Butter No Parsnips

This week, the Butter No Parsnips gang reflects on a year of words. With poetry, leisurely strolls down memory lane, and special cameos by voices from their past, Emily, Kyle, and Seth celebrate what one year of an etymology podcast can do to a trio of friends. Don’t get it confused for any standard year-end retrospective though, those poems aren’t written by old, white Europeans this time, they’r...

Today, in preparation for our anniversary, we submit for your consideration a sneak peek into the seedy underbelly of Butter No Parsnips, the BNP after dark Patreon series Butter’d Parsnips. In this episode, Kyle and Emily are tasked with exploring the qualities of some of the worst words Seth could conjure up in an effort to tap into what it is about some words that just make us cringe. We hope t...

This week, Emily and Kyle look at a real doozy of a word, zemblanity, and its equally delightful companion word, serendipity. They find out how these two words are linked to the island nation of Sri Lanka, and to a cozy Persian fairy tale about a trio of lucky princes. And the winding tale of these words leads them to a famous Walpole, and his involvements in politics, gothic architecture, and let...

Kyle and Emily dive into the world of public performance and many other professions to explore mogiphonia, as well as its sister words mogigraphia and mogilalia. They begin by looking at a malady which has afflicted every singer, musician, and public speaker for centuries. And they might get a glimpse of where this stereotype of the temperamental performer comes from. Singing and public speaking a...

We hope you brought your BEC, cause this week Emily and Kyle are talking about their deeply-ingrained Long Island roots. …Oh, and they’re also talking about the meaning of shibboleth! They chat about this word’s origins in the Hebrew Bible–which isn’t just the Torah, by the way! Emily reads verses about a high-risk test in the Book of Judges, and Kyle learns the most important difference between G...

This week Kyle and Emily pack up some snacks, get some showtunes going, and take a road trip through the meaning and history of the caravanserai. They find out that it’s actually a compound word. They’ve heard of a caravan, but… a serai? And this word answers valuable questions, like: What are the best places to stay along the Silk Road? What’s the most luxurious thing an inn can have? (Hint: you...

Come along with Emily and Kyle as they discuss the incunable (not an adjective!) and the beginning of books as we know them. This Latin word takes us through the history of printing, in Europe and beyond. We learn about all the ways people have put words on the page--from the manuscript, to block printing, to the infancy of moveable type and the Gutenberg Press. Last but certainly not least, we ta...

Kyle and Emily glimpse into their crystal ball and reveal a word that melds birdwatching and divination into one: alectryomancy. They look at this word’s origins in ancient Greek, as well as its importance in ancient Rome. Turns out the magic of the rooster is not to be understated! (Though it is stated beautifully by our old friend Pliny the Elder.) They’ll also take you through some thrilling (i...

Kyle, Emily, and special guest Arne Christensen ( @learnfirm_med_term ) sit down and chew the fat about digestion, and medical terminology at large. Christensen shares his research on the Greek and Latin roots behind several medical terms doctors use every day. And he discusses how the journey from ancient meaning to modern usage is not always so simple. Best of all, Christensen takes you on a Dun...

This week Emily and Kyle travel eastward, taking a look at the Sanskrit language and at the little-known word bahuvrihi. The pair discuss the grammar of compound words, both in English and Sanskrit. And they discover how adjectives and nouns can take on new meanings when joined together, becoming greater than the sum of their parts. They also explore the influence of Indian languages in English--a...

Kyle and Emily sate their etymological appetite once again, as they discuss the sinfully satisfying word “ingordigious.” They explore the word’s origins in Italian and Latin, and its connection to the Spanish “gordo.” They also peer into the life of one John Bastwick, and his veritable litany of grievances about the greedy world around him. And his thoughts are seconded (more tactfully, perhaps) b...

This week, Emily and Kyle explore the word “grognard,” its roots in French history, and its modern usage in tabletop gaming. The two unpack grognard’s historical context in the French Imperial Army of Napoleon. They read the laundry list of requirements of his esteemed Old Guard, and how the privileges of their position gave way to a new word. They also talk about the connection between Napoleon’s...

Kyle and Emily journey from ancient Greek philosophy to American transcendentalism, as they delve into the history of the Lyceum. Back in their old stompin’ grounds of ancient Greece, Kyle and Emily discover the connections between the god Apollo, the gymnasium, and the birth of academia. They also chat about the intellectual legacy of Aristotle and his impact on lecturing. Fast-forwarding a ways,...

Emily and Kyle chat it up with writer T Campbell in this puzzling episode of Butter No Parsnips as they uncover the multiple meanings of the term 'logology' and venture into the fascinating world of wordplay.  They get the scoop on the recently shuttered wordplay journal Word Ways, but find hope in Campbell’s newly launched Journal of Wordplay. He delights them with tastes of submissions s...

Seth opens the Lexiconicon again this week in this captivating episode of Butter No Parsnips where Kyle and Emily explore the indexy world of hapax legomena. Discover how the intriguing legomenon phenomenon appears in the Holy Bible, Shakespeare's works, and how it may contribute to evidence for the Baconian theory of Shakespeare authorship.  You’ll learn of the fascinating patterns behind Zip...

On this episode of Butter No Parsnips, Kyle and Emily dive deep into the fascinating etymology of the word “quark” and the complexity of particle physics. They discuss the spelling and dichotomy of pronunciation of "quark," and uncover surprising connections between James Joyce's "Finnegan's Wake" and the legendary tale of Tristan and Isolde. But the exploration doesn&#...

You’ll be quaking in your buckled shoes this episode as Emily learns the naming origins of name-words, finds herself in the middle of a mistaken-identity crisis, and discovers Kyle’s new fascination with oat-based meals. Support us! ⁠www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips⁠ Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Pull out your history books, kids! This week, Kyle does a refresher course on the French Revolution, the British Parliament holds a rather nervous meeting, and Emily reveals the unexpected origins of some everyday words. Support us! www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Hungry? This episode isn’t for you. Join Emily and Gross Kyle as they separate myth from fact from food, learn about how the Romans really threw sorority parties (Bring Your Own Bull), and discover that Jesus might have had some Dionysian inspiration. Support us! www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and E...

Kyle and Emily discover a simple, relatable way to explain difficult medical concepts, discuss an impressively long-running publication, and review the more doubtfully long-running life of one Thomas Parr. Support us! www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

Celebrate Women’s History Month the Butter No Parsnips way: by remembering how men have been, historically, big jerks. Listen as Kyle tactfully connects the dots between cavil and another familiar accusatory word, Emily is transported to John Wayne Wycliffe’s Old English West, and the right famous Queen of Navarre finally gets some retribution for “vertuous women of all ages”. You can also celebra...

This week, Emily presents some of history's most vexing questions, Greek philosophers find that ignorance really is bliss, and Kyle tries to define some monstrous rhetorical terminology. Support us! www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

This episode is out of this world! Join Emily and Kyle as they take a lawyerly look at the stars, travel to space in the worst modes of transportation imaginable, and meet their new ten-legged overlords. Support us! www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

This decidedly word-centric episode sees Kyle and Emily talk about the organic evolutions of words, the slightly less organic coinage of words, and the OED’s older brother NED. Give it a listen, for the nonce! Support us! www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers

In today’s chymical chat, Emily and Kyle discover the GOATest goats, try out the newest (godless) fad exercise, and, somehow, ruminate on the origin of all of existence. Support us! www.patreon.com/ButterNoParsnips Main theme and accompanying themes by Kyle Imperatore Produced by Seth Gliksman, Kyle Imperatore, and Emily Moyers