Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris

Jess Zafarris and Rob Watts unravel the stories behind everyday words.

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Self-Improvement Education Society & Culture History

Update frequency: every 7 days
Average duration: 40 minutes
Episodes: 60
Years Active: 2024 - 2025

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What does antidisestablishmentarianism mean? | LONG WORDS

In this pulchritudinous episode of Words Unravelled, Rob and Jess discuss the longest words in English and beyond: from antidisestablishmentarianism to opadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodri…

00:39:35 | Wed 11 Sep 2024

Why are you such a nincompoop? | INSULTS

In this episode, Jess and Rob sling some mud as they explore the etymology of insults.
🐳 Does "dork" mean what people say it means?
🤬 Which was Shakespeare's rudest character?
🍆 What exactly is a "pl…

00:35:12 | Wed 04 Sep 2024

Do geese see god? | PALINDROMES

In this episode, Rob and Jess dive headfirst into the topsy-turvy world of palindromes: words, phrases, and numbers that read the same backward and forward. From the humble "wow" to a mind-boggling 1…

00:28:31 | Wed 28 Aug 2024

Why is the word "dog" such a mystery? | ANIMAL WORDS

Take a walk on the wild side with Rob and Jess as they explore animal etymologies.
🐻Why were we too scared to give bears a proper name?
🐶Why don't we know where the word "dog" came from?
👻Which anima…

00:47:39 | Wed 21 Aug 2024

What mystery did the original "clue" solve? | MYTHOLOGY WORDS

In this episode of Words Unravelled, hosts Rob and Jess dive into the fascinating world of etymology, uncovering the surprising origins of everyday words rooted in ancient mythology.

🔍 Where did the…

00:30:01 | Wed 14 Aug 2024

Can a word be its own opposite? | CONTRONYMS

How can "cleave" mean both to separate AND to join together? Find out in this episode about contronyms and all manner of other -onyms! Jess and Rob delve into demonyms, retronyms, allonyms, eponyms, …

00:48:39 | Wed 07 Aug 2024

Do "vegetables" technically exist? | FOOD WORDS

In this episode of Words Unravelled, Rob and Jess explore the delicious origins of our words for foods. They delve into the etymology of "dinner", "lunch" and all manner of mealtime, and ask whether …

00:36:05 | Wed 31 Jul 2024

What exactly is a "petard" anyway? | FOSSIL WORDS

Discover the fascinating world of "fossil words" with Rob and Jess on Words Unravelled! 🌍📚 In this episode, our hosts delve into the history and evolution of words that have stood the test of time bu…

00:32:30 | Wed 24 Jul 2024

Have you ever had the mulligrubs? | LOST WORDS

In this edition of Words Unravelled, Rob and Jess resurrect some long lost words. We promise not to leave you gremed, overmirthed, nor cursed with the mulligrubs as we explore a hubble-shubble of arc…

00:38:16 | Wed 17 Jul 2024

How did the planets get their names? | SPACE WORDS

This episode of Words Unravelled is out of this world! Blast off with Rob and Jess as they explore the cosmic origins of space terms. 🌌 Where did the planets get their names? And how do you actually …

00:36:45 | Wed 12 Jun 2024

Did the Greeks have a word for blue? COLOR WORDS

Chase the blues away and be tickled pink by another episode of Words Unravelled. In this edition Rob and Jess explore the origins of a whole spectrum of color words (or as Rob calls them, "colour wor…

00:33:36 | Wed 05 Jun 2024

American vs. British English: A transatlantic war of words

For centuries, British English and American English have been locked in a battle for supremacy. In this edition of Words Unravelled, Rob and Jess expose the linguistic differences either side of 'the…

00:36:34 | Wed 29 May 2024

Was an orange ever a "norange"? | WORD MASH-UPS

Hello and welcome (or should that be hellcome?) to another Words Unravelled. In this episode, Rob and Jess discuss word mash-ups.
- 🍊Was an orange ever a norange?
- 🍔 Why do cheeseburgers make no sen…

00:36:01 | Wed 22 May 2024

What's poopy about a poop deck? | NAUTICAL ETYMOLOGY

Welcome, me hearties, to another episode of Words Unravelled. In this edition, Rob and Jess discuss nautical terms and pirate slang.

💩 What's so poopy about a poop deck?
🏴‍☠️ What does it mean to "s…

00:33:38 | Wed 15 May 2024

Can you be gormful, wistless or ert? | UNPAIRED WORDS

Join word nerds Jess and Rob as they uncover English's lost positives and orphaned negatives. Why can you be "nonchalant" but not "chalant"? If something perfect is "immaculate", what does it mean to…

00:26:57 | Wed 08 May 2024

Why is it a "murder" of crows? | COLLECTIVE NOUNS

Join Jess and Rob to collectively explore the weird world of collective nouns.

Watch this episode here: https://youtu.be/K2MaE9tn1rk
Read the Book of St Albans here: https://www.google.co.uk/books/e…

00:29:20 | Wed 01 May 2024

Is "posh" really an acronym? | WORD MYTHS

Jess Zafarris and Rob Watts (aka RobWords) bust some etymology myths:
💰 Does "tip" mean To Insure Promptness?
🤬 Is the F word an acronym?
🦋 Was a butterfly ever a "flutterby"?

Find out in Words Unra…

00:36:20 | Wed 24 Apr 2024

Are you getting these wrong too? | EGGCORNS

Join word nerds Jess Zafarris and Rob Watts (aka RobWords) as they discuss the amusing mis-heard phrases known as "eggcorns".

Watch this episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/Sucad437VDA

Find u…

00:30:38 | Wed 17 Apr 2024

Why do we say "hello"? | GREETINGS

Word nerds RobWords and Jess Zafarris welcome you to the first ever edition of Words Unravelled with an episode all about greetings:

👋Where does the word "hello" come from?
🇮🇹What's the surprising o…

00:29:37 | Wed 10 Apr 2024

Introducing Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris

Introducing Words Unravelled: a podcast by two of the internet's biggest word nerds. In each episode Rob Watts (aka RobWords) and Jess Zafarris unravel the stories behind everyday terms.

00:01:39 | Mon 25 Mar 2024

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