format that ensures each episode stays on track while still allowing for spontaneous discussions.
While it's hard to find any negative aspects of this podcast, some listeners may find that the episodes digress into tangents or go off on unrelated topics at times. While these detours can be entertaining, they might detract from the main theme or topic being discussed. However, for those who enjoy the conversational nature of podcasts, these tangents may not be seen as drawbacks but rather as additional enjoyable content.
In conclusion, The Getting Down & Wordy podcast is a must-listen for music lovers, word nerds, or anyone looking for an informative yet entertaining show about linguistics. With its clever concept, well-informed hosts, and great chemistry, it offers a fresh and fun exploration of significant moments in pop culture history. Whether you're looking to learn something new or simply enjoy a good laugh, this podcast delivers on all fronts. Don't miss out on the opportunity to binge all their episodes and expand your knowledge while being thoroughly entertained!
This week we return to Beyonce to talk about her foray into country music and the most infamous word in "improper" grammar - ain't.We look at where ain't comes from, how it was originally used, who originally used it, and what was the opinion of it in the past? We explain its evolution and the history of the pushback against it.In Eurovision, we discuss Albania's 2025 entry "Zjerm" by Shkodra Elektronike. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.comHuge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”!This week's promoted podcast is Jack Billings Presents. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jack-billings-presents/id1701071750Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
A murder of crows, a pride of lions. These names for groups of animals are called terms of venery! Who comes up with this stuff? We'll tell you!And what better song to pair with this than "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran? Is there a better song, period? Ok, so there are lots of better songs in the world, but Ed Sheeran seems like a pretty likeable guy it turns out!For Eurovision, we're talking about Montenegro's "Clickbait" by NeonoeN, a song which was selected but ultimately disqualified! Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.comHuge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”!This week's promoted podcast is Beyond the Shadows. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hgfTsx24MjcxaopQNURyX?si=b7679e12b5a0417f&nd=1&dlsi=de44a28423804d3bFind them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
In preparation for next week's episode about the vocal cords, we talk to phenomenal Asheville alt-pop musician, vocalist, voice over actor, and audiobook narrator Moon Bride about the ins and outs of working with one's voice.You can find Moon Bride's music on all the major platforms like Spotify and Youtube by searching her name. And you can follow her on Instagram to keep up with her music releases and concerts. Here's some links to her stuff:Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSAknB96lwkp-etOS3lxpZQInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/moonbride.music/As for us . . . Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.comHuge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”!This week's promoted podcast is Thick Thighs & Creepy Vibes. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thick-thighs-and-creepy-vibes/id1736179086Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
In this episode we talk about AJR, their invention of a synthesizing process for morphing instrument sounds into different instrument sounds (idk, I don't understand it to be honest), and synesthesia. Did you know there are a bunch of different types of synesthesia? You will know after you listen. And possibly see colors while you're listening? Synesthetes, write in and tell us what colors our voices are.We look at trends and misuses of mental health buzz words. Self care. Trigger. Gas light. Etc. Everyone's using these words, but do they mean what they think they mean?In Eurovision, we talk about Australia 2024's offering - One Milkali by Electric Fields, and we talk about the indigenous culture of Australia.Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.comHuge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”!This week's promoted podcast is Crime & Spirits. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://linktr.ee/crimeandspiritspodcastFind them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
We're looking at the etymology and evolution of "rawdog" so we decided to rawdog this episode! That's right, no planning, decision making, or research was done before we started recording. Listen if you dare as we go mask off and show you just how slow and dumb we really are. We chose Pussy Cat Dolls "Don't Cha" for the music segment, and looked at a song for Eurovision that was in the running but ultimately didn't get picked.If you like it raw, today's your lucky day.Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.comHuge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”!This week's promoted podcast is Crime & Spirits. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://linktr.ee/crimeandspiritspodcastFind them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
We talk about the history and evolution of "woke" from the simple opposite of slept to the catchall term for everything the fascists of the world dislike. Music-wise, we'll talk about a semi-recent song that implores us to stay woke, Childish Gambino's "Redbone".In Eurovision, we look at Cyprus's competitor, Theo Evan, and political and racial words with Greek and Turkish origins.Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.comHuge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”!This week's promoted podcast is Speak of the Devil. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://linktr.ee/speakofthedevilFind them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
In America we use red blooded blue collar measurements like feet and yards and miles. But what's up with that? And what's a furlong? And a perch?We talk about the Proclaimers' hit song and their evolution, and we talk about the evolution of the mile and other measurements that we just can't let go of even as the rest of the world has gone metric.In Eurovision, we talk about the debut of Celine Dion, with her 1988 song for Switzerland, "Ne partez pas sans moi".Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.comHuge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”!This week's promoted podcast is Haunted Moonlight. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/haunted-moonlight/id1703911242Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
We talk about everyone's favorite lesbian pop star, where she came from and her own impact on language and the pop music discourse.And we discuss the etymology of baby, its origins, its evolution of use over time. When and why did we start using it to mean romantic partners? In Eurovision, we discuss Latvia's 2024 entry "Hollow" by Dons, and we talk about Latvian words for baby and for romantic partners.Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.comHuge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”!This week's promoted podcast is Bad Acts. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bad-acts-a-true-crime-podcast/id1538464479Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Since August of 2024, women in Afghanistan have been banned by the Taliban from speaking or being heard in public places. Some Afghan women have bravely released recordings of themselves singing in protest of this horrific loss of basic freedom. We discuss the ban, and we discuss Miley Cyrus's song "Wrecking Ball", a song which in many ways exemplifies the oppressive masculine forces at play in the American pop music industry.Find the Afghan woman's song we share in the episode here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFHTbPNPZ1o&ab_channel=VoiceofAmericaIn the language portion, we discuss wreck and similarly violent or damage based words and their origins.The Eurovision song this episode is Finland's 2013 entry, "Marry Me" by Krista Seigfrids.Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.comHuge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”!This week's promoted podcast is Caffeinated Conspiracies. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/caffeinated-conspiracies/id1454287363Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Valentine's Day is coming up, so we talk about the thing that no one does on Valentine's Day since we're all on dates. Fart! And who better to pair with farts than Canadian pop sensation Feist? We talk about the etymology of fart, other words for fart, words you didn't know mean fart, and the science and cultural history of farting. For Eurovision, we look at Sweden 2024's Marcus and Martinus and their song "Unforgettable". Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is . Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://linktr.ee/hauntedtales Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
We look at the sneakily successful Mark Ambor. Give his music a listen, and you may be surprised to realize that you already know it. And we look at the second of time. How did we come to call it that? What relation does it have to second as in 2nd place? Learn about the people who standardize time and how that came about. And learn about why we use a base 60 system for time. In Eurovision we talk about Armenia 2024 - "Jako" by Ladaniva. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is (). Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Today we discuss one of the biggest hits of 2024, and we look into the etymology and history of the endless list of words for coffee, from coffee itself to descriptors of types of coffee like macchiato. For Eurovision, we discuss Norway's 2024 song "Gåte" by Ulveham, and we talk about Norway's coffee culture including weird coffee pairings. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Rowan & Pine. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rowan-pine-a-spooky-feminist-folklore-mythology-podcast/id1632401774 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Next week we will be talking about "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter, so this week we brought on a Sabrina Carpenter fan, our friend Jess from the wonderful music news podcast Music Notes with Jess. We also talk about her podcast, music pet peeves, and the New York dialect. Find Jess's podcast anywhere you get podcasts, or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/music-notes-with-jess/id1482464592 Also follow her podcast on instagram at this link: https://www.instagram.com/musicnoteswithjess/ Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is The Ugly Radio. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ugly-radio/id1515895095 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
We are once again looking at the most popular song from 100 years ago! It's 1924's "Ain't Gonna Rain No More", an old folk song performed by a variety of artists, but most famously by Wendell Woods Hall, considered by some to be the first modern pop star. We'll explore some of the popular lyrics of the song, a song which has countless verses since lots of singers like to add new ones. And we'll explore the dialectical variation of losing the "R" sounds, particularly after vowels, like how in the song of the episode, "more" becomes "mo". This is a phenomenon known as derhoticization, R-dropping, R-less, and various other things. Where did this pronunciation quirk originate, and where did it spread to? We'll also talk about the concept of R-like sounds in general, and how they're different in different languages. What makes a sound R-like, even in a language that doesn't have the letter R? For Eurovision, we're talking about Cyprus's 2024 song "Liar" by Silia Kapsis. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is The Lost Signal Podcast. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-signal-podcast/id1465964518 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Next week we are talking about r-dropping accents - accents that say cah for car and so on, often found in British accents, and so we hunted down a real live British person to talk to about the British accent. That person is Matt from the podcast Pick a Disc. On Matt's podcast, each episode a guest tells Matt about an album they love, and they have a nice chat about it that is insightful, funny, and highly listenable. I love this podcast. I know you will too. Check it out where you listen to podcasts or at this link: https://pod.link/pickadisc You can also follow Pick a Disc on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/pickadisc/ Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Jack Billings Presents. Their new season is King of the Bighouse. Find them wherever you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jack-billings-presents/id1701071750 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Happy Hanukkah listeners! We're discussing apartheid, the Israel Palestine conflict, and parallels to the history of Hanukkah. To do that, we chose Dave Matthews, a man from South Africa who has spoken out against Palestinian genocide, and his song "Last Stop" about the topic. For Eurovision, we talk about Israel's 2024 entry "Hurricane" by Eden Golan and the controversy surrounding it. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Beyond the Shadows. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hgfTsx24MjcxaopQNURyX?si=b7679e12b5a0417f Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
This Thanksgiving we are diving into the slang phrase "It's giving" which is used to describe something's vibes or je ne se quoix or . . . Just listen to the podcast, we explain it. We also talk about the etymology of the word give itself. We talk about Latto, a rapper named after a racial slur? And we'll tell you who she is and how she came to be famous. And it's Thanksgiving, so we're talking about some Thanksgiving stuff, including the origin of the phrase "Indian giver". For Eurovision, we discuss Germany's 2024 offering, "Always on the Run" by Isaak. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Freaky Fridays. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://linktr.ee/freakyfridayspod Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Today we are joined by Heddwen Newton. Heddwen is half Dutch, half British, and writes two entertaining newsletters about language. English and the Dutch is about how Dutch people speak English (hint: sometimes badly), and also dives into interesting etymologies that link the two languages. Heddwen has been writing about difficult-to-translate Dutch words and idioms since 2017 on her blog HoezegjeinhetEngels.nl. English in Progress lists neologisms and Gen Z slang in a way that is funny but also lexicographically sound. And we are talking about the Dutch influence on English including loan words and cultural intersections. Obviously we're pairing this with Tyler the Creator because, well, he made a song with a Dutch title, Yonkers. Find out what Yonkers means in the podcast. For Eurovision this week we talk about the Netherlands' 2024 performer Joost Klein (and also learn how to say Joost Klein), and we talk about the aftermath and resolution to the controversy that happened with him during Eurovision. Find Heddwen and her content at these links: https://englishandthedutch.substack.com/ https://englishinprogress.substack.com/ https://hoezegjeinhetengels.nl/ Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Thick Thighs & Creepy Vibes. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thick-thighs-and-creepy-vibes/id1736179086 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
With the diabetes and the tooth decay and so on, what's scarier than sugary sweetness? Waking up early, according to Hozier! We talk about how to say Hozier, and other things about this artist such as his penchant for activism. And we discuss the word sweet, its origins and etymology. In Eurovision, we discuss Portugal's 2024 entry "Grito" by Iolanda, because it's Halloween, and grito means scream, sort of. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Crime & Spirits. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://linktr.ee/crimeandspiritspodcast Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
We discuss the Bruce Springsteen of Vermont, Noah Kahan, and that one song he has that really sticks in your head. Also, what is stick season anyway? We talk about the word stick and related words. And, no spoilers, but there are a lot of related words. We also look at some stick-based idioms like "more than you can shake a stick at", "the short end of the stick", "stuck up", and "sticks and stones". For Eurovision, we discuss Georgia's 2024 song "Firefighter" by Nutsa Buzaladze. And we discuss the months of the Georgian calendar. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Speak of the Devil. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://linktr.ee/speakofthedevilFind them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Sacre Bleu, it's the return of Billie Eilish, and she's singing in French! Oh wait she's not, just the song title is in French. Well anyway! C'est la vie. We talk about the rise of queerness in music. And then we talk about French, the language of love. Why is it thought of as the most romantic language? For Eurovision, we discuss Luxembourg's 2024 song "Fighter" by TALI, and the Luxembourgian language's word for love. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Brutal, Bizarre, and Boozy. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://open.spotify.com/show/44Z9VDxjEVGpbPBkYzQorh?si=0556a1a9b65048bd&nd=1&dlsi=44ebdc801f444221Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Today we're talking about a super sunny song and the darkness that lies within. And we're pairing that with the topic of covert hate speech, basically. A lot of numbers. Bigots seem to really like numbers. Kind of good to know what the tainted numbers are so you don't accidentally use them, just saying. For Eurovision, we are finally talking about the winner of Eurovision, Switzerland's Nemo, and their song "The Code". Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Haunted Moonlight. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/haunted-moonlight/id1703911242Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
We're talking about perhaps the greatest Metallica song, probably the most listened to now that it got the Stranger Things bump. And we're talking about "puppet". The word, the history, the creep factor, the surprising relevance and popularity of puppets today. If anything, they're more popular than ever before. For Eurovision, we talk about Estonia's 2024 entry 5MIINUST and Puuluup ‘(nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi.' Definitely in my (Russell's) top 3 favorite songs of the competition. This is also the last episode we recorded pre-Eurovision so after this one we'll finally know what the rest of the world has known for months regarding the winner, the controversies, etc. This is of course our second episode on the topic of puppets. If you haven't listened to our interview with Matt Sandbank the puppeteer yet, go back and give that a listen before or after this one. You can find Matt Sandbank at these links: His instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/sandbank_shadow_factory/ Or his website: http://www.sandbankshadowfactory.com/ Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Bad Acts. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bad-acts-a-true-crime-podcast/id1538464479 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Next week's episode will be about the word "puppet", the etymology, history, and cultural stuff surrounding the word. So this week, I am interviewing my favorite puppeteer, Matt Sandbank. Matt Sandbank does lightbox shadow puppetry. His shows are clever, poignant, and hilarious. He is based in North Carolina, but he does shows around the country. We talk about his puppet work, and his ideas and views of puppetry. You can find Matt Sandbank on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/sandbank_shadow_factory/ Or at his website: http://www.sandbankshadowfactory.com/ Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Anything Bones. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/anything-bones/id1536352309 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
We selected the cringiest musical artist we could think of to feature in our discussion of cringe. What is this complex emotion and how has it evolved? And where did the word come from? Is it an ideophone? What's an ideophone? We discuss it. In Eurovision, we discuss Austria's 2024 song "We Will Rave" by a Kaleen. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Haunted Apartment Complex. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jack-billings-presents-haunted-apartment-complex/id1572711048Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Recently I got into the band Mannequin Pussy, and I thought it's interesting that they have trouble with censors in media and platforms such as Tiktok, for "pussy", a word that not that long ago was acceptable to use in any context because it had two meanings - cat and genitals. So we're exploring how it shifted over time from first meaning only cat, to then meaning cat and genitals, to now meaning only genitals. And now, it's even become grammaticized to a suffix in -ussy, as in bussy, pizussy, clussy, etc. And what better song to represent pussy than Khia's "My Neck My Back"? Please, don't waste my timeussy, there is no better song. In Eurovision we talk about the opposite of a pussy, a tower, with Poland's 2024 offering "The Tower" by Luna. And we talk about what Polish people call the female genitalia. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Freaky Fridays. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://linktr.ee/freakyfridayspodFind them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Welp, we watched the musical Wonka movie. And one of us loved it and one of us did not. Which of us is which may not surprise you. It's a "funny" movie with some funny words, so we thought we'd talk about what makes some words funny. We look at the discourse and research into what makes a word funny. And we list lots of examples of words that various people have pointed out as being funny words. We also talk about Roald Dahl, a man who made a career out of making up funny sounding words. In Eurovision, we discuss Spain's 2024 offering, "Zorra" by Nebulossa. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Thick Thighs & Creepy Vibes. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thick-thighs-and-creepy-vibes/id1736179086Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
We're talking about the only artist whose name rhymes with RZA . . . SZA! And of course we're talking about the surprising history of rhyming plus different kinds of rhymes. Which words do and don't rhyme? It's more complicated than you think. Are slant rhymes bad writing? It's more complicated than you think! For Eurovision, we discuss Croatia's 2024 song "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" by Baby Lasanga. Meow cat, please meow back. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! This week's promoted podcast is Caffeinated Conspiracies. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/caffeinated-conspiracies/id1454287363Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
On this jagged little podcast we discuss Alanis Morisette's first hit and what she's done since. Amazing what a woman with pockets can do. Of course we're talking about hands, including the etymology of the word, and also the fingers, and also various hand signs such as the high five. In Eurovision talk, we discuss the UK's 2024 offering, "Dizzy" by Olly Alexander. And we chat a bit about the Tiktok hand dancing trend. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! Find Patsy on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@patsywalker1481 This week's promoted podcast is the Doe Identify Podcast. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-doe-identify-podcast/id1544009777Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Today, building on our discussion last week with Michelle Troszak, creator of the Interstellar Song Contest, we talk about fictional languages. We have all your favorites except for the Game of Thrones ones! Klingon! Elvish! Simlish! Furbish! Wenja from Far Cry! And more! In Eurovision, we talk about space-themed songs throughout the years. Remember to check out the Interstellar Song Contest at any of the following links: The full show (like a radio show format): https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skysail-theatre https://open.spotify.com/show/4G93JBa74dvXuCBadnsyUk The cast album: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/skysailtheatre/interstellar-song-contest-original-cast-recording https://open.spotify.com/album/56VbHsBJNcn37QWiqFF4UP Skysail Theatre: https://www.facebook.com/skysailtheatre https://www.instagram.com/skysailtheatre https://linktr.ee/skysailtheatre Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! Find Patsy on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@patsywalker1481 This week's promoted podcast is Bad Acts. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bad-acts-a-true-crime-podcast/id1538464479 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Today we talk to Michelle Troszak, founder of Skysail Theatre, about her new musical, The Interstellar Song Contest. This episode is part 1 of our discussion on fictional languages, which will conclude in next week's episode. The Interstellar Song Contest currently exists as a cast recording and a radio show in podcast format. Find Michelle, Skysail Theatre, and the show at the following links! The full show (like a radio show format): https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skysail-theatre https://open.spotify.com/show/4G93JBa74dvXuCBadnsyUk The cast album: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/skysailtheatre/interstellar-song-contest-original-cast-recording https://open.spotify.com/album/56VbHsBJNcn37QWiqFF4UP Skysail Theatre: https://www.facebook.com/skysailtheatre https://www.instagram.com/skysailtheatre https://linktr.ee/skysailtheatre Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! Find Patsy on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@patsywalker1481 This week's promoted podcast is Bad Acts. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bad-acts-a-true-crime-podcast/id1538464479Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Maybe a lesser known Decemberists song, but probably one of the first ones I ever heard, we talk about "Myla Goldberg", and the person who it's about, author of the novel Bee Season. Lots of spoilers for people who have not read it and intend to, so watch out. We discuss the spelling bee. How'd it start and what are the rules? And why is it only an English thing? In Eurovision, we discuss a song in which they spell something, San Marino 2024's "11:11" by Megara. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! Find Patsy on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@patsywalker1481 This week's promoted podcast is Haunted Tales. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/haunted-tales/id1624389921 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
We discuss the OG oxford comma enthusiasts, Vampire Weekend, the first hit song off their new album, and everyone's favorite goat-fish astrological sign, the capricorn. What are capricorns like? Where'd the goat and fish combo come from? What's the age of capricorn going to be like? Why are you asking us all these questions? In Eurovision, we'll talk about Italy's 2024 entry "La Noia" by Angelina Mango. Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! Find Patsy on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@patsywalker1481 This week's promoted podcast is Haunted Moonlight. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/haunted-moonlight/id1703911242 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
This one's for the grammar nerds! (But not such grammar nerds that you'll cringe at all the stuff we inevitably got wrong.) We're talking about Paula Abdul's greatest hit "Straight Up", and we're talking about irregular verbs, particularly about verbs that used to be irregular but are now regular, and about other words which are actually formerly irregular verb forms but we now use them for something else. Think of "wrought iron" or "what has God wrought?". Wrought was once the past tense form of work. For Eurovision, we're talking about Finland's Windows95man and his song "No Rules". And we're talking about another grammar topic - telic and atelic verbs! Find us on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/gettingdownandwordy/ And email us at gettingdownandwordy@gmail.com Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! Find Patsy on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@patsywalker1481 This week's promoted podcast is Macab at Midnight. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2303990Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Today we discuss Shrek the Musical, the live action musical play version of the first Shrek movie. How did this get made? Should it have been? And we talk about the origin and many different meanings of gross. In Eurovision talk, we discuss Ireland's "Doomsday Blues" by Bambie Thug. Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”! Find Patsy on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@patsywalker1481 This week's promoted podcast is Beyond the Shadows. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hgfTsx24MjcxaopQNURyX?si=b7679e12b5a0417f&nd=1&dlsi=7f3fda57e9764a61 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
We discuss Ceelo Green's big hit (the radio edit) "Forget You", and we go deep into the evolution of the word dementia and society's ideas about it. For Eurovision, we do Slovenia's song "Viktoria" by Raiven. Check out another podcast in our network, Crime & Spirits, you can find them here https://linktr.ee/crimeandspiritspodcast Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our network, podmoth.network Special thanks as always to Patsy Walker for our theme song. Find her at https://www.youtube.com/@patsywalker1481
We talk about Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow and the history of the whip, as a word and as a thing! Different types, whippings through the ages, whips in fiction . . . For Eurovision, we talk about the Czech Republic's 2024 competitor, Aiko's "Pedestal", and we talk about trilled R's and the Czech Republic's unpronounceable variant on a trilled R. This week's featured podcast is My Second Self and I. Find them here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3pzH0fR9c5jqIV404VuAAM?si=a220945ba70b4f0d Big thanks to Patsy Walker for our theme song! Find her here: https://www.youtube.com/@patsywalker1481 Find us and lots of other great podcasts at our network, Podmoth.network
This week we talk about the 4 Non Blondes' one hit song from their one album. Why does it get so much hate? What's under Linda Perry's hat? Is it meth? And is Dolly Parton okay? We tell you about various greetings and their origins. Looking to spice up your saying hello to people game? We've got you covered. And in Eurovision we talk about Romania's 2023 song, D.G.T. by Theodor Andrei. Enjoy it because there will be no Romania in 2024! Huge thanks to Patsy Walker for the use of our theme song “Who's Wordy Now”. Find Patsy on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@patsywalker1481 This week's promoted podcast is Ugly Radio. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ugly-radio/id1515895095 Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts on our podcast network podmoth.network
Today we discuss famous brother and sister duo Jack and Meg White. Explain cow punk. And talk about Lay Bankz' "Lady Boner Gone". Then we get into the ick. What is it? Who has it? How can you avoid giving it to girls? Is it problematic? For Eurovision, we'll tell you about Netherlands' Joost Klein and the Frysian people and their language. Spoiler, it's very close to English. On this episode, our featured ad is the podcast Saturdays are for the Ghouls. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or right here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturdays-are-for-the-ghouls/id1570983561 Find us, them, and other great podcasts at podmoth.network
Today we discuss Ghostwriter's faux Drake and Weeknd song made using "AI". We talk the ethics of it. The news and controversy around it. The concept of digital blackface. And we talk about AI generally and some of the words and terms that have arisen such as hallucination. In Eurovision, we talk about Luxembourg, who is returning to the contest this year after thirty years of not participating. Small country, but they're a pretty big deal as they have five wins under their belt. This week's featured podcast is Brutal Bizarre & Boozy. Check them out anywhere you get podcasts or at https://open.spotify.com/show/44Z9VDxjEVGpbPBkYzQorh?si=0556a1a9b65048bd Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts at our network, podmoth.network
We try to make sense of the Skibidi Toilet youtube videos and trace the word skibidi which really gets around, from Little Big's song "skibidi" to Biser King's "Dom Dom Yes Yes". We discuss the history of nonsense words with various examples including nonce words, sniglets, wugs, etc. And of course Lewis Carroll. In Eurovision, we discuss the troubled past of Russia and the Eurovision song contest. Today's featured podcast is Speak of the Devil. Find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://linktr.ee/speakofthedevil Find them, us, and lots of other great podcasts at our podcast network, podmoth.network
Today we talk about the classic Bobby Darin song and the original song which it was based on. We also talk about his life and career generally. In etymology, we discuss the origin of various aquatic animals' names, including whales, dolphins, and cuttlefish . . . We also talk generally about the relationship between naming and observation. We talked about water animals, so for Eurovision we talked about Waterloo, the hit song by Abba that won Eurovision in 1974 and really changed the game. Today's featured podcast is The Moustachio Podcastio. Find it anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moustachioed-podcastio/id1516217740 Find them, us, and many other great podcasts on our network podmoth.network
It's the holiday season! Today we discuss The Neighbourhood's hit song "Sweater Weather" and the history of the sweater. Why did we settle on SWEAT as the thing to name an article of clothing after? We'll talk about that, the etymology of "sweat" and other words for sweater like jumper, and generally how this particular sort of knitted shirt came to be so uniquely iconic We also consider other non-religious winter seasonal songs, including "Brrr" by Kim Petras, which we forget to say the name of in the episode, so I'm mentioning it here, for you rare few who read episode descriptions. For Eurovision, we talk about the first song to be announced for 2024 - France's "Mon Amour" by Slimane. Plus, the etymology of rendezvous. This episode's featured ad is the Lost Signal podcast. Listen to them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-signal-podcast/id1465964518 Find them, us, and other great podcasts at our network podmoth.network In case you want to check out our winter song playlist, here's the Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6hEVsvLEOtS2UwGTDHkNmG?si=9b307a0757db4210
Today we talk about Metallica. Are they objectively bad? We talk about the song "Welcome Home" (that's the song where they say "sanitarium"). What's it about, what's it based on, that kind of stuff. We talk about sanitariums. What were they? How did they work? We also talk about backronyms. In Eurovision talk, we discuss Germany's "Blood and Glitter" by Lord of the Lost. This weeks featured podcast is Haunted Apartment Complex. Check them out anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jack-billings-presents-haunted-apartment-complex/id1572711048 Find them, us, and other great podcasts at our network podmoth.network
It's cuffing season, and we're talking about beige flags, things about a romantic partner that are not bad enough to be red flags, more like quirky or mildly annoying. Where did this phrase come from? What are some examples of beige flags? By the way, where does this word flag come from, etymologically? We also talk about the flagpole sitting craze of the 1920s. Yes, people literally sat on flagpoles. And for Eurovision, we discuss Armenia's 2023 offering, "Future Lover" by Brunette. And! Armenian terms of endearment. Check out the podcast Freaky Fridays at this link: https://linktr.ee/freakyfridayspod And find lots of other great podcasts on our network https://podmoth.network/
Today we see what was the most popular song from exactly 100 years ago in 1923. And wow, it's weird. But it's nicely rooted in the history and culture of the time and tells us a lot about ethnicity, comedy, and the precarious fate of the banana at the time. So we dive into all that. Additionally we give you the history and etymology of banana of course. And we talk about its relation to comedy and why 'bananas' means crazy, and so on. In Eurovision, we discuss the top 6 funniest Eurovision songs of all time. I won't tell you which ones though, you'll have to listen to found out. This week's featured ad is for the podcast Fuck My Work Life. You can find them anywhere you get podcasts or here: https://linktr.ee/fmwlpod You can find lots of other great podcasts on our network at podmoth.network
Today we discuss Hannah's favorite song so she'll stop suggesting we do an episode about it every week. We talk about the pop culture of movie monsters that it arose from, and the pop culture of songs about dance crazes. We explain the origin of the word monster and what words it's related to. And we explore the history of the idea of a monster. Where did it begin, and how has it evolved over time. Additionally we discuss some of the class Universal monsters. In Eurovision, we talk about Austria's 2023 song "Who the Hell is Edgar?" by Salena and Teya. One of us loves it, one of us is very underwhelmed by it. This week's featured podcast ad is for the Doe Identify podcast. You can find them anywhere you get podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-doe-identify-podcast/id1544009777 You can find us, them, and lots of other great podcasts at our network, podmoth.network
Today we discuss charisma and it's little Scrappy Doo-esque sidekick rizz! What does it mean, where'd it come from? What's the story of charisma? Why do we say charisma in Dungeons & Dragons and not like "persuasiveness" or something? And while we're talking about Dungeons & Dragons, what slang terms could we come up with for the other D&D stats? We also discuss what is the deal with "ch". Why do we pronounce it three different ways (like k, ch, and sh)? We're talking about CHArisma, so of course for Eurovision we have to talk about "Cha Cha Cha"! The song from Finland by Käärijä, the man so nice, he dotted his a's twice. This week's featured ad is for the podcast Anything Bones. Find them anywhere you listen to podcasts or at this link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/anything-bones/id1536352309 You can find us, them, and lots of other great podcasts at our network podmoth.network
We talk about how men talk! And we talk about how Matchbox Twenty talk with "Push" the surprisingly controversial song about pushing women around. Will I have some research about it? Well, I will. Well, I will. As we did with the feminine genderlect episode, we have a couple interesting lists of words that men are more likely to know than women. Additionally, we talk about various researchers' takes on the notion, including Otto Jesperson who claims that English is a very manly language. Find out why he says so. In Eurovision we discuss Italy's 2023 offering "Due Vite" by Marco Mengoni. Lots of crazy poetic language in that song like the moon exploding. Do we get to the bottom of it? No we do not. But we do talk about Italian hangover cures. This episodes featured ad is the podcast Bad Acts. You can find them here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bad-acts-a-true-crime-podcast/id1538464479 You can find lots of other great pocasts including ours at podmoth.network
This week we talk about barbie - the movie and the doll and the song "Barbie Girl" by Aqua. And as you'd expect we're pairing that with a girly language topic. We're talking about how women talk. Is it different from how men talk? Or is that a myth? How do you perform femininity in language? What are the conceptions and misconceptions, and what is the reality? In Eurovision world, we discuss Czechia's 2023 offering "My Sister's Crown" by Vesna. Hannah tells us about this really wild Czechian myth featuring a famous detective of all things. Our featured ad this episode is the podcast Beyond the Shadows. You can find them here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6hgfTsx24MjcxaopQNURyX?si=4d1f8d9dfc4c4e15 Find lots of other great podcasts at our network, podmoth.network