301: The Dating Game, Paranormal Edition Which came first, "paramilitary" or "paranormal"? Join Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo to guess the chronological order of three “para” words. 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #podcast #thedatinggame #paranormal

300: Parasocial Climbing Are you in a parasocial relationship? In the age of AI, perhaps we all are. Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield trace the rise of “para” words from parasocial to parachute and paragraph. 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

Bonus: Bet! John McWhorter stakes a wager on the word “bet”. 🔑Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

299: The Lowdown on Lowkey John McWhorter on the hidden logic of "lowkey." Plus, where did all those terms of venery originate—like a flamboyance of flamingos, a murder of crows and a parliament of owls? 🎧Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

298: The Dating Game, Perfect Edition Which came first, the "perfect crime" or the "perfect storm"? Play along and guess the chronological order: perfect crime, perfect fit, perfect storm and perfect stranger. 🎧Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #podcast

297: A Perfect Episode "Perfect!" is everywhere. Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo examine the evolution and ubiquity of a flawless word. 🎧Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

Bonus: To Catch a Swindler Persistent and mercurial, “swindle” made its way into English twice. Mike Vuolo on its dizzy, giddy, possibly antisemitic history. 🔑Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

296: I’ve Been Hornswoggled! In our first Mailbag feature, Steven in Australia asks, “When did people start getting hornswoggled? Is it painful?” Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo have answers. 🎧Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

Bonus: Flipping the Bird What do geese and the British theater have to do with an angry driver’s go-to insult? 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

295: Loose as a Goose Is there anything particularly loose about a goose — or does that idiom exist only because it rhymes? Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo investigate the origins of an anserine expression. 🎧Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

Bonus: Whys and Wherefores “Why did you do it?” John McWhorter on the many ways that English-speakers ask ‘Why?’ 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

294: The Sound of a Car Backshifting John McWhorter on language change — from the meaning of wit to the pronunciation of automobile. Plus, a defense of redundancy! 🎧Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

Bonus: Going Dutch Does that other definition of ‘Dutch oven’ belong in the dictionary? We ask @stefanfatsis.bsky.social. Plus: In coining 'Dutch bargain,' someone had it in for the Dutch. 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #podcast

293: How Do Words Get into the Dictionary? @stefanfatsis.bsky.social, author of ‘Unabridged,' shares with Bob Garfield a little-known, rigorous process — that has no guarantee of success. 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #podcast @groveatlantic.bsky.social

292: Look It Up! The Story of the Dictionary ‘Unabridged’ author @StefanFatsis.bsky.social and Bob Garfield on lexicography and the heiress with history’s best collection of dictionaries. 🎧Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #podcast @groveatlantic.bsky.social

291: Open Season for Racists Like 'analog watch' and 'snail mail,' 'openly racist' is a retronym — John McWhorter and Mike Vuolo explain. 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

Bonus: Sleeping with the Fishes A mobster sleeps with the fishes. Does the phrase predate The Godfather? Could Homer hold a clue? Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo angle for answers. 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

290: Playing the Angles From St. John the Apostle to Miller’s Crossing grifter Bernie Bernbaum—and from fishing to geometry—Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield cast about for the origin of ‘angle.’ 🎧Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast #angle #angler

289: You Get the Gist During an appearance on The Gist with Mike Pesca, hosts Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discussed the curious backstory of, you guessed it, the word gist. 🎧Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #podcast #onlanguage #gist @milkepescs.bsky.social

Bonus: What Is a Blazer? Derek Guy (@dieworkwear.bsky.social) on the blazer, associated with prep schools and date nights. Where does the term originate? 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #podcast #derekguy #onlanguage #blazer #bonus

288: Derek Guy on the Language of Clothing The vocabulary of outerwear and dress as a form of social language with the menswear historian behind @dieworkwear.bsky.social. 🎧Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #podcast #onlanguage #derekguy #dieworkwearg

Bonus: Why We Don't Say "the" Ukraine John McWhorter on why, and a Slavic language few have heard of. Plus: what do you call two Slovenian blacksmiths? (It’s not Lovro and Oskar.) 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #podcast

287: McWhorter vs. McWhorter The world was shocked by a controversial article published by "John McWhorter." Here, he sets the record straight. 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast #johnmcwhorter

Thanks for another very entertaining and informative episode. Ad salute tuam bibo.

286: A Toast to Toast From a medieval recipe for Glazed Sops to the Ghostbusters franchise, Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo raise a glass to the unlikely journey of the word toast. 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #toast #nye #happynewyear #happy2026 #podcast

285: All the Rage Bait Oxford English Dictionary editor Fiona McPherson talks to host Mike Vuolo about the terms that caught her attention this year. 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #oed #woty #ragebait #aura #aurafarming #biohack #onlanguage #podcast

Bonus: From Onism to Perdickety John Koenig weighs in on a few of Mike Vuolo's obscure sorrows — what are yours? 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast #onism #perdickety #neologism #obscuresorrows

284: The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Author John Koenig talks about inventing words for those subtle emotions that hitherto had no name. 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #anemoia #obscuresorrows #dictionaryofobscuresorrows #onlanguage #podcast

6 7: Everything You Don't Know About the Word of the Year Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield join and The Gist’s Mike Pesca @milkepescs.bsky.social to talk #67 —from rapper Skrilla to the basketball court to #wordoftheyear. 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #podcast #lexiconvalley

Bonus: The Original Maverick The story of the word maverick has many versions. This one is true. 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast #maverick

283: Gobbledygook Explained Gobbledygook sounds like one of those words that somebody just made up — so is it? 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #gobbledygook #gobble #onlanguage #podcast

Bonus: The Fuss Over Nonplussed Are you nonplussed over the misuse of nonplussed? You're not the only one. 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast #nonplussed

The best and most entertaining language podcast.

Apparently I may be somewhat responsible for coining cringe comedy? Sorry and you’re welcome

Bonus: Laugh Till You Cringe When did we start calling it cringe comedy? Featuring the great tv critic Joy Press (@joypress.bsky.social)! 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast #cringecomedy

282: Gen Alpha Thinks You're Cringe Our parents were cringe-inducing, but we're just cringe. 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #cringe #podcast #onlanguage

Bonus: Ghost Town On the rise of ghosting: to haunt, to leave and to ignore. 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast #ghost

Bonus: Grate Beyond First we shredded ginger root and stale bread and then a harsh sound landed on the ear. When did we start grating on each other's nerves? 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

281: The Amazing Great Good is no longer good enough. 🎧 Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #great #onlanguage #podcast

As a follower of Lexicon Valley from its inception, I'm very happy to hear that we're going to be getting new episodes from both Bob+Mike and from John going forward.

Bonus: Is Unique Still One of a Kind? John McWhorter on the evolution of the word “unique” — from unparalleled to unusual. 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #unique #podcast

Bonus: In a Hot Minute John McWhorter takes the linguistic topic of 280: It’s Been a Minute to an unexpectedly bawdy place. 🔑 Unlock bonus episodes to listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #onlanguage #podcast

280: It’s Been a Minute Returning as the primary hosts of Lexicon Valley, Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield speak to John McWhorter about understatement and hyperbole in Black English. 🎧Listen: lexiconvalley.supportingcast.fm/listen/lexic... #lexiconvalley #itsbeenaminute #onlanguage #podcast