Episode 299: Catnap
A catnap is a short rest, usually taken during the day time. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna and Dan take a catnap. Bonus: Sleep Momentum, Star Trek IV: Spock and Whales, and THE MODS ARE ASLEEP - EVERYONE POST OWLS! Bonus Bonus: Antnaps
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/10/epis...
29.10.2025 23:12 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Episode 298: Tongue in Cheek
Tongue in cheek means something is done in an irreverent, exaggerated, insincere, or mocking way. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna and Dan explore having your tongue in your cheek, or the simplified version, tongue in cheek. Bonus: General irreverence, New Zealand's parliamentary insults, and Tongue-based assistive devices
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/10/epis...
22.10.2025 19:45 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Episode 297: Beck and Call
To be at one's beck and call means to be immediately available for their every whim. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna and Dan learn what it means to be at one's beck and call. Bonus: Reincarnation, Dan's anxiety, and restaurants recommended by tire companies
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/10/epis...
15.10.2025 20:59 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Episode 296: Off the Rails
To go off the rails means to deviate from the expected course - to do something abnormal. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna and Dan go "off the rails" looking into this interesting phrase. Bonus: The tender lyrics of Ozzy Osbourne, wild sci-fi synopses, and moonwalking in clown shoes
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/10/epis...
08.10.2025 13:13 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Episode 293: Salt in the Wound
To rub salt in the wound means to make a bad situation even worse, often about a person's feelings. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna and Dan rub salt in the wounds to see how it feels. Well, not literally, because they both know it hurts. Bonus: Stubborn spouses, iocaine poisoning, and the tingly tarantula of Trinidad
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/09/epis...
17.09.2025 14:20 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
This week Shauna and Dan explore the varieties of Nest Eggs. Bonus: Common-sense furniture, Satan sitting on a sin's spawn, and Shauna's hot ninja take
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/09/epis...
10.09.2025 15:08 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Ooh, that's a great consideration!
20.08.2025 14:55 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Episode 287: Night Owl
A night owl is a person who prefers to be active late at night instead of in the morning. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna admits to being a Night Owl as your hosts delve into the history of the phrase. Bonus: Cyclical fashions, Ginormoustest moons, and Dan knows more about owls than even he realized
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/07/epis...
30.07.2025 14:34 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Episode 286: Under the Table
Under the table means doing something in a secret way - not meant for others to see. Sometimes illicit activity. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase under the table. The secret or clandestine one, not the drinking to excess one. Bonus: Book bans, French Culinary School, and friendly, neighborhood food merchants fighting demonic forces in Poland
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/07/epis...
30.07.2025 14:32 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
This week Shauna and Dan 'Jump on the Bandwagon' for books, songs, and sportsball. Bonus: Beanie Babies, Pogs, Humbuggeries, and James Cash Penny
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/07/epis...
16.07.2025 15:40 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Episode 283: Swansong
A swansong is a final performance, action, or effort - usually of an artist or important person. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna and Dan sing our swansong. Once again, we should have saved this type of phrase for the end of our show, but we have many more episodes still to come. Bonus: Merry madrigals, da Vinci's note books, and parodic poems about parting
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/07/epis...
02.07.2025 19:05 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Episode 280: Upset the Apple Cart
To upset the apple cart means to cause a disturbance or to challenge the status quo. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna and Dan try not to upset the apple cart. Bonus: The USA's earliest pen pals, wizardly cats, and Gudrun Lauret's disruptive creators (or possibly creative disruptors)
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/06/epis...
11.06.2025 21:39 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The hedging in this case feels like making small talk or talking to fill the silence, rather than asking a question from genuine curiosity or a desire to hear another persons opinion. I'm sure not everyone means it like that if they use "we" in that context, but it is how I initially hear it. -Dan
04.06.2025 16:58 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Episode 279: Flash in the Pan
A flash in the pan means something was showy at first, but failed to meet expectations. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, flash in the pan. Bonus: Hubble taking pictures of long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, Epic burns of the 1600s, and Texas: the America of America.
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/06/epis...
04.06.2025 16:53 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Episode 277: Throw Down the Gauntlet
To Throw Down the Gauntlet means to challenge someone to a fight for honor. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna and Dan Throw Down the Gauntlet to see what origin story comes out on top. Bonus: Secret Societies, Wizardless Duels, and 80s movies Dan hasn't seen
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/05/epis...
21.05.2025 14:15 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Episode 276: Run into the Ground
To run something into the ground means to wear it out or damage it through excessive use or constant pressure. Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
This week Shauna and Dan are feeling run into the ground. Join as they explore the possible origins of this phrase from farming to hunting and nautical to nonsense. Bonus: 17 less ads than Divorce Court in 1961
www.bunnytrailspod.com/2025/05/epis...
15.05.2025 01:03 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
This might be my favorite no-context line ever.
08.05.2025 02:59 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
And I meant to say I really enjoyed this one. I loved how the giants were a stand-in for unrecognized weather phenomenon. It was a cool listen. Thanks for making these! -Dan
07.05.2025 16:09 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
I listen to your episodes most nights as I turn the lights off. The problem is I have to re-listen to many of them because I fall asleep before they end! But that is, of course, the point. And it's a great problem to have! -Dan
07.05.2025 16:08 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
a podcast about linguistic discrimination.
“compelling and never preachy” - NYT
Podcaster, educator, hype man for my friends, and folklore fanboy
Podcaster from The Allusionist, Answer Me This and Veronica Mars Investigations. Pronouns she/they (TBH I think 'they' should be the default and we opt in to gendered pronouns/gender). linktr.ee/helenzaltzman
Podcast of adventures in language with @helenzaltzman. theallusionist.org patreon.com/allusionist
A podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics! By @gretchenmcc.bsky.social and @superlinguo.bsky.social
"Fascinating" -NYT
"Joyously nerdy" -Buzzfeed
lingthusiasm.com
Not sure where to start? Try our silly personality quiz: bit.ly/lingthusiasmquiz
Husband, dad, drummer, etymology podcaster (Lexitecture), lawyer, and erstwhile world traveler.
Internet linguist. Wrote Because Internet, NYT bestseller about internet language. Co-hosts @lingthusiasm.bsky.social, a podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics.
she/her 🌈
Montreal en/fr 🇨🇦
gretchenmcculloch.com
Word history - books, blog, LMFMRadio
Comedyfic - Channillo
Love to read, craft, garden in Ireland
My Books - wordfoolery.wordpress.com/my-books/
Weekly Word Blog - http://www.wordfoolery.wordpress.com/
Newsletter - subscribepage.io/wordfoolerywhispers
