Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast

This week Dan has lost his voice, so here is a mini-episode from Shauna with a little info on the phrase, "Lose Your Voice". See you again next week! #BunnyTrails Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

This week Shauna and Dan explore a sunny phrase in "Look on the Bright Side'. Dan talks about the definitive color of barns, while Shauna geeks out over someone's sweater collection. Plus, which word is better, " indefatigable " or "moist"? Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Does "Stir the Pot" mean causing trouble or does it mean challenging the status quo? Could it be both? Maybe even both at the same time? We delve into that, along with bonus chats about second-hand anxiety, growing 'to be read' lists, and the proper way to say 2022. All on this week's #BunnyTrails.  Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Shauna and Dan spent the past few days helping refugees find safe housing, so it's time for a RETRO episode. They share their likes... and dislikes... about this old episode before re-learning about inkle-weaving and the closeness that comes with being "thick as thieves". #BunnyTrails Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved Team Rubicon International Rescue Committee Bunn...

Shauna and Dan dive into the ancient Greek mythos to start exploring the Latin phrase In Vino Veritas. It's philosophers and chianti, Doc Holliday and Malbec, plus 22 year old Song of the Year contenders on this week's #BunnyTrails Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Have you ever been in a meeting, or at a conference, or maybe in class, and someone gives the group something to do to help everyone get more comfortable? We call those ice-breakers. And breaking the ice is our subject this week.   Bonus: Small talk like the weather, divorces that create religions, and the biggest contradictions in society. Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights...

Imagine you are reading a suspense novel and you can't quite tell who the bad guy is. Is the person holding the weapon always the one responsible for a person's death?  Who really has... blood on their hands? It's Shakespeare, early 1900s minimal wage issues, and animated/live action hybrids on this heavy-themed #BunnyTrails Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Have you heard someone use the phrase "avoid it like the plague" and then immediately wonder if that phrase even has the same meaning anymore, given the western response to COVID? This week we explore several phrases that may be evolving over the next few generations. Bonus: Quakers, Black Holes, and Peanut Butter Jelly Time!   Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Have you ever felt like the weather was trying to ruin your day? Or how some people seem to get involved in something - a certain type of business or perhaps politics - and their entire purpose seems to be making things worse for others? We might just say they are "playing the devil".   Bonus: Dan's worst suburban dad nightmare. Also, Asmodeus makes an appearance. Copyright 2022 by The Readiness C...

Is there such a thing as elbow grease for a human body? (Yes, actually.)  Does the phrase mean rubbing something vigorously, or just hard work in general? Or perhaps does it have to do with the stink of sweat. As a bonus, find out what word Dan misspelled so bad that even Google couldn't figure out what he meant! All on this week's #BunnyTrails. Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Ri...

Remember how it felt the first time your crush looked at you? Or the first time you were about to perform on stage? Or the night before your first day at a new job? This week Shauna and Dan explore Butterflies in My Stomach. Shauna dispels some personal myths about our phrase while Dan learns about BTS, one of the most popular bands in the world. Forgive him K-Pop stans... he is old. Plus Lord of...

A lean, tall clock stops the moment its owner dies. Is it an episode of The Twilight Zone or the catalyst for the term "Grandfather Clock?"  Bonus - The talent of Sam Lucas, plus Knickerbockers! Outro Song: My Grandfathers Clock by H.C. Work, Arranged and performed by Michael Pugh, Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh. Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Could you get enough feathers from the dead birds in a clock tower to pull an Icarus? Was Daedalus able to do it with just the two birds he killed with one stone? Wait... was this where the phrase comes from?! No. No it wasn't. Shauna talks French. Dan talks mullets. Everyone stans a good murder mystery. All on this week's #BunnyTrails Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reser...

Elevators have been around since the 3rd century, though we didn't call them "elevators" at the time. But how did we go from lifting grain to selling something to an unsuspecting fellow passenger? That story involves total quality management and statistics. We swear, it's more fun than it sounds. Bonus: Riding epic steads into battle for the sake of human kind. #BunnyTrails   Copyright 2022 by The...

This week Shauna continues to buck the trends as she tackles another happy phrase in Happy as a Clam. Dan makes deep cuts about late 90s music while Shauna tells really bad jokes from the 1800s. Bonus: An entire conversation about board games, booklet games, computer games, and more on this week's #BunnyTrails Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

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 Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Join Shauna the Wise and Dan the Humble as they talk about the Olympics, Science Fiction, and... Doctor Doofenshmirtz?   It's all about the phrase "Heart of Gold" on this week's #BunnyTrails. Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

What is a butterfly kiss? Is it a light kiss with the lips? A soft brush from the eyelashes? A teasing kiss meant to drive you to lustful purchases? At some point in time, it was all of those at once. But which came first? And from where?   Plus, hear bonus conversations about women's clothing sizes, the prolific author who was also the Queen of Romania, and two songs Dan never wants to hear again...

This episode is inspired by the raw emotions of a teenager as we explore the word scar and the phrase "Scarred for Life". Dan quotes many animated 90s movies. Shauna waxes poetic. Dan creates new baseball team mascots. #BunnyTrails   Note: Dan's mic is a little wonky on this one. But fortunately Shauna does most of the talking. We'll get that fixed. Copyright 2022 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - Al...

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. Copyright 2021 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All...

How long can a chicken live without its head? Despite internet stories to the contrary, running around like a headless chicken doesn't come from chickens, nor does it come from a literal removal of the head. You can get the real story on this week's #BunnyTrails. Bonus: Procrastination tips and time travel. Copyright 2021 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Shauna and Dan talk about the ancient phrase, never look a gift horse in the mouth. What would $200,000 in 1912 be worth today? Is it true you can tell the age of a horse by looking at its teeth?  What is the best ice cream flavor? Listen now, because we have answers to one of those questions on this week's #BunnyTrails Copyright 2021 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved Get all the...

Shauna and Dan take a cool drink of gourd water this week as they explore the phrase Cool as a Cucumber. We learn Dan abhors cucumbers unless they've been drowned in vinegar and he dislikes some of the previous words for cucumbers. It seems some old-timey folks disliked them, too. Bonus discussion: is cereal a soup? #BunnyTrails Copyright 2021 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved Get...

This week Shauna and Dan look into the phrase, Right Up My Street, and its counterpart, Right Up My Alley. Plus, a bonus look into the origin story of Sob Sister, an early 20th Century term for women reporters. #BunnyTrails Find the show notes and links to everything we do! Join the community, including our new tier with original digital artwork by Shauna! Copyright 2021 by The Readiness Corner, L...

This week we learn it's not just a picture that paints a thousand words. Join Shauna and Dan as they explore the other ways a thousand words have been used. Plus, Dan's musical mind disease. And we learn which came first, sliced bread or the toaster. #BunnyTrails Show notes, plus links to everything we do! Join the community, including our new $10 tier with original digital artwork from Shauna! Co...