Episodes

  • Low-Budget Salmonella Puppet Show, Pt. 2
    Feb 23 2021

    It's part two of our very special live episode, and we finally get around to the conversation that makes the title make sense! Will continues his crusade to mispronounce words in other languages, and Brenna just gets mad about random things, as per usual.

    Written and recorded by William Phelps & Brenna Crotty

    Music and sound editing by Wes Price

    Art by Evan Graff (@ejgraffics)

    Words
    Iktsuarpok
    Greng-jai
    Hello
    Ahoy
    Spinster
    Spinne
    Backpfeifengesicht

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    19 mins
  • Low-Budget Salmonella Puppet Show, Pt. 1
    Feb 2 2021

    We got to record in the same place for once! It was delightful and led to enough material for a two-parter, which is how you know you've made it in podcasting. Will talks about names for concepts that English does not yet have words for, like forgetting someone's name right after being introduced or when you accidentally eat way past the feeling of fullness (you'd think American would have come up with a word for that by now). Brenna talks about bigots and how it's basically the same as calling someone a "goddamn."

    Written and recorded by William Phelps & Brenna Crotty

    Music and sound editing by Wes Price

    Art by Evan Graff (@ejgraffics)

    Words
    Bigot
    Beguine
    Shemomedjamo
    Boycott
    Tartle

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    24 mins
  • Anxiety Bacon
    Jan 19 2021

    This episode we play a game called"Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc," where Brenna has to come up with definitions for words that Will did or did not definitely make up or crib from the internet. It goes about as well as you expect.

    Written and recorded by William Phelps & Brenna Crotty

    Music and sound editing by Wes Price

    Art by Evan Graff (@ejgraffics)

    Words
    Bricoleur /ˌbrikəˈlər/
    Chafe /CHāf/
    Chauffeur /SHōˈfər/
    Sonder /sän-dər/
    Kummerspeck /koom-uh-shpek/
    Opia /ō-pē-ə/
    Monachopsis /MON-a-COP-sis/
    Scientist /ˈsī-ən-tist/
    Énouement /ˌā-ˌnü-ˈmäⁿ/
    Ennui /ˌän-ˈwē/
    Snake Oil /ˈsnāk ˈȯi(-ə)l/
    Mauerbauertraurigkeit



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    21 mins
  • You're Saying It Wrong, But That's Okay
    Jan 4 2021

    Look, we're not normally good at pronouncing new words on the best of days, but "eccedentesiast" is just an exercise in cruelty. Also, if you've ever wondered if "eggnog" is related to "noggin," well, you've got a weird brain, and we're here to give you the answers you crave.

    Written and recorded by William Phelps & Brenna Crotty

    Music and sound editing by Wes Price

    Art by Evan Graff (@ejgraffics)

    Eccedentesiast
    Prefix 'be-'
    Saudade /sawˈ-ða-ðɪ/
    Sehnsucht ˈzeːnˌzʊxt
    Zugunruhe /ˈtsuːk:ʊnʁuːə/
    Meliorism /ˈmēl:yə:ri:zəm/
    Flagrant /ˈflāɡ-rənt/
    Novaturient /ˈnoʊv-ə-CHər-ēˌənt/
    Noggin /ˈnɑɡ-ɨn/
    Erlebnis /ʔɛɐ̯ˈ-leːb-nɪs/
    Slubberdegullion  /ˈslə-bə(r)-də̇ˌ-gəl-yən/
    Hobbledehoy /ˈhä-bəl-di-ˌhȯi/
    Masturbation /ˌma-stər-ˈbā-shən/

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    23 mins
  • Please Don't Eat Daddy's Beard
    Dec 22 2020

    With apologies to the French and with love to the late, great Terry Pratchett.

    Written and recorded by William Phelps & Brenna Crotty

    Music and sound editing by Wes Price

    Art by Evan Graff (@ejgraffics)

    Words
    Finagle \ fə-ˈnā-gəl \
    Austria \ ˈȯ-strē-ə \
    Australia \ ȯ-ˈstrāl-yə \
    Jury-rig \ ˈju̇r-ē-ˌrig  \
    Asia \ˈā-zhə \
    Orient \ ˈȯr-ē-ˌent \
    On the Fly \ ˈȯn  t͟hə ˈflī \
    Wing It \ ˈwiŋ ˈit \
    Break a Leg \ ˈbrāk ˈā ˈleg \
    Autopsy \ ˈȯ-ˌtäp-sē \
    Postmortem \ ˌpōs(t)-ˈmȯr-təm \
    Persiflage \ ˈpər-si-ˌfläzh \
    Barbe à Papa ???

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    21 mins
  • Of Soberstones and Dogcopters
    Dec 8 2020

    Lots of weird language happening in this one! We dive into igpay atinlay, learn about the most sober of gemstones, talk about the shady behavior of frogs, and explore the concept of fantasy Swedish wolves! It's really honestly very coherent.

    Written and recorded by William Phelps & Brenna Crotty

    Music and sound editing by Wes Price

    Art by Evan Graff (@ejgraffics)

    Words
    Lily-Livered \ˈli-lē-ˈli-vərd \
    Amethyst \ ˈa-mə-thəst \
    Pig Latin \ ˈpig  ˈla-tᵊn \
    Ambidextrous \ ˌam-bi-ˈdek-strəs \
    Amphibious \ am-ˈfi-bē-əs \
    Ashore \  ə-ˈshȯr \ 
    Helicopter  \ ˈhe-lə-ˌkäp-tər \
    Claptrap \ ˈklap-ˌtrap \
    Wolf \ ˈwu̇lf \
    Warg \ˈwɑrg\
    Artesian \ (ˈ)är-¦tē-zhən \

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    21 mins
  • Fauxpocrypha
    Nov 24 2020

    False friends? Not us! We talk about etymological concepts such as false friends, faulty separation, and evolved usage. Will talks about a bunch of words based purely on mouth feel, like a sesquipedalian Charles Boyle. We also do a LOT of off-the-cuff research in the middle of the episode and discover some exciting things about the word "genial."

    Written and recorded by William Phelps & Brenna Crotty

    Music and sound editing by Wes Price

    Art by Evan Graff (@ejgraffics)

    Words
    Indubitable \(ˌ)in-ˈdü-bə-tə-bəl\
    Nickname \'nik-ˌnām\
    Compendious \ kəm-ˈpen-dē-əs\
    Daunting \ˈdȯn-tiŋ\
    Abysmal \ ə-ˈbiz-məl\
    Chauvinist \ˈshō-və-ˌnist\
    Ace \ ˈās\
    Genial \ ˈjēn-yəl\
    Embarrass \im-ˈber-əs\
    Raconteur \ˌra-ˌkän-ˈtər\
    Apocryphal \ ə-ˈpä-krə-fəl\

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    22 mins
  • The Mustache Ride of Sauron
    Nov 10 2020

    This week we're coming at you with our most sober and professional takes on taboo words. We address words like cunt, penis, cervix, cunnilingus, shame-hair, licktwat, and more with an absolute minimum of snickering and stupid jokes.

    Strong disclaimer for language (gender-based pejoratives) and for utterly ridiculous Tolkien sex jokes.

    Written and recorded by William Phelps & Brenna Crotty

    Music and sound editing by Wes Price

    Art by Evan Graff (@ejgraffics)

    Words
    Cunt /ˈkənt/
    Pudenda /pyu̇-​ˈden-​də/
    Cunnilingus /ˌkə-ni-ˈliŋ-gəs/
    Glans /ˈglanz/
    Penis / ˈpē-nəs/
    Seminal /ˈse-mə-nᵊl/
    Cervix /ˈsər-viks/
    Fellatrix /fe-ˈlā-triks/

    Non-English Words I Can't Pronounce
    Liefdesgrot
    Vleesroos
    De Befborstel
    Die Schamhaare

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    31 mins