An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents
81 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsDo you take great pleasure out of using large and obscure words that no one understands? Perhaps you enjoy peppering a strange adjective into a work email, or finding a new verb to pursue as a hobby? Or perhaps you’re a seasoned logophile such as myself. Well, this is surely the podcast for you.
An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents brings together all the world’s most interesting, bizarre, and fascinating language to teach you a new word every day.
On Monday, we discuss interesting insults - brand new ways to disparage those who taunt you. On Tuesdays, it’s Konichiwa, bonjour, and hola to words that are not from our native English language. On wild card Wednesdays, you’ll be presented with something odd and strange, unlikely to be a word you’ve ever heard before, and Thursdays we turn to plants and animals for linguistic inspiration. Finally, Fridays find philias and phobias - all your favourite obsessions and worst fears.
Itching for more auditory pleasure? We know you are! Search An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents on any good podcatcher to find more, and learn something new today! Or find us at thatsnotcanon.com to learn more. We can’t wait to explore the wonderful world of words with you!
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Episodes
Narwhal
January 18, 2021 19:00 - 4 minutes - 5.45 MBAhoy, my sea whisperers, and welcome back! Today we go to the depths of the Arctic seas, to explore a creature both mystical and beautiful - sometimes referred to as the sea unicorn, today’s word is: narwhal. A narwhal is a type of whale found in Canadian Arctic, Greenlandian, and Russian waters, that is distinctive due to the tusk that protrudes from its head. It is, in fact, a canine tooth that projects from the left side of the upper jaw, through the lip, and forms a left-handed helix sp...
Anthropophilia
January 13, 2021 19:00 - 4 minutes - 5.45 MBGood day to you, sparkling people of the word, and welcome back! Today’s word is for my social butterflies, my people persons, and my extroverts. Don’t worry my darling, introverts, you can listen to this one too, but today’s word might not be one you associate with, as today’s word is: anthropophilia. Anthropophilia is a biological word which means ‘to prefer human beings over animals.’ More specifically, it can refer to a parasite or dermatophyte preferring humans over animals, such as mo...
Impignorate
January 13, 2021 14:00 - 4 minutes - 5.49 MBHello my little lambs, and thanks for being with me once again! Today I ask you to dig out your valuables, take down those old paintings, and find that weird tchotchke Nanna gave you for your sixteenth birthday, because who knows? It might be worth something. We may just find out as we explore today’s word: impignorate. Impignorate is a word meaning ‘to pawn or mortgage something’ and comes from the Latin ‘pignoration’, which is from ‘pignoratio’ from ‘pignerate’ meaning ‘to pledge’. For ex...
Treppenwitz
January 11, 2021 19:00 - 4 minutes - 5.47 MBServus, my lovely literary loves, and thank you for listening in once again! You may have guessed by European greeting, that we are once again heading to the wonderful land of Germany, to explore today’s nifty word: treppenwitz. Treppenwitz is a German word meaning ‘a clever remark that comes to mind when it’s too late to say it’. You might, for example, be lying in bed one night, when the rap battle of the previous day drifts to mind, and you experience treppenwitz, as you suddenly think o...
Mumpsimus
January 06, 2021 19:00 - 5 minutes - 6.56 MBSalutations, you beautiful thing, you, and thank you for joining me once again. No, I’m not sick, and it’s not the mumps. In fact, cast the viral infection that affects the salivary glands, easily preventable by vaccination FAR from your mind, as we explore today’s word: mumpsimus. ‘Mumpsimus’ is a word to describe ‘a stubborn person who insists on making an error in spite of being shown that it is wrong’. Okay, bring the mumps back into your mind as I provide you with this example: you mig...
Yellow
January 04, 2021 19:00 - 5 minutes - 6.47 MBA warm and sunshiney day to you, dear listener, and thank you for joining me once again! Today, we’re thinking sunflowers, we’re thinking lemons, we’re thinking rubber ducks, taxis and bananas! Have you guess it? Today’s word is: yellow. Believe it or not, the word for the colour yellow has a long and tangled evolution. Hope you’re wearing your best yellow boots, because here comes the etymology of ‘yellow’: from Middle English ‘yelwe’ or ‘yelou’, from Old English ‘ġeolwe’, which is an obli...
Avocado
December 30, 2020 19:00 - 5 minutes - 6.48 MBHola my little prickly pears! Thank you for joining me as we take a trip to Mexico to explore one of the world’s favourite fruits and today’s word: . I’m sure you’re familiar - avocado is a fruit with a soft, squishy centre, often mushed to make guacamole or spread on toast with a smattering of feta and offered for an increasingly high price by small cafe owners. The word ‘avocado’ is from the Spanish ‘aguacate’, which in turn comes from the Nahuatl word ‘āhuacatl’. This Nahuatl word could...
Macrosmatic
December 28, 2020 19:00 - 5 minutes - 6.42 MBGood day to you, my sweet smelling flowers of language! Today we journey to the centre of your very face, to the nose! To explore today’s word: macrosmatic. ‘Macrosmatic’ is a word meaning ‘to have a good sense of smell.’ You know that one person who goes, ‘Has Terrence been over lately? I swear I can smell his eau de cologne’, when in fact Terrence hasn’t been over in at least five weeks. Creepy. ‘Macrosmatic’ is made up of ‘macro’ meaning ‘large or long’ and ‘osmatic’ meaning ‘relating ...
Constellate
December 23, 2020 19:00 - 5 minutes - 6.49 MBHello hello my shining stars! And thank you for joining me this glowing day and/or night. Today, we are shooting for the stars, aiming for the moon, and flying high in the sky as we look at today’s word: constellate. ‘Constellate’, though related to the word ‘constellation’ does not necessarily relate to astronomy, but means ‘to combine as a cluster’. It comes from the Latin ‘constellatus’ meaning ‘starred’, ‘Constellate can also mean ‘to shine with united radiance, or one general light’. N...
Lickspittle
December 21, 2020 19:00 - 5 minutes - 6.46 MBA wonderful welcome to you, language lovers, and thank you for joining me today! Today we explore a kind of person, and we have all met one of these - I’m sure you know the type. Annoying, grating, the kind that makes you want to roll your eyes at the nature of the situations they seem to put themselves into. I trust of course, dear listener, that today’s word does not apply to you! Today’s word is: lickspittle. A lickspittle is described as ‘a fawning subordinate; a suck-up’. The kind of p...
Somniphobia
December 14, 2020 19:00 - 5 minutes - 6.46 MBGood day to you, or should I say good evening to you, my little literary dreamers. Get your coziest pyjamas on, your bunny slippers, your favourite teddy bear and take a deep breath, as we prepare to take on today’s word: somniphobia. ‘Somniphobia’ is the fear of going to bed, or extreme anxiety with the thought of sleeping or falling asleep. It is also known as hypnophobia, clinophobia, sleep anxiety, or sleep dread. It can be related to a fear of the unknown, concern with a ‘lack of contr...
Sloth
December 09, 2020 19:00 - 5 minutes - 6.49 MBGoooooooooooood daaaaaaaaaaaaay to youuuuuuuuu, listeneeeeeeerrrrrr and thaaaaaank you for joining usssssssss today. You might think I’m speaking rather oddly, or even slowly today, dear listener, and you would be right, as I have been inspired by today’s word: sloth. The ‘sloth’ is a type of mammal noted for their slow movement, who live in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. They spend most of their lives hanging upside down in trees, and are closely related to anteater...
Cantastoria
December 07, 2020 19:00 - 5 minutes - 6.52 MBCiao ciao, my bellas! I hope you’re ready for some pizza and pasta, for today we journey to Italy, to explore the word: cantastoria. ‘Cantastoria’ is an Italian word which is a ‘theatrical form where a performer tells or sings a story while gesturing to a series of images. These images can be painted, printed or drawn on any sort of material.’ The word comes from the Italian for ‘story-singer’; ‘canta’ meaning ‘to sing’ and ‘history or story’. ‘Cantare’ comes from the Latin ‘canō’ meaning, ...
Cantastoria
December 02, 2020 19:00 - 5 minutes - 6.4 MBCiao ciao, my bellas! I hope you’re ready for some pizza and pasta, for today we journey to Italy, to explore the word: cantastoria. ‘Cantastoria’ is an Italian word which is a ‘theatrical form where a performer tells or sings a story while gesturing to a series of images. These images can be painted, printed or drawn on any sort of material.’ The word comes from the Italian for ‘story-singer’; ‘canta’ meaning ‘to sing’ and ‘history or story’. ‘Cantare’ comes from the Latin ‘canō’ meaning, ...
Cockalorum
November 30, 2020 19:00 - 5 minutes - 6.39 MBA bright and wonderful day to you, my little chickens! Take a trip to the farm with us today, down on the ol’ homestead, as we discuss today’s word: cockalorum. Cockalorum is a word meaning ‘a boastful and self-important person; a strutting little fellow’. For example, one might say, ‘Look at that cockalorum, eating all the cheese as if he had paid for it himself!’. The origin is not confirmed - it likely comes from the English word ‘cock’ meaning ‘rooster’, with -a- and Latin -lorum suffix...
Pandamonium
August 06, 2020 20:28 - 4 minutes - 5.53 MBHowdy hey there, partner! Get on down and welcome to An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents! Now did that greeting seem a little odd? Perhaps even crazy? Good! That is precisely what I was going for, as I explain today’s word: pandemonium. The most common usage of pandemonium is the definition stating ‘chaos; tumultuous or lawless violence’, or even ‘an outburst; loud, riotous uproar, especially that of a crowd.’ However, the archaic, and slightly more fantastical meaning i...
Mantis
August 05, 2020 20:22 - 4 minutes - 5.52 MBGood day to you, humble friend, and a kind and calm welcome to today’s journey to An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquests. Straighten that posture, get into position, and get ready to pray, because today’s word is: mantis. Mantises, or ‘praying mantises’ as they are more commonly known, are an order of insects distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks, and may or may not have wings. All ...
Hylozoism
August 04, 2020 19:22 - 4 minutes - 5.55 MBWelcome welcome, kind friends! And thank you for joining me for today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today we are getting a little scientific, and a little philosophical, so strap yourselves in and prepare to think hard as we discuss today’s word: hylozoism. Hylozoism is ‘the doctrine that all matter has life’ or ‘any system that views all matter as alive, either in itself or by participation in the operation of a world soul or some similar principle.’...
Waldeinsamkeit
August 02, 2020 20:22 - 4 minutes - 5.53 MBWie geht’s Jungs! Or, how’s it going guys? And welcome to another round of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today, we’re going on a trip to the woods, to connect with nature and become one with ourselves, et cetera, et cetera. Join us, for today’s word is: Waldeinsamkeit. Waldeinsamkeit is a German word meaning ‘the feeling of solitude in the woods’. It is made of the German words ‘wald’ meaning ‘forest’ and ‘einsamkeit’ meaning’ loneliness; thus, ‘forest-loneliness’...
Onism
August 02, 2020 20:20 - 4 minutes - 5.58 MBA good day to you, fellow literary lover, and welcome to today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. We are going to get a little existential here today, so strap yourselves in and prepare for today’s word: onism. ‘Onism’ is a rather complex, created word meaning ‘the frustration of being stuck in just one body, that inhabits only one place at a time, which is like standing in front of the departures screen at an airport, flickering over with strange place na...
Foppotee
July 30, 2020 19:38 - 4 minutes - 6.06 MBWhy hello there, sumptuous syntax suitors, and welcome to another jolly episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. I must advise you, kind listener, to not use today’s word in polite society, and I hope that indeed you shan’t have any use for it, as today’s word is: foppotee. Foppotee is a word from the 1600s meaning ‘simpleton’. A common example is ‘What a pitiful foppotee he was, always oblivious to our jeers!’ The word has fallen out of popularity, and its origin...
Hagiomania
July 29, 2020 19:36 - 4 minutes - 6.02 MBA blessed day, word whisperers, and welcome to another installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today, praise be, we look at a word that you might say is ‘holier than thou’, for today’s word is: hagiomania. Hagiomania is the obsession with saints and sainthood. ‘Hagio’ means ‘saint’, from the Ancient Greek ‘hágios’ meaning ‘holy or saintly’, paired of course with the familiar ‘mania’ meaning ‘compulsion or obsession’. The word ‘saint’ itself means ‘a person wh...
Serendipity
July 28, 2020 19:27 - 4 minutes - 6.06 MBA most pleasant day to you today, my word worms! Welcome to another joyous episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Now to examine today’s word, we need to first get something out of the way. ‘Serendipity’ is the seminal classic 2001 film starring Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack, which follows the romance between a New Yorker and a British woman as they let fate determine if they are meant to be together. Years later, they hope that destiny reunites them. Today, ho...
Spatchcock
July 27, 2020 19:25 - 4 minutes - 6.02 MBA hearty good day to you, fellow examiners of English, and welcome to another installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today’s episode is for the chefs out there, particularly those who like to prepare a traditional meal, but with a bit of a twist. Today’s word is: spatchcock. If you happen to have seen season 5 episode 8 of the seminal classic animated television series Bob’s Burgers, you might be familiar with this word, as it is something our titular charac...
Genre
July 26, 2020 19:22 - 4 minutes - 6.03 MBA happy, happy day to you, wholesome listener, and a warm welcome to this episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today’s word brings back fond memories for me, of a speech I once gave with a friend in primary school. My dear friend could not pronounce today’s word, and I, the mighty seven year old that I was, took it upon myself to correct her each time. It seems that my love of words began at a young age, dear listener. I digress. Today’s word, pronounceable or ...
Rubatosis
July 23, 2020 19:10 - 4 minutes - 4.41 MBA wonderful day to you, lovely listener, and a warm welcome to this installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloqents. Buh boom, buh boom - can you hear that, dear friends? If you can, today’s word might just apply to you, because today’s word is: rubatosis. Rubatosis is word meaning ‘the unsettling awareness of your own heartbeat, whose tenuous muscular throbbing feels less like a metronome than a nervous ditty your heart is tapping to itself, the kind that people compu...
Wombat
July 22, 2020 19:07 - 4 minutes - 4.44 MBG’day mates! Good on ya for joinin us for another bonza ep of An Assemblage of Granidose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Dear listener, I promise that that is as colloquially a greeting as you will ever receive - and it is warranted, for today, we are headed down under to the wild and wonderous Australia for today’s word: wombat. Cheery listener, if you have never seen a wombat, I implore you to stop what you are doing and get to googling (please park your vehicle as necessary before proceedi...
Whiskey
July 21, 2020 19:05 - 4 minutes - 4.36 MBDia duit, or hello to you, wonderful listeners, and welcome to another episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. For those of you are unsure, that there greeting came from the Gaelic language, which just so happens to be the origin of today’s word: whiskey. Whiskey! I’m going to guess most of you are familiar with this word, but for those that aren’t, whiskey is a liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain, such as rye, corn, or barley. It is a drink that is...
Sottisier
July 20, 2020 19:03 - 4 minutes - 4.36 MBHowdy hi hello to you, my heroic heartbreakers! Thank you for joining me for another installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandilouquents! If you have a particularly witty friend, a habit of watching comedy specials, or you really enjoy this podcast, today’s word might serve as useful to you, for today’s word is: sottisier. Sottisier is ‘a collection of jokes or stupid comments’. You might say, for example, ‘Enough with that sottisier, Timothy, you must go upstairs and fi...
Vellichor
July 19, 2020 19:42 - 4 minutes - 4.37 MBGood day to you all, bodacious bookworms! Welcome to this episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Today we are examining what is referred to as a ‘made up word’, and I know what you might be thinking, ‘well, aren’t all words made up?’ and though in a way you are correct, cheery listener, some words have evolved from many centuries over time, and passed through several languages before becoming the established word we know today. Other words are simply made up, cre...
Allodoxaphobia
July 16, 2020 19:14 - 5 minutes - 5.58 MBWelcome linguistophiles! Today I have a tale to tell you about the word “Allodoxaphobia”. Allodoxaphobia is an extremely rare phobia; that is, the phobia of the opinions of other people. The phobia is believed to be associated with previous encounters wherein the person affected has not been able to properly express themselves, or has been mocked for their opinion. It is most obvious in social situations when the Allodoxaphobic refuses to involve themselves in discussions or shows a fear of...
Dodo
July 15, 2020 19:12 - 4 minutes - 4.44 MBGreetings Word-Friends! I have a treat for you today, one of the most famous animals of all time, indeed, so famous that it’s name is synonymous with the concept of death and indeed, total extinction. My friends, I present to you the Dodo. The dodo’s scientific name is Raphus cucullatus and was a flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius. Now that, my friends is an island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Taxonomically the dodo is related to the pigeon, and since the...
Habromania
July 14, 2020 19:10 - 4 minutes - 4.45 MBGreetings all of you verbiage affectionados! The word we are examining today is a very pleasant word. Both to hear, and to say, and, by definition to experience for oneself. Or perhaps, it would paradoxically be more correct to say - suffer for oneself. Today we are talking about ‘habromania’, the simple definition of which is “a form of delusional insanity in which the imaginings assume a cheerful or joyous character”. Now, this is a very old word that is not often used today but, to my kn...
Gigil
July 13, 2020 19:53 - 4 minutes - 4.4 MBGreetings word-fiends! Today we tackle one of the famous impossible to translate words! A word famous for having no English counterpart, who’s very essence is beyond the tongue of an Englishman. We are talking about the word ‘gigil’ that originates from the Filipino language in the Philippines. The Constitution of the Philippines states that the nation has two official languages, both English and Filipino. However Tagalog deserves a mention and this tongue is the basis of the Filipino langu...
Meacock
July 12, 2020 19:51 - 4 minutes - 4.42 MBGreetings you wonderful logophiles! Today once more we are delving into that all-too trusty and all-too deep well of insults! I am sure we are all aware of at least one character, either real or fictional, that just does not seem to have the will or the constitution to stand up for what they want. That will let others dance all over them, as they serve their master. Some toxic-masculine types might call these types ‘betas’, others might refer to them as ‘whipped’, but today we shall all refe...
Narratophilia
July 09, 2020 19:48 - 4 minutes - 4.45 MBGreetings fellow bookworms! Today we explore a topic close to all of our hearts, language. And not just any language, today we are talking about obscene language. More specifically we are talking about the people who enjoy such language in intimate settings. We are talking about ‘narratophilia’ Narratophilia is a sexual fetish, in which the telling of dirty and obscene words or stories to a partner is sexually arousing. The term is also used for arousal by means of listening to obscene word...
Wobbegong
July 08, 2020 19:45 - 4 minutes - 4.39 MBHello again linguisticians! Let us all pause for a moment to consider the wondrous shape of the word we shall be exploring today, Wobbegong. Isn’t it just delightful? The Wobbegong refers to any of a number of species of Australian shark, a carpet shark specifically. The name can refer to any of eight species of bottom-dwelling carpet sharks in the Orectolobidae family, distinguished by their small vegetation-like flaps of skin around their mouth. Wobbegongs are generally not considered da...
Sternutator
July 07, 2020 19:42 - 4 minutes - 4.41 MBGreetings Gammarians! Today we are examining the hilarious, sometimes pleasurable and every-so-often deadly, bodily function: sneezing. Now, the word ‘sneeze’ can wait until another day. Today we are talking about the cause of sneezing - ‘sternutators’. This noun can refer to any substance that causes sneezing, coughing, and tears. This word descends from the Latin sternūtātōrius, from sternuō (“sneeze”). The root ‘sternutation’, also Latin, is a descendant of the verb sternuere, meaning "t...
Poronkusema
July 06, 2020 19:40 - 4 minutes - 4.37 MBHello linguisticarians! Today we focus on the most Finnish form of measurement we could find, ‘poronkusema’. In as far as a definition it means a distance of about 5 to 7 kilometres, the distance equal to how far a reindeer can travel without a ‘comfort break’. ‘Poronkusema’ literally means ‘reindeer’s urine’. Finland is the land of a thousand lakes and the midnight sun. Its dense forests, fertile mires and pristine lakes, and traditional lifestyles, have shaped the linguistic landscape of ...
Minacious
July 05, 2020 19:35 - 4 minutes - 4.31 MBHello again word-wonderers! In this episode we explore the darker and more ominous side of language, as we examine the word ‘minacious’. ‘Minacious’ is used to describe something that is menacing or threatening. An example in context is “The shuttle traders asked the government to legalize and regulate their vanishing trade and thus to save them from avaricious and minacious customs officials.” First recorded in the 1650s, ‘minacious’ stems from the Latin ‘minaci-’, itself a stem of ‘minax...
Ablutophobia
July 02, 2020 19:23 - 4 minutes - 4.32 MBSalutations, rambunctious readers! It’s time for another round of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Put away the spray and wipe, the mop and the broom, because today’s word is: ablutophobia. Ablutophobia is a word for the persistent fear of cleaning, washing or bathing. It occurs most frequently in children and women than men, but is not a very common phobia. The word comes from the Latin ‘abluere’ where ‘ab’ means ‘away’ and ‘luere’ meanings ‘wash’, paired of course ...
Platypus
July 01, 2020 19:20 - 4 minutes - 4.31 MBHowdy hi there, my sunshiney scholars! Thank you for joining me for another chapter of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. On today’s episode we’re heading down under to Australia, but forget your koalas and kangaroos; today’s word is: platypus. The platypus, sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus is a semiaquatic egg-laying mammal native to easter Australia, including the island Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative of its family and genus...
Misogamy
June 30, 2020 19:17 - 4 minutes - 4.31 MBGood day to you, kind linguists, and welcome to another round of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Now - some of you may identify with today’s word, and others will not. But I ask you to strap yourselves in, and join with me as we examine today’s word: misogamy. ‘Misogamy’, simply put, is the hatred of marriage. It’s a word from the 1650s, from the Modern Latin ‘misogamia’, which in turn is from the Greek ‘misogamos’ meaning ‘hating marriage’. If we delve further into...
Pana Po’o
June 29, 2020 19:14 - 4 minutes - 4.31 MBE kuʻu hoaloha! And welcome to today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents! Today we are headed to beautiful, tropical Hawaii, so get out your best swimsuits and your surfboard, because today’s word is: Pana Po’o. Pana Po’o is a word that means ‘to scratch your head in order to help you remember something you’ve forgotten’. For example, you might have misplaced your hairbrush, and as you are searching for it, you might ‘pana po’o’, or scratch your head as you ...
Backpfeifengesicht
June 28, 2020 19:12 - 4 minutes - 4.35 MBSeid gegrüßt, delightful and dedicated listerns, and welcome to another round of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. Once again we are headed to the land of bratwurst and hamburgers, as we examine today’s rather pointed word: backpfeifengesicht. Backpfeifengesicht is a word meaning ‘a face badly in need of a fist’, or ‘a face that is slappable’. Pretty self explanatory, I should think. It is from the German ‘backpfeife’ meaning ‘slap in the face’ and ‘geischt’ meaning ‘...
Teratophillia
June 25, 2020 19:57 - 5 minutes - 5.23 MBHello hello, my little monsters, and welcome to today’s spooky edition of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. You might be asking yourself, now why is today’s episode a spooky one, isn’t it just a regular Friday? It may be so, cheerey listener, but I ask you to proceed with caution, for today’s word is: teratophilia. Teratophillia is the sexual attraction to monsters, including fictional and mythical creatures, or ‘monstrous people’. The word comes from the Greek ‘téras...
Kākāpō
June 24, 2020 19:55 - 5 minutes - 5.24 MBKia ora, lovely linguists, and welcome to today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. We’re headed to beautiful New Zealand to explore the islands for today’s word: kakapo. The kakapo, also known as the ‘owl parrot’ is a species of large, flightless, ground-dwelling parrot, native to New Zealand. With a face like an owl, the posture of a penguin and a walk like a duck, the tame and gentle kakapo is regarded as one of the strangest and rarest birds in the worl...
Cathedral
June 23, 2020 19:51 - 5 minutes - 5.27 MBA blessed day, and a warm welcome to you, humble listener. Thank you for joining me for today’s episode of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents. I shall ask you not to go all ‘holier than thou’ as we discuss today’s word: cathedral. Cathedral is a word from the 1580s meaning ‘church of a bishop’, from the phrase ‘cathedral church’. It can be partially translated from the late Latin phrase ‘ecclesia cathedralis’ meaning ‘church of a bishop’s seat’, which in turn comes from...
Fremdschämen
June 22, 2020 19:49 - 5 minutes - 5.28 MBHallo, mein schatz, and willkommen to another Deutsch installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents! That’s right, my klein strudels, we are off to Germany for today’s word: Fremdschämen. Fremdschämen, is an informal German word meaning ‘to feel ashamed about something someone else has done; to be embarrassed because someone else has embarrassed himself, and doesn’t notice’. In other words, it’s embarrassment on behalf of another person. An example of Fremdschämen w...
Pinguid
June 21, 2020 19:45 - 5 minutes - 5.28 MBWhat is going on, fellow words worms? Welcome to today’s installment of An Assemblage of Grandiose and Bombastic Grandiloquents! Now before we begin, I need you to understand something, listeners. Today’s word is not penguin. Though today’s word bears an audible resemblance, we are not discussing the cute, flightless birds. Listen closely, for today’s word is: pinguid. Pinguid is a word from the 1630s that means ‘resembling fat, oily or greasy, or unctuous’. Hopefully one is not using this ...