logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2021
18m 27s

An honest history of an ancient and "nas...

TED
About this episode

With candor and cunning, sex historian Kate Lister chronicles the curious journey of an ancient, honest word with innocent origins and a now-scandalous connotation in this uproarious love letter to etymology, queens, cows and all things "cunt."


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Can AI uplift entrepreneurs that traditional banks reject? | Mercedes Bidart
Can AI help people without a traditional credit history get access to fair loans? Impact entrepreneur Mercedes Bidart shows how AI is letting informal entrepreneurs in Latin America transform "invisible data" on their phones into a financial identity, helping them get credit and ... Show More
16m 47s
Nov 28
"The minister of loneliness" | Sarah Kay
Sarah Kay performs "The minister of loneliness," a heartwarming poem imagining what life would look like if homes were connected with tin-can telephone strings, creating a universe of curiosity, joy and connection. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. 
6m 6s
Nov 27
The daily practice that could rewire your brain | Timm Chiusano
<p>Timm Chiusano was having one of the worst days of his career when he found himself inexplicably fascinated by a mundane part of the world on his walk home. That moment sparked a life-changing realization: he was addicted to appreciation, and it was actually his superpower. He ... Show More
10m 17s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
A History of the C-Word
<p>WARNING: This episode includes adult content and explicit language. As offensive terms go, you are entering a hard hat area.</p><br><p><strong>It’s one of the most taboo words in the English dictionary. In Scotland, it can be a term of endearment, but in the US it's one of the ... Show More
50m 32s
Mar 2022
INTRODUCING Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
<p>Why did kings and queens have spectators on their wedding night? Who had the very first boob job? And did our ancestors have their unmentionables pierced?</p><br><p>Join historian, Kate Lister, Betwixt the Sheets as she unashamedly roots around the topics which seem to have be ... Show More
1m 43s
Jan 2024
Swearing: A F**king Long History
<p>Have you ever wondered where the&nbsp;&%@!&nbsp;swear words come from? Well today, Kate is going Betwixt the Sheets to find out.</p><br><p>Linguist legend Deborah Cameron is back on the podcast to tell us more about the history of some of your favourite curse words. From the f ... Show More
42m 14s
Feb 2017
Classic Episode: Hey, Ladies!
<p>The word "lady" has undergone a reclamation of sorts in recent years, but it still carries a lot of baggage, thanks to its gender-loaded etymology. Cristen and Caroline get down to the history, use and varying meanings of what it means to be a "lady" today.</p><p> </p> Learn m ... Show More
33m 45s
Mar 2023
Pestle or Sex Toy? The Roman 'Dildo'
<p>You may have seen the news that archaeologists have been reassessing a phallic object from Vindolanda Roman Fort in the north of Britain.</p><br><p>How does the saying go ... "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck." Do y ... Show More
40m 45s
Nov 2022
Heartthrobs
<p>What makes a heartthrob? Is he brooding, flamboyant or a bad boy? And what qualities translate to sex symbol status in society?</p><br><p>Which men have made the hearts of young (heterosexual) women flutter over the centuries? And why?</p><br><p>Today, Carol Dyhouse joins Kate ... Show More
43m 58s
Jan 2023
A History of Porn
<p>What did porn look like before the internet? Who was it for? And how has it changed since?</p><br><p>In this episode, Kate chats to Kathleen Lubey, a professor at St. John’s University and specialist in eighteenth-century literature. Kathleen talks us through the history of po ... Show More
46m 39s
Aug 2017
A tormented Tudor queen's treasonous 'love letter'
In this episode, Neil Johnston and Christopher Day discuss a letter written by Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII, to Thomas Culpeper, a groom of the King's Privy chamber. The document was part of a body of evidence collected against Catherine and Culpeper that ultima ... Show More
14m 12s
Dec 2022
Trash
<p>From reality television to theatre productions to foreign goods, the word trash has a long history of being used to deride things that are thought to have no value.</p><br><p>To find out what this history is, and how this language has been used against women in particular, Kat ... Show More
37m 40s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami