

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.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 5, 2024 • 28min
Lovely Jubbly
Gyles and Susie delve into the influence of TV on language, reminiscing about favorite shows. They explore popularized words like 'lovely jubbly' and discuss origins of phrases from 'Friends' and 'The Simpsons'. The hosts also share unique words like 'crumpsy' and 'braggadocio', and reflect on memories through a listener's heartfelt poem.

Feb 27, 2024 • 35min
Schnurrbart
Flow it, show it, grow it! This week Susie and Gyles look at the history and etymology of all things to do with hair.
Gyles takes us down memory lane and tells us about when he used to rock a full facial set (head to our social media pages for pics!)
And Susie does what she does best, by entertaining us with fascinating origin stories behind this luscious topic.
We love hearing from you, find us @SomethingRhymes on Twitter and Facebook, @SomethingRhymesWith on Instagram or you can email us on our email address here: purplepeople@somethingrhymes.com
Want even more purple, people? Join the Purple Plus Club by clicking the banner in Apple podcasts or head to purpleplusclub.com to listen on other platforms'
Don’t forget that you can join us in person at our upcoming tour, tap the link to find tickets: www.somethingrhymeswithpurple.com
Enjoy Susie’s Trio for the week:
Tabanca: The pain of unrequited love.
Redamancy: The state of being loved in return.
Gruglede (Norwegian): Happy dread.
Gyles' poem this week was a excerpt from the song 'Hair' by the cast of 'Hair - The Musical'
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair
Let it fly in the breeze
And get caught in the trees
Give a home to the fleas in my hair
A home for fleas
A hive for bees
A nest for birds
There ain't no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
Of my...
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair
I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy
Snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty
Oily, greasy, fleecy
Shining, gleaming, streaming
Flaxen, waxen
Knotted, polka-dotted
Twisted, beaded, braided
Powdered, flowered, and confettied
Bangled, tangled, spangled, and spaghettied!
Oh say can you see
My eyes if you can
Then my hair's too short
Down to here
Down to there
I want hair
Down to where
It stops by itself
They'll be ga ga at the go go
When they see me in my toga
My toga made of blond
Brilliantined
Biblical hair
My hair like Jesus wore it
Hallelujah I adore it
Hallelujah Mary loved her son
Why don't my mother love me?
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 20, 2024 • 47min
Gategate
Dive into the groovy world of etymology as we journey back to the vibrant decades of the 70s and 80s in this week's episode. Join Susie and Gyles and get ready to disco through the evolution of language, exploring the funky slang, radical expressions, and iconic phrases that defined these iconic eras.
We love hearing from you, find us @SomethingRhymes on Twitter and Facebook, @SomethingRhymesWith on Instagram or you can email us on our NEW email address here: purplepeople@somethingrhymes.com
Want even more purple, people? Join the Purple Plus Club by clicking the banner in Apple podcasts or head to purpleplusclub.com to listen on other platforms'
Don’t forget that you can join us in person at our upcoming tour, tap the link to find tickets: www.somethingrhymeswithpurple.com
Enjoy Susie’s Trio for the week:
Bagasse: A plant residue (as of sugarcane or grapes) left after a product (such as juice) has been extracted.
Ale-conner: A beer tester.
Misslieness: A feeling of solitude that comes from missing a beloved person or thing.
Gyles' poem this week was 'On The Edge' by Jane McCulloch
Staring down at the dark abyss,
I am balanced on a ledge.
Hovering above that thin line which runs between sanity and madness.
And they call the edge.
Some event, some news, some action has propelled me into missile like spin.
While all around they have no idea of the torment, the terror, the struggle coming from within.
A telephone rings. The doorbell goes. People are laughing.
Now I sway.
Should I let go?
Give up and fall?
So much easier to give in.
No. Not this time. Not today.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 13, 2024 • 31min
Bagpudding
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Love makes the world go round,
And so does etymology too!
Happy Valentines Day!
This week, Susie and Gyles explore the words of affection we used in our everyday vernacular... From darling, to cabbage(?!), to sweetie, to bae - we find out where these cutie-pie terms originate from. Also, Gyles tries to impress Susie this week with (what he thinks are) good chat up lines!
We love hearing from you, find us @SomethingRhymes on Twitter and Facebook, @SomethingRhymesWith on Instagram or you can email us on our NEW email address here: purplepeople@somethingrhymes.com
Want even more purple, people? Join the Purple Plus Club by clicking the banner in Apple podcasts or head to purpleplusclub.com to listen on other platforms'
Don’t forget that you can join us in person at our upcoming tour, tap the link to find tickets: www.somethingrhymeswithpurple.com
Enjoy Susie’s Trio for the week:
Explaterate: to talk continuously; to bluster.
Twirlblast: (19th-century southern US) whirlwind.
Groaning cake: cake provided for those waiting on a woman to give birth.
Gyles' poem this week was 'How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43)' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 6, 2024 • 41min
Beatlemania
This week at the Purple HQ, we explore words that come from the swinging 60s! Hear all about Gyles meeting The Beatles in an Apple shop back in the day, and Susie unpacking extraordinary etymologies...
We love hearing from you, find us @SomethingRhymes on Twitter and Facebook, @SomethingRhymesWith on Instagram or you can email us on our NEW email address here: purplepeople@somethingrhymes.com
Want even more purple, people? Join the Purple Plus Club by clicking the banner in Apple podcasts or head to purpleplusclub.com to listen on other platforms'
Don’t forget that you can join us in person at our upcoming tour, tap the link to find tickets: www.somethingrhymeswithpurple.com
Enjoy Susie’s Trio for the week:
Batterfanged: Done in.
Sammodithee: A way of replying to the toast. It means the same unto thee.
Splute: Someone who exaggerates.
Gyles' poem this week was 'Imagine' by John Lennon
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 30, 2024 • 49min
(H)aitch
Join Susie and Gyles this week as we unravel the captivating stories behind the letters 'E' to 'L,' in the second installment of our alphabet journey. We explore the rich history and surprising connections that have shaped our language, and of course indulge in Gyles' infamous anecdotes.
We love hearing from you, find us @SomethingRhymes on Twitter and Facebook, @SomethingRhymesWith on Instagram or you can email us on our NEW email address here: purplepeople@somethingrhymes.com
Want even more purple, people? Join the Purple Plus Club by clicking the banner in Apple podcasts or head to purpleplusclub.com to listen on other platforms'
Don’t forget that you can join us in person at our upcoming tour, tap the link to find tickets: www.somethingrhymeswithpurple.com
Enjoy Susie’s Trio for the week:
Timdoodle (Cornwall): An insult for a stupid fellow.
Lab-dab: A profuse perspiration.
Nickerers: New shoes that make a creaking noise.
Gyles' poem this week was 'Happinness' by Colin Hinton - whoGyles met who took part Gyle's poetry together chatiry
Happiness for me is my aim,
Happiness for all others is my aim.
This is what I will endeavour to attain,
With all the thoughts within my brain.
To all my family,
I wish happiness,
To all my friends,
I wish happiness,
To others I meet today,
I wish happiness,
To the whol world,
I wish happiness.
For this, I endeavour to do my best,
To spread happiness,
From east,
To west.
I will always smile, laugh and jest
So that all that meet me,
Will feel at rest.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 23, 2024 • 38min
Rizz
Have you ever spotted a beige flag in your situationship? Are you a die hard Swiftie? Do you think you've got plenty of Rizz? If you don't know what we're on about, Purple People, then you need to get with the times! This week, Susie & Gyles reveal the Oxford English Dictionary's 'Word of the Year 2023' and all the other words that didn't quite make the top spot.
We love hearing from you, find us @SomethingRhymes on Twitter and Facebook, @SomethingRhymesWith on Instagram or you can email us on our NEW email address here: purplepeople@somethingrhymes.com
Want even more purple, people? Join the Purple Plus Club by clicking the banner in Apple podcasts or head to purpleplusclub.com to listen on other platforms'
Don’t forget that you can join us in person at our upcoming tour, tap the link to find tickets: www.somethingrhymeswithpurple.com
Enjoy Susie’s Trio for the week:
Pang Wangle: A cheeriness in spite of minor discomforts.
Egrote: To pretend to be sick.
Sonntagsleerung: A German medical term from the early 20th century for “the depression one feels on Sunday before the week begins”.
Gyles' poem this week was 'Look in the Mirror' by Carol Mugano
Look in the mirror,
What do you see?
A beautiful person,
Or just me?
Don't blame the mirror,
It's all in your mind,
Take control of your thinking,
And this time
Be kind.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 16, 2024 • 47min
Semiquincentennial
PURPLE PEOPLE! Today is an extra special day for Something Rhymes With Purple - we are celebrating our 250th episode! So to celebrate, we have decided to rifle through our glorious inbox, and answer YOUR questions.
Thank you so much for tuning in each week, here's to the next 250! - from Susie, Gyles and everyone down at Purple HQ.
We love hearing from you, find us @SomethingRhymes on Twitter and Facebook, @SomethingRhymesWith on Instagram or you can email us on our NEW email address here: purplepeople@somethingrhymes.com
Want even more purple, people? Join the Purple Plus Club by clicking the banner in Apple podcasts or head to purpleplusclub.com to listen on other platforms'
Don’t forget that you can join us in person at our upcoming tour, tap the link to find tickets: www.somethingrhymeswithpurple.com
Enjoy Susie’s Trio for the week:
Foozle: to bungle.
Otiose: serving no useful purpose.
Tongue-hero: a braggart or self-confessed hero.
Gyles' poem this week was 'You Know How A Cat' by James Laughlin
You Know How a Cat
will bring a mouse it has
caught and lay it at your
feet so each morning I
bring you a poem that
I've written when I woke
up in the night as my tribute
to your beauty &
a promise of my love.
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Jan 9, 2024 • 35min
Mafiosa
Embark on a linguistic odyssey with this week's episode as Susie and Gyles unravel the hidden histories behind Mafia terminology. We explore the gripping meanings of the words that have shaped the clandestine world of the Mafia, showcasing how language itself becomes a powerful force in the shadows.
We love hearing from you, find us @SomethingRhymes on Twitter and Facebook, @SomethingRhymesWith on Instagram or you can email us on our NEW email address here: purplepeople@somethingrhymes.com
Want even more purple, people? Join the Purple Plus Club by clicking the banner in Apple podcasts or head to purpleplusclub.com to listen on other platforms'
Don’t forget that you can join us in person at our upcoming tour, tap the link to find tickets: www.somethingrhymeswithpurple.com
Enjoy Susie’s Trio for the week:
Mukbang: A video in which someone chats whilst eating food.
Shabaroon: An ill-dressed, untidy fellow.
Fustilugs: Female version of Shabaroon.
Gyles' poem this week was 'What Don Corleone Did Next' by Brian Billston
Upon retiring
From the mafia,
He wove aquatic mammals
Out of raffia
Let me tell you
How I learnt this news:
He made me an offer
I could not refuse
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 2, 2024 • 40min
Pertolerate
The hosts explore odd and unusual words in the English language, sharing their favorite words and meanings. They discuss the annoyance of slurping and the contrasting experiences of misophonia and ASMR. They delve into powerful words and resilience, mentioning the concept of 'per-tolerate'. They also discuss the power of hope and laughter, sharing personal anecdotes and reflecting on their attitudes towards humor.