Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast

Welcome to our 7th season of Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast! This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase cold feet. Shauna gets cold feet on the subject of corns while Dan finally learns what corns even are. Bonus: The great onion ring vs fry debate. All Rights Reserved, 2024  

This week Shauna and Dan learn why we call those pesky emails spam messages. Bonus: The first spam messages (way older that you might think) and why Hormel's canned meat is called SPAM.  Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved  

We are digging into the archives this week to bring you the Christmas Spirit. Plus we talk *No Spoilers* about the new Christmas musical, Spirited. Then we jump into a RETRO episode on Christmas phrases, originally released December 23, 2020. This week we get into the Christmas Spirit while talking about the Christmas Blues. New plan, let's talk about both! Learn about some of your favorite holida...

This week Shauna and Dan discover why a rolling stone gathers no moss. Bonus: Dan confuses moss for algae, Shauna forgets about Mick Jagger, and introverts unite. Also, did you know a rolling stone gathers no potato chips? Do with that information what you will. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved  

This week Shauna and Dan explore the history of the snowball effect. Bonus: Snowpersons, Science Fiction Matriarchs, and Snake Oil Sales Folk. Double Bonus: Air travel tips!  

This week Shauna and Dan make a podcast easy as pie. Though Dan points out that making a pie from scratch isn't always that easy. Bonus: The rankine scale, dream interpretations, and doodlewash. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved  

This week Shauna and Dan celebrate life with a ticker tape parade! What is ticker tape? When was the first ticker tape parade? Bonus: Bad budgets and pool parties.  Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved  

This week Shauna and Dan review why birds of a feather tend to flock together. Bonus: Pictures of cats before the internet, Dodos in the magical world, and Dan gets lost in armed robbery. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Shauna and Dan explore the treachery of being stabbed in the back. Bonus: Ancient Greeks, World War II, and the most hated household cleaning jobs.  Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

This week Shauna and Dan pass the podcasting test "with flying colors"! We explore flags, heralds, banners, and even liveries to find the origins of this phrase. Bonus: Synonyms with Roget, Crowsnests with Ensign Crusher, and Georgian Portia's with Miss Ferguson. #BunnyTrails Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

This week Shauna and Dan decide if they are as hungry as a horse or if they are so hungry they could eat a horse. Better question, would they eat the saddle, too? Bonus: Hungry like a wolf, oxen, hawk, and farmhand. #BunnyTrails

This week Shauna and Dan reach the last straw. The final straw. The straw that broke the camel's back. Also, apparently, of feathers and horses. Bonus: Alliterative anthropomorphic animals, Habitual nuns, and a request of xkcd.  Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

This week Shauna and Dan go back to school to learn a history of the United States legislative bodies to help understand the idiomatic phrase, Act of Congress. Spoiler: The USA is predictable throughout its entire history so far.  #BunnyTrails Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

RETRO: Shauna and Dan dig into the origins of Jump the Shark while documenting the phrases shift from TV failures to a plethora of topics. As a bonus, there are shows that ran for years after supposedly jumping the shark and other shows that jumped the shark twice! Despite the negative phrase it's all Happy Days on this week's #BunnyTrails Originally aired January 26, 2022. Copyright 2023 by The R...

This week Shauna and Dan delve into the history books to learn about Fighting Tooth and Nail, including when we started adding word like "fight" in front of the more common "tooth and nail". Bonus: Hipster Blacksmiths, Cultist Communions, and the best Stage Musicals. #BunnyTrails Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase bite the bullet. We discover the predecessor phrase and debunk several origination myths for this one. Bonus: Valets, Sepoys, and Artificial Intelligence.  Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, Albatross Around Your Neck. Shauna delves into the etymology of albatross with some pretty cool connections. Bonus: Cubism, Lisa Loeb glasses, and Dan talking to the FBI person who is listening in on the recordings.  Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

This week Shauna and Dan explore heartstrings and their journey from literal, though misunderstood supporting structures to the marionette strings of your emotions. Bonus: Sad animated films, underused guitarists, and the best pizza places. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

This week Shauna and Dan explore the spookiness behind Ghost Town. Shauna talks about old mining towns while Dan talks about the Gettysburg battlefields. Bonus: The great Coke vs Pepsi debate has a surprise winner.  Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

What happens when we, as speakers of a language, just decide to misquote a phrase until it takes on a life of its own? You get something like "Gild the Lily". Hear Shauna swoon over Heath Ledger in a Knight's Tale while Dan treks through Oscar Wilde shade, bad technicolor movies, and puppy-sized elephants to tell this week's story on #BunnyTrails. Originally aired December 29, 2021. Copyright 2023...

This week Shauna and Dan delve into the phrase, "Fourth Wall". Whether it's Deadpool, Jim Halpert, or Zack Morris, breaking that Fourth Wall is part of performance art. Bonus: Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Don Gruffo, and Light bulbs. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

This week Shauna and Dan practice forgiveness as they explore the phrase, Let Bygones be Bygones. Bonus: Truth bombs from lyrical genius Tupac Shakur and Cobra mercenary Major Bludd. Plus... unicycles? #BunnyTrails Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

What is a Hang Ten? How does one Hang Loose? Is it bad to Drop In? This week Shauna and Dan talk about their recent first time surfing and all the slang that goes with it. Bonus: Surfing Etiquette, the word 'brah', and traveling the world. #BunnyTrails Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

This week Shauna and Dan try to go forward in a straight line while discussing the origins of the term, back track. Spoiler, they bunny trail anyway. Bonus: Dan gets angry with a guy from 1829, Shauna talks early FPS games for the Game Boy Advance, and our Patrons show some to San Diego. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

This week Shauna and Dan explore the southern standby, that dog won't hunt. Did you know there is an early version featuring roosters? Bonus: US Presidents, Outlaw Country Music, and Hot vs Cold Coffee.  Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved