This week’s word gets Emily and Kyle one step closer to enlightenment. Well, linguistic enlightenment, if not spiritual. Settle in for a crash course in eastern Buddhism, a ponderous paradox or two, and the history of the word koan.
Our hosts unpack the roots of this Japanese word in even earlier Chinese terms, and discover their new favorite fictional detective along the way. They likewise explore the roots of Zen Buddhism in earlier Chan literature, glimpsing the head-scratcher questions that have plagued readers for centuries.
Emily introduces us to some of the most famous questions that students of Zen seek to answer, like the mu-koan and the “one hand clapping”. And, putting aside spiritual meditation, they also look at some of the English language’s more casual uses of the word koan.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
This week, the Lexiconicon drags Kyle and Emily to Wordition, a hellish realm of scribal errors. Plunging the duo into the fiery margins of medieval manuscripts, the pair must banish an infernal force that now possesses Seth the morally ambiguous word wizard.
From haplography to homeoteleuton, they battle the classic blunders of scribes past, decoding the corrupt world of textual criticism with their etymological knowledge, rhyming spells, and… some of the best darn scattin’ you’ve heard in a dog’s age.
Come face-to-face with the taxonomy of scribal omission, duplication, and misreading, and venture into the heart of this paperbound pandemonium where there lurks a centuries-old demon who may be behind it all. In the end, though, this demon may be the greatest error among them.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
Kyle and Emily kick Spooky Season into high gear with a word that is sure to shake you to your core. Come with us, only if you dare, to learn about the spooky, scary, and definitely unsanitary necropants.
Our hosts explore this object of Icelandic legends and folklore–which, unfortunately, is just as morbid as the name “necropants” suggests. They first dive through some familiar etymology, but the episode quickly takes a turn for the creepy. Emily recoils at the sight of these deathly pants, while Kyle explains the ritual which supposedly creates them.
But the sorcery doesn’t stop there! Kyle tells us tales of ancient runes, including those most powerful and dangerous fart runes. Our hosts look at some stories of necropants wearers, both the legendary and the possibly real. And Emily tries her best to unpack some other stores from Nordic folklore.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
This week, Emily and Kyle are joined by Gary Reddin, the creator of the modern-day bestiary Monstrum Obscura, to discuss ‘Blemmyes,’ an etymologically puzzling word that may cause you to lose your head about it.
Journeying through a history of the world, tales of Blemmyes and the like litter humanity’s story through myth, legend, and even cartography. And it’s not even Blemmyes all the way down! Mankind has an alarmingly lengthy list of words for headless humanoids, corporeal and beyond.
But where did these stories come from? Were they misunderstandings, metaphors, or cultural inventions to explain the unfamiliar? With echoes in Zoroastrian, Hindu, Chinese, and Japanese lore, the Blemmyes show just how far the myth of the headless man could travel, and how thin the line between history and monster can be.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
Kyle’s been burning the midnight oil to show Emily the things that go bump in the night. Turns out the frighteningly named lychnobite isn’t so scary after all!
Our hosts discuss the history of those who live by lamplight, those who work the graveyard shift, and those who live in the apartment directly above yours doing step aerobics at 4 A.M. They also talk about other kinds of nightwalkers such as vampires and nighttime robbers.
But Emily learns that the most common kind of lychnobite is just trying to earn an honest dollar. And Kyle reveals the hilarious confusion this seemingly scathing word can lead to. If you’re a night owl, and are willing to give this word a chance, this is the episode for you!
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
This week, Kyle and Emily fall into autumn with the warm, withering filemot. From feuille-morte to folium, the journey of this delicate hue reveals a surprising history of paper, pastry, and petals, and flitters freely like a leaf in a fall breeze into much, much more.
Our hosts uncover how a French shade once beloved in poetry and fashion made its way into English. They trace the word through Locke’s philosophy and Swift’s satire, with a delightful nod to the filing systems of archivists.
From autumn color palettes to forgotten pastry doughs, filemot is a word that whispers its meanings through centuries of transformation. And whether it appears on a painter’s canvas, a head of hair, or a shelf of aging folios, it remains, as ever, somewhere between fading and flourishing.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
This week, Butter No Parsnips welcomes back author, podcaster, and etymological powerhouse Jess Zafarris (Words from Hell, Words Unravelled), whose latest book Useless Etymology proves that it is anything but!
Jess leads Kyle and Emily on an etymological expedition through the origins of everyday greetings, the sneaky influence of folk etymology, and the reason why mistakes make our language the beautiful freak that it is. Along the way, Jess shares what keeps word nerds coming back to the art of word origins, which Kyle is certain is the “word-math” of "whither" and "hither.”
With wit, insight, and only a healthy dose of pedantry, this episode is a love letter to the word-curious. If you've ever been tripped up by an eggcorn, baffled by a backronym, or found yourself preferring “ahoy” to “hello,” Useless Etymology might just be your next obsession.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
Kyle and Emily enter the arena this week for a word of derision, spectacle, and ancient sport: ludibrious. With roots stretching from Roman games to Protestant persecution, this term once conjured laughter and contempt in equal measure, whether on the stage, the battlefield, or the pulpit.
Our hosts trace the evolution of play into scorn, and examine how public games became public shame. Along the way, they encounter martyrs, emperors, and playwrights, and of course, the Society of Florists, because what would we be without the Society Florists?
And you can join them at the Florists’ Feast, as they travel from Renaissance satire to failed American epics, and watch as the word reemerges again and again, as if to say: no one escapes becoming the punchline.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
Emily and Kyle learn what the average Steve does for a living, what makes shipping so expensive, and who swears like a sailor (aside from a sailor), as they explore the history of the word stevedore.
Our hosts dig into the origins of this word—which, shockingly, perhaps disappointingly, have nothing to do with the name Steve. In fact, it has more to do with the ins and outs of dock work, and the person doing that work. And discussing this subject reveals that our ancestors were just as annoyed about shipping costs as we are.
The conversation also meanders towards other terms for dockworkers, and Kyle learns the deceptively simple origin of the term longshoreman. Emily gives us a look at maritime history, the plights of dockworkers, and some insight on a union strike that might sound familiar.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
Kyle and Emily get a little impolite, discussing the meaning and origin of churlish—a word you might’ve heard before but has plenty to surprise you!
Our hosts travel all the way back to medieval times and beyond, looking at the earliest forms of not only churlish but also husband and wife, geriatrics and grain. They also sift through some archaic terms for peasants and earls alike. And it turns out that the terms in Skyrim weren’t so fantastical after all!
Kyle reveals a connection between this week’s word and King Charles. He also walks us through how to do the crime without doing the time under medieval law. (Hint: It involves being born a lord.) And Emily learns how the word churlish suffered a similar fate to the word villain, meaning “poor” one day and “rude” the next.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
This week, Emily and Kyle are tackling the great panjandrum himself, exploring the humorous origins and unexpected usage of this decidedly impressive word.
Our hosts begin with a passage of 18th century nonsense, and a memory exercise that acting pros like Kyle can handle with ease. Emily then gives us a look at panjandrums through Victorian era children’s literature, satirical magazines, and modern day newspapers alike.
But the panjandrum that really blasts off comes around in World War II. Our hosts explore a weapon that could’ve stormed the beaches on D-Day, but in fact just careened around the beaches of Westward Ho! And before they close out, Emily quizzes Kyle on a few more wheeled terrors of WW2.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
EPICnyms are back! In this, the fifth (third?) installment of the EPICnyms series, Emily and Seth take you on a ride from phooey to philosophy.
Starting in the Deep South with a word named for a county named for a man with some awfully bad luck, Emily reveals how a synonym for nonsense came from a political move to get right with his constituency.
Seth follows up with a 9th century mathematician whose work gave us that awful buzzword you see being blamed for our deteriorating attention spans.
And finally, as per usual, they'd already been recording for so long at the point that Seth and Emily got through their words that Kyle has a special Part 6 (or Part II?) coming that's dedicated entirely to him! Keep an ear out for it!
This is a special look at the Patreon exclusive podcast Butter’d Parsnips available on our Patreon at www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips. For just $5 a month, you gain access to our entire backlog as well as a bunch of other fun perks.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
This week, Kyle and Emily are joined by special guest Mignon Fogarty, aka Grammar Girl, as they take a deep dive into catachresis, a word that stretches the very concept of meaning and walks the line between metaphor and malfunction.
Together, the trio untangles how catachresis functions when language falls short, collapsing analogies and forcing words to stand in where none exist. Along the way, they encounter rhetorical castaways, troublesome table legs, and metaphorical meadows mowed by razors. Plus: a taxonomy of misfires and mix-ups, from collapsed logic to John Cleveland’s precarious poetry to Sheridan’s pineapple of politeness.
What begins with a figure of speech ends in a full-on identity crisis for language itself. Join the conversation as the Grammar Girl herself helps to figure out where the meaning ends… and the misuse begins.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
You can check out all of Mignon's work at Quick and Dirty Tips. Grammar Girl is on YouTube, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
Emily and Kyle take a look through their calendar… and through the history of the calendar, as they discuss the meaning and origin of the word calends.
Our hosts begin with a bit of Latin, digging into the origins of the word calends, of various monthly words, and even of the letter K. They discuss the importance of the moon in ancient time management, and the struggles of bridging a lunar and solar calendar.
Emily explains how a calends is a new beginning, what “none” meant in ancient Rome, and why the Ides of March is not actually that exciting. Kyle learns, with horror, how the Romans counted and named their days. And the pair breeze through the etymologies of the months.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
This week, Kyle and Emily are shaking things up! They discuss the meaning and origin of the word quagswagging, a quivering, swaggering word with a delightful ring to it.
Our hosts dive into the two parts of this word in turn. They talk about quagmires, quavers, quakes, and quacks. Then they move on from the swamp to talk about who’s got the most swagger and where to get the best swag.
These two halves come together to make one beautifully repetitive word: quagswagging. Kyle reveals the witty French writer and crafty English translators behind the word. And Emily tries her best to guess a few other reduplicative words.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
Emily’s feeling generous this week, so she’s gifted Kyle a word with a delightful meaning and fascinating origin, lagniappe.
Our hosts begin their journey in the mountains of South America. Kyle spots some English words which originate in the Quechua languages of that region, and Emily traces a path from Quechua through Spanish, then through French and Louisiana Creole.
They discuss the history of colonial Louisiana, and the rich blend of cultures and languages it developed. The literary styling of Mark Twain provides insight into lagniappe’s usage in 19th century New Orleans, but our hosts discuss how the tradition has stuck in NOLA, South America, and beyond.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
Kyle and Emily get to work at their favorite side hustle, separating “work” from “bywork” and unpacking the meaning and origin of the word parergon.
This word might sound like a mouthful, but our hosts begin by comparing it side by side with more familiar words like parallel, parasite, ergonomic, and paragon. Kyle then takes Emily through parergon’s various meanings. Like that beloved hobby you don’t want to become your job… or the extra work of art that emerges side by side with your main project.
But the uses of parergon extend even further than that! They discuss the word’s meaning in the world of painting, describing the backgrounds in portraits or landscape art. And they even dip their toes into a bit of philosophy, taking on the heady topic of semiotics.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
This week, Emily and Kyle get their vacation time approved and finally take that holiday to France, exploring the meaning and origin of the word congé along the way.
Our hosts trace this word from modern day France all the way back to Ancient Rome, talking about sick leave, travel, and even squeezing in the history of the word commute! They also take a few linguistic detours, in which Emily notes some detailed architecture and Kyle recalls a delicious rice dish.
Kyle and Emily discuss how both congé and congee can encompass a variety of meanings. It can describe the passport Thomas Jefferson is waiting for; the permission needed to pick a new Archbishop of Canterbury; the respectful bow made by a departing gentleman; or the rather less respectful goodbye received by a jilted lover.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
Kyle and Emily look at the meaning and origin of vignette, a word which gives them snapshots of life in everything from illuminated manuscripts to early photography, and from book illustrations to theatrical tableaus.
This word starts as nothing more than a small and humble vine. However, it wound its way into the world of illustrated manuscripts, early printing, and wood engraving. Our hosts discuss how this vine grew into a delicately painted border, and later joined the world of photography and instagram filters as well.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but it turns out it’s also worth adding a few words. Kyle discusses the little “slice of life” tableaus used to break up otherwise dull books. And Emily discovered how those evolved into little scenes in literature and theatre.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore
Emily and Kyle put on their warmest coats and travel up North, braving cold weather and accent challenges to discuss the meaning and origin of the word nesh.
This cozy little word takes our hosts on a journey through several definitions, encompassing all things soft, gentle, and dainty. They talk about the impressive versatility of old-timey words, Emily reveals the wide reach of Germanic roots, and Kyle desperately wishes to nosh on some knishes.
Eventually, the word nesh settles in its favored home: the Northern UK. Our hosts discuss dialects spoken across England, from Yorkshire to the Midlands to the Cotswolds and beyond. They dig into how and why these dialects have held onto English’s oldest facets. And they get a glimpse of how nesh is used in the modern day.
Join us every week as we explore the fascinating origins and meanings of words, uncovering the hidden stories behind language and how it evolves over time, for language enthusiasts and etymology buffs alike.
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Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers
Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore