Sinopsis
A whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase. Each week, writers Shauna Harrison and Dan Pugh explore the origins and stories behind phrases found in the English language. Along the way, they laugh, geek out, and generally have a good time. Great for anyone likes to have fun with words. Remember, words belong to their users!
Episodios
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271 Public Enemy Number One
26/03/2025 Duración: 35minThis week is a wild ride as Shauna and Dan explore the phrase Public Enemy No 1. Bonus: Poetic lyrical sons, Al Capone, and that time President Lincoln was taken hostage by... John Dillinger? Told you it would be a wild ride. Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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270 Bite My Head Off
19/03/2025 Duración: 25minThis week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, Bite My Head Off. Which feels better than the earlier version of this phrase. Bonus: Grump Valentines, Chocolate Bunnies, and Praying Mantises all the way down Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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269 Fork in the Road
12/03/2025 Duración: 33minThis week Shauna and Dan discuss the fork in the road. Not ours, mind you. But someone's fork. Probably. Bonus: Religious parables, Yogi Berra, and Misremembering poems Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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RETRO 102 Beware the Ides of March
05/03/2025 Duración: 30minRETRO Episode: What are Ides? Why should we Beware the Ides of March? Should we beware the Ides of other months? Do other months even have Ides? Bonus: Calends, Nones, and Caesars Copyright 2025 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved
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268 Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
26/02/2025 Duración: 32minThis week Shauna and Dan wait for the other shoe to drop. Dan gets really excited to hear the rather basic origins of this phrase. Bonus: Boarding houses, Bob Cross, and park benches Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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267 Rack My Brain
19/02/2025 Duración: 32minThis week Shauna and Dan rack their brains to think of good phrases to explore. Okay, that was a bad joke. But rack my brain is a fun episode. Trust us. Bonus: Beatles, Rebuses, and rack vs wrack Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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266 Throw in the Towel
12/02/2025 Duración: 28minThis week Shauna and Dan throw in the towel. Well, not really. Though Shauna did note we should have saved this phrase for our last episode. Alas. Bonus: Entrepreneurs, rich hillbillies, and so many boxing movies Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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265 Stick to Your Ribs
05/02/2025 Duración: 32minThis week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, Stick to Your Ribs. Bonus: Visits from series regulars John Ray, Edmund Burke, and Louise Pound, plus our favorite stick to your ribs books. Also, mac-daddi-roni! Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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264 Jump Through Hoops
29/01/2025 Duración: 29minThis week Shauna and Dan try to track down the figurative use of Jump Through Hoops, since people have literally been jumping through hoops since hoops were invented. Bonus: Shauna's hoops, bill paying in the 90s, and how your hosts brains work Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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263 Canary in a Coal Mine
22/01/2025 Duración: 33minThis week Shauna and Dan find out why there were canaries in coal mines, giving us this common phrase. Bonus: Anthropomorphic birds, the black lung, and that time in the late 80s when we solved a climate crisis through international cooperation Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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262 The Lions Share
15/01/2025 Duración: 28minThis week Shauna and Dan take The Lion's Share. Apparently, this concept has been around since before English. (Shauna says Aesop didn't speak English. Citation Needed.) Bonus: Cheese mongers, pumpkin pies, and Walter with a banana joke Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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261 Cut the Mustard
08/01/2025 Duración: 31minThis week Shauna and Dan look into the phrase "Cut the Mustard". Does this originate with the yellow mustard stuff, or perhaps from a mishearing of a military term? Bonus: Old political parties, bad internet habits, and a silly commercial from the 1980s Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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260 New Lease on Life
01/01/2025 Duración: 29minThis week Shauna and Dan get a new lease on life. Well, they look into the phrase, anyway. Bonus: Rhyming poems, sad commercials, and a hoarders dream come true! Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
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259 Words Christmas Gave Us with Grace Tierney
18/12/2024 Duración: 31minThis week Shauna and Dan are joined by 'Words Christmas Gave Us' author Grace Tierney to talk about Christmas, Boxing Day (St. Stephens Day if you are in Ireland - Do NOT make that mistake), and fun holiday traditions. Happy holidays from all of us at Bunny Trails! Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
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258 Christmas Spirit
11/12/2024 Duración: 30minIt's that time of year! Shauna and Dan deep dive into the holiday phrase, Christmas Spirit. The feeling, not the ghosts. Bonus: Curmudgeonly old men, spirits pitching the Christmas spirit, and the great bagel vs donut debate. Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
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257 Third Time's the Charm
04/12/2024 Duración: 31minThis week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, "Third Time's the Charm". Dan finally connects the dots on some similar phrases, too. Bonus: Existential dread, sandwich annihilation, and quilt-making in a weekend. Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
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256 Riding the Gravy Train
27/11/2024 Duración: 31minThis week Shauna and Dan call all aboard on the Gravy Train. Bonus: Dubious origins, bad maths, Pink Floyd, and poutine. Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
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255 Light Years Ahead
20/11/2024 Duración: 29minThis week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase Light Years Ahead. Bonus: Science terms, surprise parties, and how to live your best life - through organizational development. Probably. Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
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254 Hindsight is 2020
13/11/2024 Duración: 31minThis week Shauna and Dan look back into the past to discover the origins of the phrase, Hindsight is 20/20. Bonus: Snellen Charts, Astronauts, and the Red Green Nation Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved
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253 Clear the Air
06/11/2024 Duración: 31minThis week Shauna and Dan look into the phrase, 'Clear the Air' in both its literal and figurative forms. Bonus: Winds of truth, Dan's brilliance, and the little lies we tell Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved