We finally stopped beating around the bush and cut to the chase. This episode digs into the origins of the idioms we use every day — from biting the bullet and pulling yourself by your own bootstraps to being saved by the bell and ending up back at square one.

Along the way, we uncover the history behind deadlines, dead ringer, beyond the pale, and more. No wild goose chases here — just the whole nine yards on why these phrases stuck and how we still use them today.

This week, Bret and Josh ask the question every Gen X and Millennial has muttered under their breath since 2007: Why are we still working 9–5? They dig into how a schedule built for factories, steam engines, and men in suspenders somehow became the default for people with laptops, text messages, and carpool duty. It’s history, humor, and a gentle roast of the Industrial Revolution — and maybe the reminder that the world has changed… but our calendars haven’t caught up…and we still want to be able to take a daily nap.

This week, Bret and Josh break down the real story behind Thanksgiving — what actually happened, what absolutely didn’t, and why this holiday became the chaotic, heartwarming tradition we all know. From the myths we learned in school to the surprising history of turkey, parades, football, and family rituals, the guys unpack everything you should know about America’s favorite food-coma holiday.

It’s history, humor, and a reminder that even if the story isn’t perfect, the togetherness still is.

This week, Bret and Josh rewind to the magic of toy stores — the fluorescent glow, the smell of plastic and cardboard, the towering wall of GI Joes, the endless LEGO sets, and that childhood feeling that anything was possible if you had five bucks and time to roam the aisles.

Then they dig into the mystery of what really happened to Toys “R” Us. It wasn’t a lack of kids or toys — it was something far stranger and hidden beneath the surface. The guys break down the behind-the-scenes decisions that quietly drained the magic from Jeffrey’s kingdom.

And they close with the longing we all feel: that hope of finding a little bit of that toy-store wonder again, even if the aisles are gone.

This week, Bret and Josh crack open the surprising origins of the dad joke — the most groan-worthy, eye-roll-inducing, low-effort form of humor ever invented. From ancient puns and Shakespearean wordplay to the psychology of why dads become pun machines in midlife, the guys unpack how cheesy jokes became a love language for generations.

It’s equal parts history lesson, cultural anthropology, and classic TFMT foolishness — because sometimes a bad joke isn’t bad at all… it’s just how dads say “I love you.”

Remember when Saturday mornings meant a couch, a mixing bowl of cereal, and three solid hours of cartoons before your parents even woke up?

Bret and Josh dig into the mystery of where all that went — from government rules and ad crackdowns to the rise of streaming and on-demand everything. It’s part history, part nostalgia, and a reminder that sometimes the best lessons came from a cartoon rabbit in sneakers.

Josh is gearing up for a hunting trip, Bret just wrapped up 75 Hard, and somehow the conversation drifts into the death of MTV. From the glory days when music videos introduced us to every new band worth knowing, to the slow fade into The Real World and endless reality reruns, Bret and Josh unpack how a generation lost its soundtrack.

It’s part nostalgia, part midlife update, and all classic TFMT — a mix of real life, ridiculous tangents, and a shared wish that MTV would just play one more music video.

NOTE: we had to cut off the ending of the podcast, no wrap music until we change the song. Working on that.

Josh is gearing up for a hunting trip, Bret just wrapped up 75 Hard, and somehow the conversation drifts into the death of MTV. From the glory days when music videos introduced us to every new band worth knowing, to the slow fade into The Real World and endless reality reruns, Bret and Josh unpack how a generation lost its soundtrack.

It’s part nostalgia, part midlife update, and all classic TFMT — a mix of real life, ridiculous tangents, and a shared wish that MTV would just play one more music video.

NOTE: we had to cut off the ending of the podcast, no wrap music until we change the song. Working on that.