Something Rhymes with Purple

Sony Music Entertainment

Susie Dent and Gyles Brandreth invite you to enhance your vocabulary, uncover the hidden origins of language and share their love of words in this award-winning podcast.

We love hearing from you, find us @SomethingRhymes on Twitter and Facebook, @SomethingRhymesWith on Instagram or you can email us here: purple@somethinelse.com

Want more Purple, people? Join the Purple Plus Club by clicking the banner in Apple podcasts or by heading to purpleplusclub.com to listen on other platforms for ad-free listening, and not 1 but 2 episodes of the show every week.

You can buy our branded mugs, tote bags and T-shirts here: https://bit.ly/37huhqs

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

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287 episodes
Updated Jul 23, 2024

Episodes287

Newest first

Jun 16, 2020 · 42 min
Lethologica
Aghast that Gyles still thinks ‘YOLO’ is a new word, Susie talks us through the process of creating new words and, more importantly, how to get them into the dictionary. Via oldies like ‘groupies’, ‘burtons’ and ‘velcro’ Susie discusses which words stick and passes judgment on whether new words like ‘Covidiot’ are here for the long haul. She reminds us that you can’t campaign for a word to be added to the dictionary (as the Potato Council found to their disappointment)… but that won’t stop Gyles and his passion for the word ’snart’. We also go through your fascinating and mysterious nicknames for woodlice, Susie has her trio of wonderful words, and Gyles sends us off into the day with a lovely bit of Larkin. A Somethin’ Else production. Susie’s trio: Forplaint - exhausted from weeping Interdespise - to hate someone as much as they hate you Lectory - a place to read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 10, 2020 · 1 min
Brand new merch!
Purple People! We are very excited to announce that we have some brand new Something Rhymes With Purple merchandise out now for you… especially if you’re in need of somewhere to store your Bellytimber… it’s a wonderful canvas shopping bag!
Jun 9, 2020 · 38 min
Edelweiss
Come into the garden Purple People as we take a look at the interesting histories behind the names of the plants blooming in the beds. Find out why basil is royal, why you use more rock celery that you might think, and which common herb is the ‘dew of the sea’. Also in this week’s bouquet are dragons, Spartan lovers and gladiators, plus we find out why the pansy is the thinking person’s flower. We also get through lots of your brilliant emails and we want you to get in touch with your own names for Billy Bakers or Chuggy Pigs… purple@somethinelse.com A Somethin' Else production. Susie’s trio: Upbigged - built up Hookem-snivy - fakery or deceit Percunctorily - lazily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 2, 2020 · 36 min
Euphuism
Join us in our linguistic dystopia as we proles explore the language of George Orwell. We’ll be discussing newspeak and oldspeak, and attempting to double-think all under the watchful eye of Big Brother… hoping that we won’t get thrown into Room 101… somewhere Gyles has been before actually. Elsewhere we’ll be dissecting Orwell’s six rules of writing, Gyles encourages Susie to write a novel, and we discover more about Orwell’s nom du plume, his moniker, his nickname if you will… As always, a trio of words from Susie to add to your collection, and Gyles struggles to talk with a mouth full of sausages… Susie’s Trio: Angel Visit - a catch up with a friend that’s all too rare Pseudologist - a liar Sunwake - the reflection of the sun on the surface of the sea A Somethin' Else production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 26, 2020 · 34 min
Guttersnipes
Roll up, roll up! Read all about it! This week we're stalking the pavements of Fleet Street to get the scoop on the lingo from the world of journalism. We'll be finding out what links an urchin to a hedgehog, why you'd rather your basement wasn't spiked, and why a tabloid might be just the pill that you need. It's all part of the furniture. Also, through the smoke of the newsroom, Susie types up her weekly trio of words and Gyles delivers a fantastic poem about the joys of reclining... If you want to get in touch, please do, we're at purple@somethinelse.com. A Somethin' Else production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 19, 2020 · 40 min
Filer à l'anglaise
This week we're speaking double Dutch, navigating a Mexican standoff, and playing Russian roulette as we investigate how different nationalities have embedded themselves into English. We'll be playing Chinese whispers, dreaming of Indian summers and hoping to receive a French kiss rather than one from Glasgow.
May 12, 2020 · 37 min
Yakamoz
This week it's all about spreading some joy as we go through words that bring us pleasure. We touch on some old favourites, words that describe joyous things, like halcyon, spindrift and sussuration, as well as words that satisfy in a different way like unprosperousness, or words that are just fun to say, like sausage.
May 5, 2020 · 39 min
John Doe
This week we're being a couple of Smart Alecs and Clever Dicks and we're exploring the world of names hidden in common phrases... and were they based on real people? Was there an original Joe Bloggs? Did he ever cross paths with John Doe?
Apr 28, 2020 · 34 min
Alcatraz
One in the hand, is worth two in the bush... This week Gyles and Susie dig into the surprisingly significant etymology of birds. From the unlucky albatross to the onomatopoeic cuckoo, find out what Professor Dumbledore has to do with bees and what parrots have to do with the Kama Sutra.
Apr 21, 2020 · 41 min
By and large
This week we’re all at sea… in a good way! We’re plumbing the depths of the ocean, nailing our colours to the mast and, by and large, dipping our toe into the etymological waters of nautical terminology. Who was Davey Jones?
Apr 15, 2020 · 36 min
When in Rome...
Sadly we’re not in Rome… Gyles is in London and Susie is in Oxford but we're still going on an etymological journey through the origins and quirks of some of our best-known proverbs. Will an apple a day really keep the doctor away?
Apr 12, 2020 · 2 min
Easter update
Happy Easter Weekend Purple People!Due to the UK Bank Holidays, this coming week's Something Rhymes With Purple will be released on Wednesday 15th April, and Susie & Gyles will be dissecting and discussing some very famous proverbs.
Apr 7, 2020 · 45 min
Cerulean
Hello Purple People! We hope you’re not feeling too blue, or marooned right now, but fear not Gyles and Susie are here to take you down another etymological rabbit hole to get you back into the pink. This week it’s all about colours!
Mar 31, 2020 · 39 min
Umpteen
Hold the phone! Stop what you’re doing and dial in to a new Purple Podcast coming to you down the line. For obvious reasons Susie and Gyles can’t record together this week, but fear not, through the magic of technology they’re still able to chat and offer you their usual mix of interesting etymology and amusing anecdotes.
Mar 24, 2020 · 36 min
Best of SRWP
Join us this week as we look back over our first fifty episodes of Something Rhymes With Purple. This wouldn’t have been possible without you so thank you for listening and for keeping us on our toes with your questions and suggestions… please keep them coming!
Mar 17, 2020 · 35 min
Boycott
Top o’ the morning to you and happy St Patrick’s Day! This week we’re filling up our whiskey glasses and surrounding ourselves with words of Irish origin. Donning our finest trousers and brogues they’ll be Irish phrases galore as we boycott the banshees and really dig the vocabulary of the Emerald Isle.
Mar 10, 2020 · 35 min
Ceiliog
Have you ever given a second thought to where the brands we use every day got their names from? Well we have! And we’re here to share our findings with you. Staying very much ‘on brand’ we’ll be revealing the history behind PG Tips, the fantasy of Fanta, and how a sibling rivalry in Germany spawned two of the globe’s biggest sports brands.
Mar 3, 2020 · 32 min
Grockle
It’s time to delve into the inbox once again and dedicate a whole episode to answering your queries that come in each week. A massive thank you to all you Purple People for keeping us on our toes… if there’s something word-related that has been puzzling you then please do the same as Sammy, Dave, Cat, Rebecca and many more by emailing us at purple@somethinelse.com.
Feb 25, 2020 · 28 min
Namby-Pamby
What-ho Purple People! This week we’re ‘up to the eyebrows’ and having a good old ‘chortle’ at some of the words introduced to the English language by authors. Prepare to be ‘bedazzled’ by this ‘unputdownable’ episode where we’ll be looking into the inventions of PG Wodehouse, Lewis Carroll, Joseph Heller and many more, as well as hopefully avoiding falling into a ‘honeytrap’ or getting stuck in a ‘Catch-22’.
Feb 18, 2020 · 36 min
Smuggins
This week we’re taking a little downtime and exploring the language behind some well-known hobbies and pastimes. Do you know your ‘aggie' from your ‘slag'? Your ‘taw' from your ‘duck'? Don’t worry, we haven’t lost our marbles but rather we’ll be playing with them. .