For the love of words. The hosts wax poetic about some of the more unique and compelling words in the English language, and those that aren’t yet.
TSP104 – Digging Words: CONSERVATISM – Trapped in amber. August 5, 2019 – The nature of conservatism is more complicated than current polarized thinking would suggest. From its political beginnings after the French Revolution to populist America and Britain, the impulse to remain true to inherited tradition is both a stabilizing force and one prone to ossification.
TSP097 – Digging Words: PORTMANTEAU – Two’s company. May 20, 2019 – Packing more into less is the basis for the creation of portmanteau words. From motel to hazmet to liger and beyond, these linguistically blended words, pro or con, have become part of our lexicon.
TSP092 – Digging Words: BUT – Au Contraire. April 15, 2019 – One of the unsung workhorses of the English language, the word ‘but’ is frequently overused. ‘But’, this seemingly insignificant three letter word packs a whole lot of punch.
TSP087 – Digging Words: SYMBIOSIS – You scratch my back… March 11, 2019 – From the simple notion of mutual dependence the idea of symbiosis has expanded to include a variety of relationship dynamics, that surrounds us at every turn. Running the gamut from parasitism to mutualism, symbiosis encompasses more than the obvious benevolence.
TSP082 – Digging Words: BRAGGADOCIO – Bigger, yet often smaller, than life. February 4, 2019 – First used in 1590, the word ‘Braggadocio’ has come to represent the epitome of human vanity. Our history and our modern world is replete with examples of this rarely used and archaic word.
TSP073 – Digging Words: AMBEDO – Deep diving in the shallows. December 3, 2018 – Human beings have created words for untranslatable experiences since the dawn of language. We explore a brand new word from an unusual new dictionary created by John Koenig.
TSP068 – Digging Words: RISIBLE – I amuse you, I make you laugh? October 29, 2018 – In unpacking the word RISIBLE, we discover the importance of humour in helping us deal with our day to day living and life in general. From health benefits to tech humour, the range of risibility is all encompassing.
TSP063 – Digging Words: ZEITGEIST – The air we breath. September 24, 2018 – How the zeitgeist informs our evolution. Pointing out the varying zeitgeists that underpin our recent history.
TSP059 – Digging Words: UBIQUITOUS – It’s everywhere. August 27, 2018 – Take a word, any word. There’s a world of meaning waiting to be mined. Join Peter and Harry as they dig their vocabulary shovels into the word ‘ubiquitous’.