Lexipoddery: the OED podcast

Why is a zoologist interested in banjos? When is a brag humble? And what are horse doovers anyway? Join lexicographers Fiona McPherson and Craig Leyland to learn about the June 2026 update of the OED, and hear from fellow editor Mike Timpany on life as part of the OED’s science group. (Apologies for the variable sound quality in this one; at least it's proof that this is made by dictionary writers...

Why do tense moments lead to squeaky bums? What wizardry lies in the magic sponge? Who would want to hit an onion bag? Join Oxford English Dictionary lexicographers Craig Leyland and Fiona McPherson to celebrate the start of the football World Cup with a perusal of OED entries relating to the beautiful game. Come back for another episode in three weeks (July 1st), when we’ll be looking at some of...

Which word did we get from a hen in fine clothes? Who made a mullet into a red herring? What’s a rapper’s favourite dairy foodstuff? Join lexicographers Fiona McPherson and Craig Leyland to learn about the influence of song lyrics on the OED, and the importance of bibliography for a historical dictionary. Come back for another episode in two weeks (June 10th), when we’ll be getting ready for the W...

Should a Scot be worried if her jacket is on a shoogly peg? Why is a Yorkshireman still influenced by the Vikings? How do we figure out how to pronounce obscure words? Join lexicographers Craig Leyland and Fiona McPherson to find out more about regional English in the Oxford English Dictionary, with specific reference to Scotland and Yorkshire, and hear Dr Catherine Sangster talk about her work as...

What happened in the Scriptorium? Where did radium go? What’s the unsolved mystery of editor Charles Onions? Join Fiona McPherson and Craig Leyland for stories about the OED's history from Dr Peter Gilliver, fellow lexicographer and author of ‘The Making of the Oxford English Dictionary’. Come back for another episode in two weeks (May 13th), when we’ll be discussing regional English (with specifi...

What impact has Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had on the Oxford English Dictionary, and how did The Hound of the Baskervilles prompt us to update an entry? Why does tech terminology owe a lot to our fingers? What’s the longest word in the OED? (Depending on what you mean by longest.) Join lexicographers Craig Leyland and Fiona McPherson to find out. Come back for another episode in two weeks (April 29th)...

For how long have we doomscrolled, and what’s the cure? Who popularized the glitch? Why is snobbery just a load of old cobblers? Join lexicographers Fiona McPherson and Craig Leyland to find out how the Oxford English Dictionary answers these questions and more in its March 2026 update. Come back for another episode on April 15th, when we’ll be talking about the history of the word digital; the im...