It's our annual end of year parade of all the extra good stuff this year's podguests talked about, including a mythical disappearing island, geese, human dictionaries, the dubious history of the Body Mass Index, Victorian death department stores, and much more.
In order of appearance, we hear from:
- Translator and author Caetano Galindo on how the countril Brazil got its name
- Lexicographer and Countdown's Dictionary Corner-er Susie Dent on pleasing words
- Academic and collector of dictionaries Lindsay Rose Russell on walking dictionaries and sleeping dictionaries
- Writer and Maintenance Phase cohost Aubrey Gordon on the origins and misuse of the BMI and body positivity movement
- Historian Dean Vuletic on why we say "Nul points!" about Eurovision losers
- Council funeral officer Evie King on alternatives to cremation
- Griefcast's Cariad Lloyd on Victorian Brits' rules for grief, and the misuse of the concept of five stages of grief.
Plus! Renaming updates, movie-named knitwear, and my portmanteaus and portmantNOs of the year.
Content notes: this episode contains discussions of death, grief, anti-fat bias, eugenics and racism; I've included warnings in the audio before each section where they're relevant, so you know which specific parts to skip if you need to.
Get the transcript of this episode, and find links to the guests and more information about the topics therein, at theallusionist.org/bonus2023
This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman. Martin Austwick of Neutrino Watch and Song By Song podcasts provides the Allusionist music. Thanks to Ashra for the inwhiches, Amanda and Carly from Multitude for the ad sales, and Tort, Lilly and Chris for their community modding. And thank you for listening to the show, and recommending it to others!
Become a member of the Allusioverse at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you get regular livestreams, insight into the making of this show, and watchalong parties - AND to hang out with your fellow Allusionauts in our delightful Discord community, where I am posting all my best/worst portmanteaus and portmantNOs.
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