Episodes

  • Episode 133: Scavenger Road
    Aug 7 2024

    In this episode, Amy just throws around needless "n"s with impunity during a solid "scavenge", while Ryan goes from place to place, possibly with hostility, along the "road".

    Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

    Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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    1 hr
  • Episode 132: Sparkle Crackle Twinkle Paddle Waddle Dazzle Hobble Wriggle Nuzzle
    Apr 30 2024

    In this episode, Amy is elsewhere completely while Ryan is appreciating all over again the all-too-frequent cuteness of the "-le" suffix in English!

    Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

    Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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    16 mins
  • Episode 131: Rudimentary Rival
    Mar 27 2024

    In this episode, Amy gets back to basics with "rudimentary", while Ryan swimming upstream, but along a bank, and always staring side-eyed across to his "rival".

    Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

    Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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    53 mins
  • Episode 130: Object Between
    Feb 17 2024

    In this episode, Amy explores the space "between", while Ryan is trying to figure out a connection between an "object" and the action itself.

    Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

    Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks! PS - a note from Ryan: apologies to our wonderful listeners this episode - I'd been battling a wicked cough and general illness for several weeks and was only just getting over it to the point where I could make it through an episode, but I was pretty much constantly struggling to tamp down coughing fits every few minutes, hence my quite short segment and also my probably very annoying-to-listen-to somewhat pause-ridden speech pattern. I'm getting better, though, so that's good!
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Episode 129: Fine Film
    Jan 12 2024

    In this episode, Amy keeps a thin lid on things with "film", while Ryan is trying to figure out why there are so many different ways to be "fine".

    For the record, the book is Synonyms Discriminated and it's by the Rev. Charles John Smith. It was written, like many other books, in 1871.

    Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

    Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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    50 mins
  • Episode 128: Taskmaster Handicap
    Nov 10 2023

    In this episode, Amy keeps everything on track as the "taskmaster", while Ryan is trying to weigh how much cheese a duck costs with "handicap".

    For those interested (which should be literally 100% of the listening audience), here is Carrot In A Box.

    For those interested (which should be literally 100% of the listening audience), here is where you can find Taskmaster on YouTube.

    Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

    Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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    53 mins
  • Episode 127: Pitch Harmony
    Sep 9 2023

    In this episode, Amy keeps it all together with "harmony", while Ryan is considering sticky angles with "pitch", that he never knew in the first place.

    Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

    Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Episode 126: Not Long Ago, with Erin
    Aug 1 2023

    In this episode, Amy is joined by a very special guest for a live, in-person and totally Canadian-less episode, featuring long-time listener and avid academic Word Nerd, Erin Bell!

    Erin is currently pursuing a Masters degree in linguistics at Trinity College, Dublin, and just happened to be in bonnie Scotland, where schedules and stars aligned to have her and Amy meet up to record an episode where they got to talk about Erin's studies, focused on American English idioms, and in particular, the fantastical four opening words: Once Upon A Time!

    Huge thanks to Erin, not only for taking time out of her studies and schedule to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with our show, but also for her years of listening, Patreon patronage, and general showboostery!

    Lexitecture is a podcast about etymology (the linguistics study of the origin and history of words). In each normal, increasingly infrequent episode, a Canadian (Ryan) and a Scot (Amy) each present their current favourite word and talk about its origins, current use, and try to puzzle out how it may have gone from A to B. If you love thinking and talking about words, word origins, or just random bits of head-scratching language trivia, this may be the show for you!

    Please subscribe to us on Spotify, Google Play Music, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts or wherever you get your podcasts! Find us on Facebook, or on Twitter, or on Reddit, or join our Word Nerd HQ Facebook group! Also, if you enjoy what we do, please give us a great rating wherever you can - it's a huge help in letting other people know we're worth listening to. Finally, to support the podcasting work we do, please consider becoming a Patreon sponsor at www.patreon.com/lexitecture Thanks!
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    1 hr and 1 min