Dead Air
By Bulldog Z
Dead AirJan 04, 2022
Need to know - Saint George
The patron Saint of England, although he was not an English man and it is highly unlikely he even ever went to England. George is in fact a Saint with connections to countries across the globe. The story of his determination and faith in the face of oppression is an inspiration to people everywhere. Strip away the myth and the judgement and find out what we know about George the man! The article is also available on our website
Need to Know: Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, although he was not Irish. He is celebrated on March 17th , known as Saint Patrick's Day, which has become a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and heritage.
Learn more about the life and works of Saint Patrick, the slave who became a saint and is now the global patron of excessive drinking!
The celebration of his feast day has become so synonymous with partying that it has become a global phenomenon, but you may be surprised as to what you discover about festivities on this day around the world. Read more in our associated article here.
Find the original script article here.
Get the B2 Saint Patrick's Day teaching worksheet here.
Interesting Etymoliges Series One Finale
"Hello again word lovers!"
A finale to our first series of Interesting Etymologies as Charly dives into a hotch-potch, a mish-mash of his favourite etymologies. Join us for a last short journey before we prepare for series two. Knotts, Clue, Fiesty, Glamour, loss of S on words, Sly, Tawdry, Canary Islands and Halycon
The associated article on our website is available here
Our programme is also available on Youtube here.
Soundbook: The Bet by Anton Chekhov
Short story The Bet, part of our Soundbook collection.
The tale sees a banker recalling a dinner party some 15 years previous in which he entered into an extraordinary bet with a young lawyer. After a passionate conversation on capital punishment the lawyer concludes he would prefer life imprisonment to death. The banker offered him 2 million Roubles if he could withstand 15 years of such isolation.
A B2 worksheet to accompany this story is available on our website here
An accompanying article including the full text in downloadable PDF is available on our website here
A biography of Chekhov can be found on our website here
Music: Autumn Leaves by Maarten Schellekens
Interesting Etymologies Opposites
Interesting Etymologies African
"Hello again Word Lovers!"
In this episode we examine some words that have come into English from African. This is not as distinct from PIE roots as you mat first think.
We have many examples of animal and vegetable/fruit names but some words that have made their way into English via the slave trade which have significant influence on music.
Associated episodes include Ebonics and The Jazz Age to discover more on some of these words.
An associated article is available on our website here and all episodes are also available on YouTube
Soundbook: Moon-face by Jack London
A short story by Jack London published in 1902 explores the protagonist and how he is consumed with his irrational hatred of another man, John Claverhouse. His hatred drives him to increasingly horrendous actions to force suffering on the cheerful neighbour. When Claverhouse seems unfazed by the relentless misfortune that is wrought upon him, the narrator makes the decision to kill him.
You can learn more about Jack London in the article about him on our website
A downloadable PDF of the story, the cover artwork and a brief summary of the story are available here
Introduction and end music : Another Autumn in Despair by techtheist
Dead Air: Strange Christmas Traditions
Dead Air - Strange Christmas Traditions
We return at Christmas time to look at some strange traditions across the world. We discover what the Japanese eat for Christmas dinner, what Ukrainians decorate their Christmas tree with, why Spanish culture seems so obsessed with Christmas scatology and what the original Black Friday was with many more traditions to unpack.
There is an accompanying article on the dark culture of Black Friday in the UK on our website here. It has been observed that the British media have rebranded this as Mad Friday this year.
Our podcast on the history of Saint Nicholas and his transformation into Father Christmas with details on the Krampus era as well, is available on our playlist. The accompanying article is on our website here.
Interesting Etymologies Scottish
Interesting Etymologies: Flowers
"Hello again Word Lovers!"
In this episode we are going to look at the names of flowers. There are different categories to consider, with words that come to English unchanged, words that have religious meanings or connected to the properties of the plant and the names of those who discovered or classified the plant.
The associated article for this episode is available on our website here.
This series is also available as a YouTube video here.
Need to Know: Saint Nicholas
The 6th of December is the feast day of Saint Nicholas, better known to you and me as Santa Claus. The story of this man's journey from Greek/Turkish orphan to international globe trotting magical gift giver could be a superhero blockbuster film plot. Resurrecting children, cannibalism, calming the seas, the battle between good and evil, culture wars and alcohol, it has everything! A fascinating journey into myth making and reinvention that will amaze and bewilder. You thought you knew Santa Claus, well, prepare to be amazed!
Interesting Etymologies The Alphabet
Need to know Saint Andrew
Interesting Etymologies: Hybrids
"Hello again word lovers"
A brief by-water of etymological discussion, hybrid words. Mixing words from Latin and Greek roots.
Associated article is available here.
Need to know Saint Cecilia
Interesting Etymologies: Greek 3
"Hello again word lovers"
We continue our exploration of Greek with more prefixes and some interesting nods to mythology.
Associated article is available here
Interesting Etymologies: Greek 2
"Hello again Word Lovers!"
We continue our exploration of Greek as we delve into the words for people and relationships between people, numbers, academia and study.
We can start to see some words in English made by combining two Greek words, for example the city of brotherly love Philadelphia is Philos - love of Adelphus - brother
Associated article is available here
Interesting Etymologies: Greek 1
"Hello again word lovers" We begin our dive into Ancient Greek with some prefixes and parts of the body. There is a huge amount of material to cover and this is only the beginning so strap in and away we go....
Need to know Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot
Remember, Remember the 5th of November: A cultural touchstone in Britain, Guy Fawkes night, Bonfire night or Fireworks night is celebrated every November 5th. An opportunity to remember when an ambitious and devious plot was foiled in 1605. A Catholic conspiracy to blow up the Parliament, killing King James, his whole family and the entire political class in one explosion was narrowly averted after an anonymous tip off. The plotters were brutally tortured and executed but the elite instigated an obligatory annual night of thanksgiving that has become a lasting tradition in British culture. Find out all you need to know about the plot and how the personality of Guy Fawkes has become an international icon, through the comic book and film V for Vendetta and the mask of his face becoming the symbol of anonymous protest.
We have alternative resources on the gunpowder plot, including a previous podcast discussion, class worksheets, an article on the plot and a further article on the anonymous mask in culture.
Interesting Etymologies - The Bible
"Hello word lovers!"
We deviate from our usual path this episode to investigate some translation from the Bible. The word of God can be tricky and translation can be challenging.
Is the virgin birth down to a misunderstanding of language?
Did you know Jesus liked a word play joke?
Did John the Baptist actually survive on a diet of locusts?
These and many other mysteries are examined by Charly on this latest episode.
A full associated article with more consideration of some of the theological implications of these translations is available on our website:
https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-48-the-bible
Interesting Etymologies - Old Norse 3
"Hello again Word Lovers"
This is the third installment of words that come into English through Old Norse. We cover some basic nouns, adjectives in this last look at Old Norse before we return another day.
Full details in the accompanying article on our website: https://www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-47-3-old-norse
Interesting Etymologies - Old Norse 2
"Hello again Word Lovers"
We continue with our journey through the word horde of Old Norse that feeds into Modern English.
Some surprises in store this week with the fascinating etymology of "gun" and intense argument over "Steak", an obsession with dirt and excrement and a plethora of verbs.
Enjoy! www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-47-2-old-norse
Interesting Etymologies - Old Norse
Today we will begin the first of a three part exploration of one of the major repositories of English, Old Norse. So many of our common English words come from Old Norse and we will be tracing them back where possible and enjoying them along the way.
Full articles for all Interesting Etymologies episodes are available here:
www.bulldogz.org/ie
Interesting Etymologies - Philosophy
Charly thinks that perhaps this should have been the first edition of Interesting Etymologies because etymology is the study of the meaning of words but we have not asked "what does a word mean?" yet and that is philosophy not etymology.
To paraphrase Bertrand Russell, philosophy will take a statement that seems to be blindingly obvious and make you doubt it. Be prepared to doubt a great deal as we dip our toes into the world of the philosophy of language.
Full associated article on our website: www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-46-philosophy
Interesting Etymologies - Irish
"Hello again word lovers!"
In this instalment, we head west across the Irish sea to look at words that have come to English from Irish. This episode uncovers some dark stories though, with words thought to be Scottish being claimed as Irish and words thought to be English claimed as Irish and then words believed to be Irish that are believed to have come from English. Strap yourself in, this is a seven-minute wild ride sure to liven up the craic at your next mixer!
Full article on our website:
www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-45-irish
Interesting Etymologies - Etymologists
"Hello again Word Lovers!"
A little diversion today as we are going to look at Etymologists rather than Etymology! How many etymologists are there in the world? Do people actually get paid to explore the history of words?
We take a look at the figures in history that can be considered the fathers, grandfathers and God Fathers of Etymology, from Vedic scholars in India and ancient Greek philosophers all the way through to the Brothers Grimm and the race to decode the Rosetta Stone.
Full article available on our website
www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-44-etymologists
Interesting Etymologies - Heraldry
Full article on our website:
www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-43-heraldry
Interesting Etymologies - People
And today we will be looking at words that come from the names of people. We are not going to delve into the etymology of the name as such but take a look at words for things or concepts that have come into the language via the name of the person that popularised the idea, product or concept.
Full article on our website:
www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-42-people
Need to know - Cincomarzada
Once again we here in Zaragoza get to enjoy a local bank holiday this Monday. Let us explain all you need to know about this wonderful break from the working drudgery. What is it all about and why we celebrate the 5th of March?
Find a B2 worksheet for language learners on our website here.
Need to know - Saint Valentine
Interesting Etymologies - Persian
In this show we are going to look at words that have merged from Persian. This is a relative mystery to our host Charly, who knows no Farsi (the modern equivalent language) but it seems like an interesting branch to explore, especially as it is the root of many modern Arab words.
Now it will come as no surprise that many words considered Arabic come from Persian but the real shock is the number of words considered quintessentially Indian that made the journey east from Persia.
There are definitely a couple of surprises in store here, even the Russians are stripped of a word that is considered one of their own. There is also some fun to be had with the original meaning of musk!
An action-packed 5 minutes of etymological discovery. At least one o f these pieces of information is going to get you points in a pub quiz at some point in your life
Full article on our website:
Need to know - Santa Agueda
Have you wanted to know what this was all about but too terrified to ask?
Well, never fear, we have all the answers here. Discover the story of Santa Agueda, celebrated on February 5th. It's a grim tale of torture and rejection, earthquakes and murder, oh, and cakes shaped like, well, boobs....
Interesting Etymologies - Political correctness
"Hello again word lovers!" In this episode we dip our toes in the complicated waters of political correctness. When society understand words or phrases to have an unpleasant etymology but study reveals no such connection things can get very uncomfortable.
Charly explores some specific examples of this grey area of language: Chave and Pikey come under the microscope alongside hysterical/hysteria. Tranny and illegal are also explored before we take a look at some very controversial expressions. Nitty-gritty and Squaw have both come under fire as words that should be removed from the lexicon due to offensive or pejorative foundations. Charly sees if he can find evidence to support these claims. "N*ggardly" (asterisk employed to avoid the wrath of the algorithm) Charly explores the etymology of this word that has become archaic because it sounds so similar to "the N word" but shares no etymological root whatsoever. It actually comes via Old English from Old Norse.
Please note Charly states in his programme that the mayor of Washington, Anthony Williams, resigned in 1999 after using the above term. As clarified in our article, it was in fact David Howard, the then Head of the Office of the Public Advocate who stumbled into difficulty.
This episode can be listened to as a complement to episodes 26: Reappropriation and 23: Insults, which can be found in the programme archive.
Full article on our website: www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-40-political-correctness
Interesting Etymologies - Dead Languages
Find the full article for this episode on our website: www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-39-dead-languages
Need to know - San Valero
Interesting Etymologies - Non-PIE
"Hello again word lovers!" In this episode we are looking for words in English that have come from a non PIE root. A packed epsiode with a plentiful supply of words.
On this episode there is some additional information to be provided:
Bamboo is credited as being a word from Telugu in this epsideo when it is more likely from Kannada or Malay.
Taboo is listed as emerging from Hawaiian when it comes directly ito English via James Cook after his visit to Tonga.
The etymology of Curry, Ginger, Cash and Ukulele are covered in more detail in the related article on our website:
www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-38-non-pie
And if you want to know why wiki wiki can be seen on the front of a bus you will need to head to our website and discover the strange background to the word wiki entering international use in the same article.
Interesting Etymologies - Mythical beasts
"Hello again word lovers!" Today we are going into the realms of myth, particulalry that of mythical beasts.
From the Phoenix to the undead. Monsters and ghosts to angels and manticores.
Check out the full article of our website:
www.bulldogz.org//post/interesting-etymologies-37-mythical-beasts
Interesting Etymologies - Acronyms
Check out the full article of our website:
www.bulldogz.org//post/interesting-etymologies-36-acronyms
Need to know - Three Kings
Bearing gifts we travel afar....The Spanish tradition of "Reyes" that extends the magic of the Christmas season that little bit longer and brings city centres to a standstill.
All you need to know right here! Full related article on our website: www.bulldogz.org//post/2019/01/01/need-to-know-the-three-kings
Interesting Etymologies - Ebonics
The name was intended to provide a label for the linguistic consequences of the slave trade without negative connotations that other labels could evoke.
It remained a a little-known term that was not adopted by linguists or featured in the Oxford English Dictionary. This changed in 1996 when controversy emerged over the Oakland School Board decision to recognise it is a primary language for Afro American students and therefore acquire further funds to facilitate the teaching of standard English.
Find the full article to accompany the programme on our website:
www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-35-ebonics
Interesting Etymologies - Chinese
Find the full article to accompany the programme on our website:
www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-34-chinese
An article about the history of tea can be found here:
www.bulldogz.org/post/2018/04/27/tea-the-drink-that-fuelled-wars-revolutions
Interesting Etymologies - Latin
Full accompanying article available on our website:
www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-33-latin
Interesting Etymologies - Disease
Full accompanying article is available on our website: www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-32-disease
Interesting Etymologies - Turkic
Interesting Etymologies - World War Two
Find the full associated article here on our website: www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-30-world-war-two
Interesting Etymologies - World War One
"Hello again word lovers!" This episode is going to explore some words that come to us from World War One, The Great War. After an examination of War and Fight we work through some words of WWI that may surprise many. A series of clumsy French adaptations including Skive, Plonk and Toot Sweet. The origins of Blighty and Cushy from Urdu Several words from the trenches that people would never connect to the war. Tank and Sharpnel are also covered.
Full details and notes on our webpage here: www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-29-world-war-one
Interesting Etymologies - Fiction
"Hello again word lovers!" In this episode we will explore words that have migrated from fiction to everyday use Find the full associated article at our website: www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-28-fiction
Tales from the Other Side - the Hallowe'en Pumpkin (the story of Stingy Jack)
Welcome to ‘Tales from the Other Side’ where we look at folklore, mythology and magic.
One of the most recognised symbols of Hallowe’en is the iconic carved pumpkin. In recent years, pumpkin picking has become a popular autumn activity and designs have become more outlandish and elaborate. This ritual became popular in America in the 19th century following the arrival of Irish and Scottish immigrants who brought their traditions with them. Traditionally turnips were used but pumpkins became popular as they are larger and softer making them much easier to carve. But what did these lanterns represent and why were they used?
Come and huddle by the fire as we tell you the story of Sting Jack and the origin of the Hallowe'en pumpkin.....
Full article on our website: www.bulldogz.org/post/tales-from-the-other-side-the-hallowe-en-pumpkin
Interesting Etymologies - Cockney rhyming slang
"Hello again word lovers!" In this instalment, we dive into the world of cockney rhyming slang. This is a slang style that uses levels of abstraction and implied rhymes to provide coded meaning.
Once you understand the principles it can be a great deal of fun to play with or use, but for the beginner, it can be intimidating or impenetrable. This is hardly a surprise, it is believed to have developed from a code language for criminals to communicate without police or bystanders understanding them. So use your loaf and see if you can decipher some of the most abstract slang known to man!
The full associated article is available on our website here: www.bulldogz.org/post/interesting-etymologies-27-cockney-rhyming-slang
Tales from the Other Side - the origins of Halloween
Full associated article on our website:
www.bulldogz.org/post/tales-from-the-other-side-origins-of-hallowe-en