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On 15 November 1992, the New York Times printed a ‘Lexicon of Grunge’, a list of slang terms from the Seattle music scene. ‘Harsh realm’ = bummer. ‘Wack slacks’ = old ripped jeans. ‘Swingin’ on the flippity-flop’ = hanging out.Not familiar with any of these? It’s OK, that’s not because you’re a cob nobbler (= loser). They were all made up. By Megan Jasper. Now the CEO of Sub Pop records, she recounts her linguistic prank.Find out more about this episode at theallusionist.org/grungehoax.NB there are a few swears in this episode.The Allusionist's online home is theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at twitter.com/allusionistshow and facebook.com/allusionistshow.The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the finest podcasts on the interwaves. Find them all at radiotopia.fm.In February 2019, the Allusionist is sponsored by: • Squarespace, your one-stop shop for creating and running a good-looking and well-working website. Go to squarespace.com/allusion for a free trial, and use the code ALLUSION to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.• Babbel, the no.1 selling language-learning app in the world. Try it for free at babbel.com or download the Babbel app.• The Proprioceptive Writing Center. Find out about the upcoming West Coast USA courses in this meditative writing practice at pwriting.org.

94. Harsh Realm

2019-02-2200:28:491

‘Idle’, ‘trivial’, ‘scurrilous’: the word ‘gossip’ is often accompanied by uncomplimentary adjectives. But don’t dismiss it; from childbirth to Hollywood to political analysis to whisper networks, gossip may be more useful and serious than you realise. Lainey Lui, founder of laineygossip.com, and Buzzfeed News’ senior culture writer (and doctor of celebrity gossip) Anne Helen Petersen explain why.Find out more about this episode at theallusionist.org/gossip.NB there are a few swears in this episode.The Allusionist's online home is theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at twitter.com/allusionistshow and facebook.com/allusionistshow.The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the finest podcasts on the interwaves. Find them all at radiotopia.fm.In February 2019, the Allusionist is sponsored by: • Squarespace, your one-stop shop for creating and running a good-looking and well-working website. Go to squarespace.com/allusion for a free trial, and use the code ALLUSION to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.• Babbel, the no.1 selling language-learning app in the world. Try it for free at babbel.com or download the Babbel app.• The Proprioceptive Writing Center. Find out about the upcoming West Coast USA courses in this meditative writing practice at pwriting.org.

93. Gossip

2019-02-0900:19:467

If you wince when you hear someone say “a whole nother level”, “hone in on” or “right from the gecko”, here’s some bad news: you might have to get used to it. The English language is full of words and expressions that were mistakes that stuck around. Countdown’s Susie Dent holds our hands and takes us on a tour of misspellings, mishearings, scrambled letters and bear cubs.In the new Minillusionist at the end of the episode, we’re back on your favourite subject: swearing! And why the blazes are there all these fake acronym etymologies for swears?Find out more about this episode at theallusionist.org/err.Follow Susie Dent on Twitter @susie_dent for regular doses of etymology, and to keep up with her writing and tour dates.The Allusionist's online home is theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at twitter.com/allusionistshow and facebook.com/allusionistshow.The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the finest podcasts on the interwaves. Find them all at radiotopia.fm.In January 2019, the Allusionist is sponsored by: • Squarespace, your one-stop shop for creating and running a good-looking and well-working website. Go to squarespace.com/allusion for a free trial, and use the code ALLUSION to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.• Babbel, the no.1 selling language-learning app in the world. Try it for free at babbel.com or download the Babbel app.

92. To Err Is Human

2019-01-2400:20:159

For a bit of fun to celebrate Radiotopia’s 2018 fundraiser, this episode is a wordy quiz for you to play along with as you listen. Get a pen and paper, or fill in your answers online at http://theallusionist.org/2018quiz.Also! I’ve put together an Allusionist print-at-home puzzle book, featuring a wordsearch, crossword, some jollity with portmanteaus, eponyms and scandals ending in -gate. It’s available exclusively if you donate any amount to Radiotopia’s 2018 fundraiser from now until it ends on 21 December 2018. Let me reiterate: ANY amount, from $1 to $∞! Head to http://radiotopia.fm to get your puzzles.Let me know how you fare in the quiz and puzzles at http://twitter.com/allusionistshow and http://facebook.com/allusionistshow.The show will be back on 23 January 2019. For all Allusionist episodes, extra material, transcripts, event listings etc, visit http://theallusionist.org.The Allusionist is a member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the best podcasts on the interwaves. Hear all the shows at http://radiotopia.fm – and if you can afford to help our shows keep going, become a donor in our 2018 fundraiser at https://www.radiotopia.fm/donate-2018z.

Extra special QUIZ!

2018-12-1800:15:254

Throughout the year, the people who appear on the Allusionist tell me a lot of interesting stuff. Not all of which is relevant to the episode they initially appeared in, so I stash it away in preparation for this moment: the annual bonus episode! Get ready for gory 19th century London slang, the rise and fall of superhero capes, the post-WW1 trend for nudism, and more.Find out more about this episode at http://theallusionist.org/bonus2018.There is one swear in this episode.The Allusionist is a member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the best podcasts on the interwaves. Hear all the shows at http://radiotopia.fm – and if you can afford to help our shows keep going, become a donor in our 2018 fundraiser at https://www.radiotopia.fm/donate-2018z.The Allusionist’s online home is http://theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at http://twitter.com/allusionistshow and http://facebook.com/allusionistshow. And come to see the debut performance of the brand new Allusionist 2019 live show at SF Sketchfest, 7.30pm 25 January! Tickets are on sale now: https://tinyurl.com/allusionistSFsketchfest2019Thanks to today’s sponsors:SQUARESPACE. Design and run a website with ease using Squarespace. Go to squarespace.com/allusion for a free trial, and for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain, use the code ALLUSION.MYTHOLOGIES. Subscribe to the new Mythologies podcast from Parcast in your podblaster of choice, or find it at parcast.com/mythology.

91. Bonus 2018

2018-12-1600:17:428

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.Find out more about this episode at http://theallusionist.org/dear-santa, and visit http://miracleon22ndstreet.com to learn more about the nonprofit Jim and Dylan now run, donate, and get involved.The Allusionist is a member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the best podcasts on the interwaves. Hear all the shows at http://radiotopia.fm – and if you can afford to help our shows keep going, become a donor in our 2018 fundraiser at https://www.radiotopia.fm/donate-2018z.The Allusionist’s online home is http://theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at http://twitter.com/allusionistshow and http://facebook.com/allusionistshow. And come to see the debut performance of the brand new Allusionist 2019 live show at SF Sketchfest, 7.30pm 25 January! Tickets are on sale now: https://tinyurl.com/allusionistSFsketchfest2019Today’s episode is sponsored by Care/Of, a monthly subscription service that delivers personalised vitamin packs to your door. It’s like an advent calendar full of health supplements! For 25% off your first month of personalised Care/of vitamins, visit TakeCareOf.com and enter the discount code ALLUSIONIST.

90. Dear Santa

2018-11-3000:18:436

This is a story of feats of speed and endurance, of record-breakers, of champions… Typing champions.Recorded live at the Hot Docs Podcast Festival in the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto on 4 November 2018, WPM is performed by me and Martin Austwick. Find out more about this episode at http://theallusionist.org/wpm.**There is one swear word in this episode. See if you can spot it.**Get very cute T-shirts, totes and onesies with an exclusive typing artwork by Eleni Kalorkoti at http://theallusionist.org/merch.The Allusionist’s online home is http://theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at http://twitter.com/allusionistshow and http://facebook.com/allusionistshow.The Allusionist is a member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the best podcasts on the interwaves. Hear all the shows at http://radiotopia.fm.Thanks to today’s sponsors:1. OXFORD GAMES makes games, word-based and not, which are great fun to play at all ages. Allusionist listeners get 20% off purchases at oxfordgames.co.uk with the discount code ALL20.2. BABBEL is the number 1 selling language learning app in the world, with courses in 14 different languages from beginner to advanced levels. You can even give Babbel courses as gifts! Go to babbel.com and use the offer code ALLUSION to get 50% off your first three months.

89. WPM

2018-11-1700:17:228

Why did you change your name? And why did you choose the name you chose?Listeners answer these two questions. Hear their stories of gender identity, family fallouts, marriages, divorces, doxxing, cults, and…just not liking your given name very much.Find more about this episode at http://theallusionist.org/name-changers.This episode is part of Name Season here at the Allusionist, along with episode 83. Yes, As In, about having a name that is more usually a noun or adjective; 86. Name Therapy, about the issues people face with their names; and 87. Name v. Law, about the Icelandic Naming Committee and a name change that took 25 years.The Allusionist live tour is ON NOW, at cities in the US and Canada during October and November 2018: show listings are at http://theallusionist.org/events.The Allusionist’s online home is http://theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at http://twitter.com/allusionistshow and http://facebook.com/allusionistshow.The Allusionist is a member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the best podcasts on the interwaves. Hear all the shows at http://radiotopia.fm.Thanks to today’s sponsors:SQUARESPACE. Design your website at squarespace.com/allusion, and use the offer code ALLUSION to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.BOMBAS. Shop for expertly engineered socks at bombas.com/allusionist and save 20% by entering the offer ALLUSIONIST in the checkout code space.

88. Name Changers

2018-11-0400:28:262

Iceland has quite exacting laws about what its citizens can be named, and only around 4,000 names are on the officially approved list. If you want a name that deviates from that list, you have to send an application to the Icelandic Naming Committee, whose three members will decide whether or not you’re allowed it. And if they say you’re not…you might have to take things pretty far.There’s more about this episode at http://theallusionist.org/icelandic-names.The Allusionist live tour is ON NOW, at cities in the US and Canada during October and November 2018: show listings are at http://theallusionist.org/events.The Allusionist’s online home is http://theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at http://twitter.com/allusionistshow and http://facebook.com/allusionistshow.The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the best podcasts on the interwaves. Hear all the shows at http://radiotopia.fm.Thanks to today’s sponsor, Babbel. Learn fourteen languages in quick, fun and interactive lessons. Try Babbel for free via their app or babbel.com.

87. Name v. Law

2018-10-2200:30:344

“It’s the word that you use the most often and the soonest to describe yourself, and yet nobody’s really ever talked about how it kind of makes me feel like this.” Until Duana Taha, who, after a lifetime of feelings about her own unique name, became the Name Therapist.Duana offers advice on how to name your baby/future adult, so their name works shouted across a playground, whispered into an ear, scribbled on a coffee cup. She also deals with your concerns about being named after a relative or parent’s ex, having a name that elicits playground taunts, or doesn’t describe you as an individual at all.Find more about this episode at http://theallusionist.org/name-therapy.The Allusionist live tour is ON NOW, at cities in the US and Canada during October and November 2018: show listings are at http://theallusionist.org/events.The Allusionist’s online home is http://theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at http://twitter.com/allusionistshow and http://facebook.com/allusionistshow.The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the best podcasts on the interwaves. Hear all the shows at http://radiotopia.fm.Thanks to today’s sponsors:SQUARESPACE. Design your website at squarespace.com/allusion, and use the offer code ALLUSION to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.BOMBAS. Shop for expertly engineered socks at bombas.com/allusionist and save 20% by entering the offer ALLUSIONIST in the checkout code space.

86. Name Therapy

2018-10-0800:27:268

Comments (18)

Adam Gelatt

hell yeah

Feb 22nd

Luke Baylie

Clarke Gable did work as a lumber Jack in his youth.

Feb 13th

Eric Anderson

words can have subtleties and nuances of meaning of course but when does a word cease to be that word? gossip may contain some truth but inherently the word mean not trustworthy and damaging.

Feb 11th

Eric Anderson did you not listen to the episode?

Anyssa Ball

I knew aglet because of Phineas and Ferb

Dec 20th

Addy Gator

I love the show! You're the wordiest gal on my playlist. I can't get enough word knowledge. Thank you for being awesome!

Nov 13th

Richard Napolitano

Nobody other than J.R.R. Tolkien created the multiple versions of elven languages used in Lord of the Rings. He was a linguistic expert and made all of the languages used in the LOTR universe.

Nov 7th

Kyle Miller

I love this episode. I've listened to it repeatedly!

Nov 3rd

Cheesecake Lasagna

I haven't even heard a single clippet from this podcast but the visuals got me already! Graphic designer-orgasmic. lol

Oct 3rd

Lisa Liggins

E.11. Dan sounds just like Stephen Colbert. I couldn't get over it.

Sep 8th

Miaozi Li

I would say "I meh the Beatles"

Aug 25th

imagineer! I recently got to hang out with one. Very interesting guy. From Disney to NASA he's made some cool stuff

May 19th

Ellen Broadley

l it it l it I you like

May 13th

Tom Dalliston

is this episode directly copied from word of mouth on BBC radio 4?

Jan 10th

iTunes User

I listened to the first two podcasts and was amazed as its witty fun and has a lot of little history info in each segment that shows how much work the podcaster put into research, yet it's edited down into a quick 15 -20 minute session in case you have a short attention span so that there is no danger of you having to rewind because your mind wandered off somewhere! Looking forward to the third podcast! Bruce

Aug 30th

What a voice, what fun: quick and quick-witted podcasts that pack so much into so few minutes.

Yes! We've finally got a podcaster who doesn't mince words in her practice of mincing their meanings. More than just linguistics, The Allusionist takes a crack at history, culture and current affairs with a cheeky wit that almost smarts. Worst thing about this podcast is the wait—2 weeks between episodes? Oh where will I get my word on till then? Maybe if I listen to Lexicon Valley at double speed mashed up with reruns of Language Bites, then I'll come close, but really Helen, must you be so allusive? Yes, you must. Best new pod of 2015!

Jim Driscoll

Helen is a snarky pedant, just like me. Love her show.

Aug 20th