Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris

It's sometimes said that English has taken on so many Latin and French words that it is now a Romance language. Rob and Jess believe this is false, and in this episode they explain why. Join them as they explain just how similar English is to its siblings Dutch and German and its cousins Swedish, Danish and Norwegian. Learn about the many words borrowed from other Germanic languages. And discover...

What is the Baader-Meinhof effect? How many quotes are wrongly attributed to Churchill? What's Jess's funniest linguistics joke? These questions answered, and many more, in a special episode of Words Unravelled featuring League of the Lexicon founder Joshua Blackburn. You can find out more about his board game and accompanying book, The Language-Lover's Lexipedia, here: https://www.leagueofthelexi...

In this episode, Jess and Rob get sporty as they trace the origins of the words behind our favourite games.  ⚾️ What is the word "sport" short for? 🏉 Why does American "football" barely involve your feet? 🏏 What do Brits mean when they say something "isn't cricket"? Expect Victorian public schools, Indigenous ball games, and a few linguistic own goals in another Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH...

Rob and Jess are exploring the origins of first names.  👩 Are all MARYS actually MIRIAMS? 🕵️‍♀️ How can JAMES, IAGO and JACOB be the same? 💡 What do ROBERT and JESSICA mean? These questions answered – and many more – in this nominally fascinating etymological exploration of why we're called what we're called. It's time for Words Unravelled! 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.my...

In this episode, Rob and Jess dig into the origins of the words we use for our furry, feathered, and occasionally scaly companions.  🐕 Where does the word 'dog' come from? 🐈 What does 'cat' literally mean? 🐹 Are guinea pigs even from Guinea? These questions answered, and many more, in this edition of Words Unravelled dedicated to our beloved pets. WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/_r2HMeiDhK...

From mountain high to valley low, Rob Watts and Jess Zafarris are exploring the origins of geography words. 🐻‍❄️ Why are the poles called 'poles'? 🗻 What is the difference between a hill and a mountain? 🧭 What do the points of the compass literally mean? These questions answered – and many more – in another worldly, wordy and nerdy episode of Words Unravelled. 🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://you...

Internet word nerds RobWords and Jess Zafarris share 100 word facts. They met in person for the first time after Words Unravelled reached 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. Prepare for 49 minutes of pure linguistic geekery. 🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/uPfbuo6iP6Y 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net...

In this episode, Jess and Rob 'spill the beans' about all manner of food-related idioms. 🍌 Why does 'going bananas' mean going mad? ☕️ Who is the Joe in a 'cup of Joe'? 🍏 What did we compare apples to before oranges? 🧅 What does it really mean to 'know your onions'? Answers to these questions and many more as we explore the origins of commons sayings in Words Unravelled. OTHER IDIOM EPISODES h...

In this episode, Rob and Jess take a right royal romp through the etymologies of eminent titles. They discuss the origins of words like "lord", "emperor", "queen" and a whole host of others: 🏛️ How did Caesar become a title all over Europe? 𓁏 What did 'pharaoh' mean to the ancient Egyptians? 👑  What is the etymology of the word 'king'? 🗳️ What is a 'timocracy' or a 'kakistocracy? These questions...

We’re digging into prehistoric word origins. In this episode, Jess and Rob unearth the literal meanings behind the names of the dinosaurs. 🦖 What does Tyrannosaurus rex really mean? 🦕 Why is Stegosaurus called the “roof lizard”? 🐦 Are dinosaurs birds or lizards? 🦴 Are dinosaur names Latin or Greek? These questions answered – and many more – in another monstrous episode of Words Unravelled. 🌐...

We're taking a world tour of word origins. In this episode, Jess and Rob discuss how a multitude of countries got their names. 🇺🇸 Where was the original "America"? 🇬🇧 Why is Britain called "Great"? 🇨🇦 What does "Canada" mean? 🇩🇪 Why do the Germans call themselves "Dutch"? These questions answered – and many more – in another worldly wise episode of Words Unravelled. 🌐 LINKS 🌐 Rob's UK country na...

BREAKING: Rob and Jess uncover news clichés and weird journalistic words.  📺 Why do TV news anchors talk in that strange way? 🗞️ Why do newspaper journalists spell lead as "lede"? 🎤 Why do journalists use clichés like "on the rise"? 🐊 What is a "knobbly monster"? These questions answered – and many more – in another hot-off-the-press episode of Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https:/...

Samuel Johnson's 1755 dictionary was one heck of an achievement. But it is also far from perfect. In this episode, Jess and Rob discuss some of the more amusing entries within its pages, and even the words that landed dear Samuel in hot water. Enjoy this cover-to-cover exploration of English's most important dictionary and the extraordinary man who wrote it. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsu...

Welcome aboard flight WU321 bound for Etymology Island. In this episode, Rob and Jess take to the skies and soar through the word origins of a multitude of aviation terms. ✈️ Is it an 'airplane' or an 'aeroplane'? 🐓 Why do pilots sit in a 'cockpit'? 🛩️ Why is English the language of aviation? 🔠 How did the NATO alphabet come to be? These questions answered – and many more – in a high-flying epis...

In for a penny, in for a pound: Rob and Jess discuss money word origins in this episode of Words Unravelled. 💰 Where did the dollar sign come from? 💷 What is the British currency a pound of? 🤑 Which goddess is all money named after? These questions answered – and many more – in another financially sound episode of Words Unravelled. 🏆 VOTE FOR US 🏆 The British Podcast Awards listeners' choice...

Jess and Rob have got their heads in the clouds, exploring the origins of our words for weather. ☄️ Why don't meteorologists deal with meteors? ☁️ How are we using the wrong word for 'cloud'? ☔️ What was the original 'raincheck'? 🤬 Why does Jess hate the word 'petrichor'? These questions answered, and many more, in this etymological meteorological episode of Words Unravelled. 🌐 LINKS 🌐 Our gam...

Is it "on accident" or "by accident"? Should "red, white, and blue" have that second comma? Is "10 items or less" okay? Jess and Rob are joined by the internet's Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty, to examine some common grammatical myths and mistakes. 🥳 Is it wrong to use "fun" as an adjective? 🏎️ Is "drive SLOW" bad grammar? (or just a flat adverb?) 🥃 Why does "tonic and gin" sound weird? These ques...

Bienvenue dans cet épisode de "Mot Décortiqué"! Rob and Jess are exploring the enormous influence French has had on the English language.  📊What proportion of English words are French? 🥩Why do our meats have French names? 🇫🇷Which words have we borrowed from French twice? These questions answered and many, many more in another merveilleux, fabuleux Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https...

Jess and Rob present a brief history of time words in an episode filled with chronological etymology. ⌚️ How did "seconds" get their name? 🕰️ What does "clock" literally mean? 🇫🇷 How did France's decimal calendar work? These questions answered – and so many more – in this timely episode of Words Unravelled. Our mythology episode: https://youtu.be/b8s2uxWrMhQ?si=G--tQQwAj9mKHk-S 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US...

Lights, camera, action! Rob and Jess are discussing movie and TV terms in this filmic episode of Words Unravelled. 🎥 Why do Brits call movies "films"? 🤷🏼‍♂️ Why has Allen Smithee directed so many terrible movies? 🙀 Why is there a "dead cat" on every Hollywood set? These questions answered, and many more, in this episode crammed with film and television etymology. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https...

Time for some entomology etymology! Rob and Jess will have you in bits as they explore the literal meaning of "insect" and all manner of other term for creepy crawly. 🕷️ Why do spiders spin "cobwebs"? 🦋 Was a butterfly ever a "flutterby"? 🐞 Which is older, "ladybug" or "ladybird"? These questions answered, and many more, a critter-crammed episode of Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: htt...

Holy heck! Rob and Jess are back with an episode of biblical proportions. Join them as they get to the gospel truth about the origins of religious words. ⛪️ What was kept in the very first chapel? 🦛 Which animal was the original behemoth? 🗝️ Where does the word "conclave" come from? These questions answered – and many more – in another Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunra...

Jess and Rob are unravelling the origins of our words for fabric and clothing in this highly fashionable episode of Words Unravelled. 🩲 Why do 'pants' mean different things in the UK and US? 👖 Which city are your jeans named after? 🪶 What's flappy about a 'flapper girl'? ✈️ Is 'nylon' really named after New York and London? These questions answered, and many more, in our most unravelly episode...

It's time to hit the road with Rob and Jess as they journey through the origins of words from road and rail. 🚃 Why do Brits say "transport" and Americans "transportation"? 🚊 What's the difference between a train and a locomotive? 🚙 How do you actually pronounce Hyundai? These questions answered – and many more – in this transport[ation] special of Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: http...

Rob and Jess "pull out all the stops" in this episode explaining idiom origins.  ✈️ Why do we say "balls to the wall" and "push the envelope"?  🐘 What's so useless about a "white elephant"?  👕 Where were the original "whole nine yards"? These questions answered and many more in this common sayings special of Words Unravelled. Here's our other idioms episode: https://pod.fo/e/2a54ba And the video...