Category Archives: English

Which flower makes you wet the bed? | FLOWER NAME ORIGINS

Posted on March 12, 2025 by agogo22

Welcome to another bloomin’ wonderful episode of Words Unravelled. This time, Rob and Jess are discussing the origins of all manner of flower name. 🌻Which flower makes you wet the bed? 👁️Which flower’s name means “day’s eye”? 🌹What is the … Continue reading →

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How did East Midland English Become the Standard Across the World?

Posted on March 7, 2025 by agogo22

How did a variety of English from one small region of England become the standard form of English for the whole world. Sign up for The Rambler newsletter here. http://eepurl.com/izRKww It’s full of interesting insights and stories about the English … Continue reading →

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Is this a rhetorical question? | RHETORIC & LITERARY DEVICES

Posted on March 5, 2025 by agogo22

Who wants to learn how to talk pretty? In this episode, Rob and Jess explore the clever tricks used by poets, novelists and speechwriters to surprise, move and persuade us. Join them as they discuss rhetoric and literary devices. 😉 … Continue reading →

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How did our naughty bits get their names? | BODY ETYMOLOGY

Posted on February 26, 2025 by agogo22

[…] Let’s discuss the etymology of the body from “head” to “toe”. Join Rob and Jess on an adventure through anatomical word origins. 👅 Why is tongue spelt that way? 🍎 What did we originally call our Adam’s apple? 🍆 … Continue reading →

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The Dark Histories Behind Your Favorite Scary Words (Interview with Jess Zafarris)

Posted on February 22, 2025 by agogo22

24 Oct 2023 Grammar Girl Podcast, Full Episodes What’s the difference between terror and horror? Why was the word for “bear” so scary that it is lost to history? Jess Zafarris, author of “Words from Hell,” goes through these stories … Continue reading →

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What’s the difference between a violin and a fiddle? | MUSIC WORDS

Posted on February 19, 2025 by agogo22

Let this episode be music to your ears as Rob Watts and Jess Zafarris explore the melodic origins of all manner of musical words. 👦 Which instrument used to be called a “ho boy”? 🎤 What does “karaoke” literally mean? … Continue reading →

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Did the Mormons invent a better alphabet?

Posted on February 15, 2025 by agogo22

[…] Did you know the Mormons invented their own alphabet? As did Benjamin Franklin. Many people have tried and failed to end the fiasco that is English spelling. In this video I explore five such attempts. 👕COOL TSHIRTS: https://robwords.com/shop ⭐️PATREON … Continue reading →

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Did Shakespeare invent as many words as people claim?

Posted on February 10, 2025 by agogo22

Let’s explode some Shakespeare myths! And “zounds”: The first 500 people to use my link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: https://skl.sh/robwords11241 William Shakespeare is arguably the most significant cultural figure of all time. But has his … Continue reading →

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Who was the first to “paint the town red”? | IDIOM ORIGINS

Posted on January 29, 2025 by agogo22

n this episode, Rob and Jess debunk some myths about the origins of common sayings and present the even more fascinating true stories behind the idioms we use day-to-day. 🔴 Who was the first to “paint the town red”? 🌩️ … Continue reading →

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Words That Come From Typos!

Posted on January 14, 2025 by agogo22
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