129 Silent as the Grave
This week Shauna and Dan look at the history of "Silent as...", such as silent as the night and silent as the grave. Dan shares a creepy story, then m...
Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
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About
Welcome to our whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase. Each week, we delve into the origins of phrases to find out how they came into the English language. We tell the story of how the phrase got from its beginnings to where it is today. Shauna and Dan are two big nerds, so expect some geek culture references, random trivia facts, and loads of laughs!
128 King of the Jungle
Shauna and Dan explore why the lion is called the King of the Jungle when they don't live in jungles. Turns out, our view of what "jungle" means today...
127 Penny Dreadful
Dan is an uncultured swine and did not know what a Penny Dreadful was. Shauna educates him and explores the origins and alternative names to this popu...
126 Keeping Score
This week Shauna and Dan discuss the concepts of "Keeping Score". From its Old Norse roots to the sports and marriages of today. With appearances by p...
125 Brass Tacks
This week Shauna and Dan explore the numerous origin stories of the phrase get down to brass tacks. Does it come to use from rhyming slang or coffin n...
124 Words the Vikings Gave Us with Grace Tierney
This week Shauna and Dan talk with author Grace Tierney about her new book, Words the Vikings Gave Us. From Bluetooth to Narwhal, the Old Norse langua...
123 Apple of My Eye
This week Shauna and Dan talk about how the pupil is a hole in your eye, but is also sorta shaped like an apple. Kinda? Anyway, you can be the apple o...
122 Mind Your Ps and Qs
From bartenders to school children, clothing to dancing, typesetting to top quality, everyone and their dog has an idea about where this phrase comes ...
RETRO 29 Beat A Dead Horse
Dan is sick, so Shauna revisits an episode that originally aired in November 2018! Ever wonder who would anyone want to beat, or flog, a dead horse? ...
121 Plenty of Fish in the Sea
Apparently, there has been plenty of fish in the sea since the late 1500s... which seems weird for everyone except maybe Aquaman and the Incredible Mr...