• 24.03.2024 - 00:19 - Quelle: The Allusionist

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    The word 'hypochondria' has travelled from meaning physical ailments in a particular region of your body, to ones that are only in your mind. It has been in fashion, and thoroughly out; it has been subject to a range of treatments; it has been lucrative for quacks; and it's a very understandable form of anxiety - which I have, and so does Caroline Crampton, author of the new book A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria.

    Content note: this episode contains a lot of discussion about health anxiety. There are mentions of cancer, doctors and hospitals - but not detailed accounts of medical conditions or treatments. 

    EXTRA MATERIALS:

    Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionaries, and the Allusioverse Discord community.

    There’s a space-themed live Allusionist IN THE PLANETARIUM at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver BC on 18 April 2024. The evening’s entertainments include a talk about space terms by astronomer Marley Leacock. Tickets are on sale now, at early bird prices until 28 March.

    YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
    edaphic, adjective: ecology of, produced by, or influenced by the soil.
    Origin 19th century, coined in German from Greek edaphos 'floor' + -ic.

    CREDITS:

    Back in two weeks with a new episode - HZ.

    Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

    Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist
    • Bombas, whose mission is to make the comfiest clothes ever, and match every item sold with an equal item donated. Go to bombas.com/allusionist to get 20% off your first purchase. 
    This Is How We Heal from Painful Childhoods: A Practical Guide to Healing Past Intergenerational Stress and Trauma, the new book from clinical psychologist Ernest Ellender. Find out more about his work and buy the book at healfromchildhood.com.

  • 07.03.2024 - 21:13 - Quelle: The Allusionist

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    "It's quite a big undertaking going through every named feature in the whole solar system and trying to find out who that person was."

    When PhD student Annie Lennox discovered a crater on Mercury, she got the chance to name it. Which sent her on a bigger space mission.

    Content note: this episode contains mentions of, but not descriptions of, sexual violence.

    EXTRA MATERIALS:

    Congratulations to podfriend and alumsionist Imaginary Advice for reaching 100 episodes! There’s a cameo from me, and some other fave podcasters, in the big 100th.

    Support the Allusionist at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes information about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionaries, regular watchalongs, and the charming company of the Allusioverse Discord community.

    YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
    regulus, noun, chemistry, archaic:
    a metallic form of a substance, obtained by smelting or reduction.
    Origin 16th century, from Latin, diminutive of rex, reg- ‘king’;
    origin as ‘regulus of antimony’, apparently so named because of its readiness to combine with gold.

    CREDITS:

    Back in two weeks with a new episode - HZ.

    Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

    • HomeChef, meal kits that fit your needs. For a limited time, HomeChef is offering Allusionist listeners 18 free meals, plus free shipping on your first box, and free dessert for life, at HomeChef.com/allusionist.
    Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist

  • 23.02.2024 - 07:02 - Quelle: The Allusionist

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    This is the Tranquillusionist, in which I, Helen Zaltzman, soothe your brain by saying a load of words that don’t really mean very much, to give you an emotional break by temporarily supplanting your interior monologue with something you can benignly ignore.

    Note: this is NOT a normal episode of the Allusionist, where you might learn something about language and your brain might be energised. The Tranquillusionist's purpose is to rest your brain and for you to learn nothing.

    If you like it, there's a collection of Tranquillusionists at theallusionist.org/tranquillusionist, on themes including champion dogs, Australia's big things, gay animals and more.

    Today: a list of the characters who don't have names in film credits.

    Content note: this episode contains some terminology from the original film credits that I do not endorse, plus one Category B swear and four Category A swears (which I endorse just fine). If you’re not sure about the Category A/B/etc, I refer you to episode 4.

    ALSO:

    • Enormous thanks to Jez Burrows for letting me use some 2,700 of these credits that he had collected for his book And Introducing. Find it at jezburrows.com, as well as his other work - including his book Dictionary Stories, short stories composed of the example sentences from dictionaries, which he talked about in the Trammels episode of the show a few years ago.

    • Want more relaxing listening? I’m on a couple of other podcasts this week:

    • 1. Shedunnit has started a book club of the Green Penguin crime novels, and I’m on the first episode, discussing The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers. ‘Unpleasantness’ is such a euphemistic euphemism for a murder. Whether or not you have read the novel, this is a good show to listen to. Find it here.

    • 2. The Incomparable Game Show’s Random Pursuit, where we played Trivial Pursuit from dozens of different sets. Some of the sets are ideal for the trivia stuffed in the trashbin of my brain; others, I am very not good at. Find out which by listening here!

    • 3. The fortnightly YouTube livestreams where I read from my collection of reference books. Here is an example of one, the rest are for members of the Allusioverse, and it’s very easy to become one of those: just head over to theallusionist.org/donate. You also get a host of perks, including the inside scoop of the making of every episode; watchalong parties (lately, weekly gatherings to watch Great Pottery Throwdown, and now the Canadian version too) - AND to hang out with your fellow Allusionauts in our delightful Discord community.

    YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:

    haecceity, noun, philosophy:
    1. the quality of a thing that makes it unique or describable as this (one).
    2 individuality.

    CREDITS:

    Back in two weeks with a new, non-tranquil episode. Well it might be tranquil too, but it’ll be not deliberately aiming for tranqullusioneity - HZ.

    Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk lovingly and winningly about your product or thing on the show in 2024, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

    • Bombas, whose mission is to make the comfiest clothes ever, and match every item sold with an equal item donated. Go to bombas.com/allusionist to get 20% off your first purchase. 
    Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist

  • 08.02.2024 - 21:53 - Quelle: The Allusionist

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    At Lunar New Year, certain foods are particularly lucky to eat. Why? Because in Chinese, their names are puns on fortunate things. Damn, maybe noodles are all it takes to get me into puns after all...

    Professor Miranda Brown, cultural historian of China specialising in food and drink, explains the wordplay foods of new year, and why names are so resonant in Chinese.

    EXTRA MATERIALS:

    How often do you get a movie with some major linguistic plots? Not often enough! We’re going to watch the 2016 science fiction conlang hit Arrival together in the Allusioverse Discord, on Saturday 17 February 12.30pm PT/3.30pm ET/8.30pm UTC/check your timezone. This is for members of the Allusioverse, and you can become one via theallusionist.org/donate (no payment will be taken till the 1st of the month, so you can try it out for free). And you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionaries, and the Allusioverse Discord community - AND your contributions help keep this independent podcast going. It’s rocky times!

    YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
    whim-wham, noun, archaic:
    1. a quaint and decorative object; a trinket.
    2. a whim.
    Origin 16th century: fanciful reduplication

    CREDITS:

    Back in two weeks with a new episode - HZ.

    Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly and unskippably about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads.

    This episode is sponsored by Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist

  • 28.01.2024 - 06:19 - Quelle: The Allusionist

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    Lipreading has been in the news this month, thanks to gossip-stoking mouth movements at the Golden Globes that the amateur lipreaders of The Internet rushed to interpret. But lipreading tutor Helen Barrow describes how reading lips really works - the confusable consonants, the importance of context and body language - and gossip maven Lainey Lui explains why these regularly occurring lipreading gossip stories are unworthy of a second or even first glance.

    Content note: this episode contains three Category B swears. Collect them all!

    EXTRA MATERIALS:

    Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionaries, and the Allusioverse Discord community. We’re having weekly gatherings to watch the current season of Great Pottery Throwdown and will soon add the Canadian version to our lives.

    I appear on a recent episode of Pop This! podcast, talking about the truly baffling 2000 film Duets, directed by Bruce Paltrow and starring his daughter Gwyneth. Listen here. And here is a playlist of me being a guest on other people’s podcasts.

    YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
    blunge, verb: mix (clay or other materials) with water in a revolving apparatus, for use in ceramics.
    Derivatives: blunger, noun.
    Origin 19th century: blend of blend and plunge.

    CREDITS:

    Back in two weeks with a new episode - HZ.

    Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

    • Kitsch, fun and useful skincare, haircare and accessories and styling tools. Get 30% off your entire order at MyKitsch.com/allusionist.
    • Bombas, whose mission is to make the comfiest clothes ever, and match every item sold with an equal item donated. Go to bombas.com/allusionist to get 20% off your first purchase. 
    Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist

  • 11.01.2024 - 06:26 - Quelle: The Allusionist

    Can you believe, this podcast turns nine years old on 14 January 2024? 

    The show began five British prime ministers ago! When it began, I was still struggling to get a bank card without 'Miss' on it

    Nine years is the time between Before Sunrise and Before Sunset - an eternity of romantic yearning; and in fashion, numerous generations after Julie Delpy's slip dress over baby t-shirt - and yet here I am, doing the same job (ineligible for promotion!). In the nine years, Mercury has travelled around the Sun thirty-seven times, whereas Jupiter still hasn't completed one full orbit. In the nine years, podcasting became An Industry and had a gold rush, then a big collapse; I didn't get rich from the former (boo!) nor destroyed by the latter (phew! (So far!!)). If you stood on the same spot on Mercury for the whole nine years, you would have moved nearly 600,000 kilometres without taking a single step. In the nine years, I have learned so, so much, but feel I know less than ever. If you stood on the same spot on Mercury, you would have frazzled or frozen to oblivion in less time than it took you to read this sentence. 

    When I say "nine years" above, I mean nine Earth years, not Mercury years. The Allusionist is already 37 years old in Mercury years.

    To celebrate the podcast's ninth Earth birthday, a milestone which, let's face it, means nothing really, we're going to do a couple of things!

    1. Livestream

    We'll gather on YouTube for an hour of fun, including relaxing readings from reference books - as we, ie me and the fine members of the Allusioverse, do regularly, but this time all are welcome. Here's the YouTube link, we'll commence Saturday 20 January, 1pm PT/4pm ET/9pm UTC/Sunday morning Western Pacific/check your timezone.

    2. Q&A

    Ask me anything! Pop a comment here and I shall endeavour to answer. 

    Yes, I do miss answering questions. And for all this "Nine years omg!" blahdiblah, Answer Me This lasted for fourteen and two-thirds years, which is half of one Saturn orbit.

    3. Gifts!

    For me, your presence is presents enough; but if you fancied giving the show as a gift to someone else, that would be wonderful. Personal recommendations are the best ways for people to find podcasts, and a nine-year-old podcast is brand new to the listener who just discovered it. The passage of the past nine years felt linear to me, but nine years of podcasts in a podfeed is growing block universe theory.

    Nine years feels like a long time, but when I visited my mother last month, she was surprised when I threw out her jars of ground spices that had use-by dates in Barack Obama's first term.

    Nine years is a long time for spices, but a flicker of an eyelid in my mother's perception of when she bought the spices. Nine years is long and nine years is short; time is the Müller-Lyer illusion. The flavour of ground spice is Mercury and my mother is Jupiter.

    Your real imaginary friend,

    HZ

  • 24.12.2023 - 21:46 - Quelle: The Allusionist

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    It's our annual end of year parade of all the extra good stuff this year's podguests talked about, including a mythical disappearing island, geese, human dictionaries, the dubious history of the Body Mass Index, Victorian death department stores, and much more.

    In order of appearance, we hear from:

    • Translator and author Caetano Galindo describes how the countril Brazil got its name; he appeared on the Brief History of Brazilian Portuguese episode.

    • Lexicographer and Countdown's Dictionary Corner-er Susie Dent brings us some pleasing words; she provided more joyful etymologies on the Siblings of Chaos episode.

    • Academic and author of Women and Dictionary-Making Lindsay Rose Russell explains the terms ‘walking dictionary’ and ‘sleeping dictionary’; she discussed the undersung roles of women in dictionary-making in the Cairns episode.

    • Writer, documentary star and Maintenance Phase cohost Aubrey Gordon notes the origins and misuse of the BMI and body positivity movement; she talked about how people talk about fat in Fat part 1 and part 2.

    • Historian Dean Vuletic explains why we say "Nul points!" about Eurovision Song Contest losers; he dug into Eurovision’s linguistic complications and controversies in Eurovision part 1 and part 2.

    • Council funeral officer and author of the book Ashes To Admin Evie King on alternatives to cremation; in the Death episode she talked about her job arranging funerals for people who have nobody else to do it.

    • Griefcast's Cariad Lloyd describes Victorian Brits' strict rules for grief, and the misuse of the concept of five stages of grief; in the Death episode she considered how we could talk about death better.

    Plus! Renaming updates, movie-named knitwear, and my portmanteaus and portmantNOs of the year.

    Content notes: this episode contains discussions of death, grief, anti-fat bias, eugenics and racism; I've included warnings in the audio before each section where relevant, so you know which specific parts to skip if you need to.

    EXTRA MATERIALS:

    Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionaries, and the Allusioverse Discord community - where I post all my latest, vilest portmantNOs. And we watch things together: on 27 December join us for a medley of festive specials, including Pottery Throwdown, Bake Off and Veronica Mars.

    YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
    pavage, noun, historical: a tax or toll to cover the paving of streets.
    Origin Middle English: from Old French, from paver ‘to pave’.

    CREDITS:

    Back in the second half of January 2024 with a new episode - HZ.

    Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

    • Ravensburger, who make all sorts of jigsaw puzzles, including light-up 3D puzzles and puzzles you can use as pen holders afterwards. Buy Ravensburger puzzles in your preferred puzzle emporium and from Ravensburger's official websites. 
    • Kitsch
    , fun and useful skincare, haircare and accessories and styling tools. Get 30% off your entire order at MyKitsch.com/allusionist.
    • Bombas, whose mission is to make the comfiest clothes ever, and match every item sold with an equal item donated. Go to bombas.com/allusionist to get 20% off your first purchase. 
    Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist
    Canva, great design at your fingertips to level up your videos/presentations/websites etc. And you can collaborate: get a FREE 45-day extended trial when you go to Canva.me/allusionist.

  • 12.12.2023 - 14:44 - Quelle: The Allusionist

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    We’ve got knitting! We’ve got eponyms!! We’ve got knitting eponyms!!! Which come with a whole load of battles, f-boys, duels, baseball, espionage, scandals - and socks, lots of socks.

    Fibre artist and Yarn Stories podcaster Miriam Felton discusses why grafting should ditch the name 'kitchener stitch'; we learn about the eponymous cardigan; and three towns in Ontario take pretty different approaches to having problematic namesakes.

    Content note: this episode contains mentions of war, death and injuries.

    Listen to more episodes on the topics of renaming and eponyms.

    EXTRA MATERIALS:

    Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionary collection, and you can hang out in the Allusioverse Discord community. This month, we’ll be watching Muppet Christmas Carol together, and Last Holiday starring Queen Latifah, as well as the festive Pottery Throwdown and Bake Off specials.

    ✨ Click here to check out Allusionist listeners' creative work in the Allusioverse Gift Guide

    ✨ Click here to check out Allusionist listeners' creative work in the Allusioverse Gift Guide

    YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
    cachalot, noun: another term for sperm whale.
    Origin 18th century: from French, from Spanish and Portuguese cachalote,
    from cachola 'big head'.

    CREDITS:

    Back in two weeks with the last episode of 2023: the cavalcade of Bonus Bits! It’s going to be very good - HZ

    Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

    • Wildgrain, the subscription box for sourdough breads, fresh pastas, and artisanal pastries that you can cook from frozen in 25 minutes. Get $30 off your first box, PLUS free croissants in every box, when you start your subscription at Wildgrain.com/allusionist or use promo code ALLUSIONIST at checkout.
    • Ravensburger, who make all sorts of jigsaw puzzles, including ones you design yourself. Buy Ravensburger puzzles in your preferred puzzle emporium and from Ravensburger's official websites.
    • Bombas, whose mission is to make the comfiest clothes ever, and match every item sold with an equal item donated. Go to bombas.com/allusionist to get 20% off your first purchase. 
    Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist

  • 01.12.2023 - 14:21 - Quelle: The Allusionist

    'Tis the season for the festive Allusionists! Which are some of my favourite ever episodes. Here’s your playlist - these are all in your podcast app too, of course:

    Winterval

    It’s a portmanteau that became shorthand for the War On Christmas™, with a side of ‘political correctness gone mad’. But this is very unfair to Winterval.

    There's a word that has become shorthand for 'the war on Christmas' with a side of 'political correctness gone mad': Winterval. It began in November 1998. Newspapers furiously accused Birmingham City Council of renaming Christmas when it ran festive ev...


    Xmas Man

    That mythical beardy man who supposedly gives children presents at Christmas - what’s he all about, and why does he have so many different names? Also, why were Victorian Christmas cards so scary and meaty?

    CONTENT WARNING: Be wary of listening to this episode around young children, as there may be life spoilers. Historian Greg Jenner traces the origins of that mythical beardy man who turns up in December with gifts.

    How the Dickens Stole Christmas

    Charles Dickens wrote about the plight of the impoverished and destitute members of British society. So how come his name is a synonym for rosy-cheeked, full-stomached, fattened-goose, hearty merry “God bless us every one” Christmas? Plus: a trip to Dickensian London, recreated in an expo centre in California.

    Charles Dickens wrote about the plight of the impoverished and destitute members of British society. So how come his name is a synonym for rosy-cheeked, full-stomached, fattened-goose, hearty merry "God bless us every one" Christmas?

    Dear Santa

    Jim Glaub and Dylan Parker didn’t think too much of it when, every year, a few letters for Santa were delivered to their New York apartment addressed to Santa. But then one year, 400 letters arrived. And they decided they had to answer them.

    Jim Glaub and Dylan Parker didn't think too much of it when, every year, a few letters were delivered to their New York apartment addressed to Santa. But then one year, 400 letters arrived. And they decided they had to answer them.

    It’s a very sweet story, but they’re still doing it and now have a non-profit — if you want to be a Santa for a kid in need, you can donate or get involved at miracleon22ndstreet.com 

    A Festive Hit for 2020

    The usual canon of holly jolly Christmas songs didn’t really fit the mood of 2020. So Jenny Owen Youngs, Martin Austwick and I wrote one that does. And it’s a banger!

    The usual canon of Christmas songs may not really fit people's moods in this year 2020, when I'm not sure a lot of us are feeling all that holly jolly. So I drafted in singer and songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs and we wrote a festive song that is suitable for 2020.

  • 21.11.2023 - 07:22 - Quelle: The Allusionist

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    We’re returning to the theme of renaming, for two food-related renamings: the first one that mostly happened, the second that mostly did not - but in a good way.

    Dr Erin Pritchard persuaded a British supermarket to rebrand a type of sweets that had a slur in their name. And Chris Strikes recounts the renaming conflict that was the Toronto Patty Wars of 1985.

    Content note: the first part of the episode concerns an ableist slur, so there are incidences of that slur, and discussion of ableism and later anti-Black racism.

    EXTRA MATERIALS:

    Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams, regular watchalongs, and the Allusioverse Discord community. Aaaaand…

    Browse the Allusioverse Gift Guide, which is all things made by the very brilliant members of the Allusioverse!

    YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
    yaw, verb (of a moving ship or aircraft): twist or oscillate about a vertical axis. Noun: twisting or oscillation of a moving ship or aircraft about a vertical axis.
    Origin 16th century: of unknown origin.

    CREDITS:

    Back in early December with a new episode - HZ.

    Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

    • Catan, the endlessly reconfigurable social board game. Shop at catanshop.com/allusionist and get 10% off the original base game CATAN by using the promo code ALLUSIONIST at checkout. 
    • Ravensburger, who make the world's largest Disney jigsaw puzzle - 40,320 pieces! As well as many other sizes of puzzles. Buy Ravensburger puzzles in your preferred puzzle emporium.
    • Bombas, whose mission is to make the comfiest clothes ever, and match every item sold with an equal item donated. Go to bombas.com/allusionist to get 20% off your first purchase. 
    Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist