Tag: English

• October 14, 2025Podcast Episodes

  #158: Word Games

  In this episode, Ian and Michael get tangled up in word games: from guessing connections and spelling oddities to debating what words really mean and where they come from. It’s part linguistics, part confusion, and part infotainment as they wander through language quirks, cultural mix-ups, and the occasional AI twist. Proof, perhaps, that even words can be unfiltered. (This description was generated with the help of AI; this episode contains AI-generated speech)

• June 10, 2025Podcast Episodes

  #144: Dating Dates and Standardising Standards

  Ian and Michael discuss date formats and dialectal differences in English, health and diet, and standards organisations, inventing a podcasting standards organisation in the process!

• May 20, 2025Podcast Episodes

  #141: AI and Authorship, Social Media Diatribes

  Ian and Michael discuss AI-generated books and its impact on literature and reading, before going off a rant on the negative effects of social media on our attention spans.

• March 25, 2025Podcast Episodes

  #135: SAT Words

  Ian and Michael discuss SAT words and their meaning - and usefulness! Plus, our AI-generated contributor Emma returns with another Emma's Artificial Reflections! (This episode features AI-generated content and speech)

• March 4, 2025Podcast Episodes

  #132: 200 Dollar Words, Custom Calendars, The Price of Coffee

  Ian and Michael tackle a cavalcade of topics, including having fun with 200 dollar words (or 157 pounds sterling words as far as Ian is concerned), inventing new holidays, and the skyrocketing price of coffee.

• February 25, 2025Podcast Episodes

  #131: Pronunciation Oddities

  You write hiccup, I write hiccough? Ian and Michael discuss the joys of learning to pronounce and spell English. Plus, has the use of "gotten" as a past participle gotten out of hand?

• February 18, 2025Podcast Episodes

  #130: Expressions of French and Latin Origins, Pumpkin Spice

  Ian and Michael explore the wonder that is the English language with a deep dive into the shallow end of the pool in expressions of French and Latin origins. Also, is pumpkin spice made of pumpkin?

• December 17, 2024Podcast Episodes

  #126: Animal Words

  Is this episode the cat's pyjamas? Ian and Michael discuss words and expressions derived from the animal kingdom - with a completely unrelated aside on the word "godparent"...

• December 10, 2024Podcast Episodes

  #125: A Complete Lack of Profundity

  Ian and Michael discuss profound statements that changed the world - and struggle to come up with any...

• December 3, 2024Podcast Episodes

  #124: Alcohol and Drinking Expressions

  Bottoms up! Ian and Michael discuss alcohol and drinking culture - and associated words and expressions.