Episodes
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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 [email protected]
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
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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 [email protected]
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
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Missing episodes?
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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 [email protected]
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
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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 [email protected]
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
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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 [email protected]
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
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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 [email protected]
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
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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 [email protected]
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/speakofthedevil
Find 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 [email protected]
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=44ebdc801f444221
Find 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 [email protected]
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/id1703911242
Find 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 [email protected]
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
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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 [email protected]
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
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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 [email protected]
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/id1572711048
Find 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 [email protected]
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 -
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 [email protected]
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 -
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 [email protected]
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/id1454287363
Find 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 [email protected]
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/id1544009777
Find 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 [email protected]
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
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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 [email protected]
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 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 -
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 [email protected]
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
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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 [email protected]
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
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