logo
episode-header-image
Jun 7
24m 2s

210. Four Letter Words: 4x4x4 Quiz

HELEN ZALTZMAN
About this episode

Four Letter Word season continues with a quiz (which is a four-letter word itself) about four letter words. Test your etymological knowledge, and hear about the original nepo baby, John Venn's invention that wasn't the venn diagram, brat, gunk, rube, the time(s) Led Zeppelin changed their name, and plenty more.

Play along while you listen - there's an interactive scoresheet at theallusionist.org/444, where there's also a transcript of this episode, plus links to more information about topics therein, and to the rest of Four Letter Word season and the previous Allusionist quizzes.

Also check theallusionist.org/events for upcoming live shows, including a special collab with Material Girls podcast, and an event with Samin Nosrat for her new book Good Things.

Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, livestreams with me and my collection of dictionaries, and the charming and supportive Allusioverse Discord community.

This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of the of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples. The music is by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.

Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social… If I’m there, I’m there as @allusionistshow. 

Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

• Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online forever home. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist.

• Home Chef, meal kits that fit your needs. For a limited time, Home Chef is offering Allusionist listeners fifty per cent off and free shipping on your first box, plus free dessert for life, at HomeChef.com/allusionist.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Yesterday
212. Four Letter Words: Park
Get in, winner: we're going on a field trip. We're spending the day in five of Vancouver's city parks with Justin McElroy, Municipal Affairs Reporter for the CBC and ranker of Vancouver's 243 parks at VancouverParkGuide.ca. Together we ponder: what IS a park? You think you know, ... Show More
48m 4s
Jun 23
211. Four Letter Words: -gate
The other day was the 53rd anniversary of the break-in at the Watergate Hotel, which not only caused a lot of political uproar, it had a big linguistic legacy: the suffix -gate to mean a scandal. Today, as part of Four Letter Word season, we have a list of -gates - royal, sportin ... Show More
37m 3s
May 25
209. Four Letter Words: Serving C-bomb
Ten years ago, on the fourth episode of the show, I investigated why the C-word is considered a worse swear than the others. Since then - well really just in the last three years or so - there has been a huge development: the word has hit the mainstream as a compliment, in the fo ... Show More
50m 39s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
EMPTY NEST
In this episode, Caroline dials the brutal wake up call we all need to prepare for the rest of our lives when the kids leave home. Giving voice to women and reminding us that we are important too and that the greatest wealth we could possibly have is a fulfilling second act of li ... Show More
48m 28s
Apr 15
204. “We make $226K—but our kids think we’re broke”
Lisa (37) and Marcus (38) have been married for 14 years, raising four kids and building a life together—but when it comes to money, they couldn’t be further apart. Lisa homeschools their kids and dreams of more family travel time full of Rich Life experiences. Marcus shuts down ... Show More
1h 13m
Dec 2024
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS!
Today, the girls are chatting all about making your holiday season special by creating fun, cozy, & sometimes quirky holiday traditions!  What we are wearing/mentioning links:https://shopmy.us/whatwesaidpodcast Watch us on YouTube: WWS YouTube Channel Shop our MERCH! Shop.DearMed ... Show More
1h 11m
Aug 2024
Running a Food Pantry
This week’s caller is the director of a food pantry. She tells Gethard how she came to this position at a fairly young age and how she works to support her community. She and Geth talk about the stresses of working in non-profit, the personal and social benefits of volunteer work ... Show More
1h 31m
Dec 2024
BEAUTIFY YOUR LIFE!
This week, the girls are talking about their recent obsession with Martha Stewart & Pamela Anderson (with a sprinkle of David Goggins?) They talk about honing in on your craft, embracing your gifts, and the importance of beautifying your life! What we are wearing/mentioning links ... Show More
1h 15m
Mar 2025
LOSING SOMETHING YOU LOVE
Today, Kristin opens up about the heartbreaking loss of their family dog, Camper. It’s an emotional episode as she reflects on the joy, love, and countless memories he brought into their lives. Jon lightens up the episode as always with a fun game at the end!Join our Spring Book ... Show More
56m 29s
Jan 2025
257: BLAKE LIVELY VS. JUSTIN BALDONI PART TWO! OUR DEEP DIVE ON JUSTIN’S LAWSUIT AGAINST BLAKE
Check out our amazing sponsors: Clean Simple Eats: Shop Clean Simple Eats protein powder and use code POPAPOLOGISTS for 10% off! Earlybird: Click here to try EarlyBird CBD/THC gummies and use code POP20 for 20% off.  Quince: Upgrade your closet this year without the upgraded pric ... Show More
2h 27m
Mar 2021
Episode 361: How to Move Abroad (with Jessica Drucker)
So, you've decided you want to move abroad but... where do you start? It's not an easy subject to tackle, so today we've asked an expert. On this week's episode, we sit down with expert expat Jessica Drucker, author of How to Move Abroad and Why it's the Best Thing You'll Do. She ... Show More
40m 7s
Aug 2024
171. “I got into a PhD program! But he’s only worrying about the cost”
Katy and David are both 32. She just got into a PhD program—one she’s very excited about! But David replied by peppering her on possible outcomes, timing, and most of all, cost. It’s just one stark demonstration of how they’re misaligned on money, but many more examples come to l ... Show More
1h 4m
Jan 2024
Embodied, E1
Why do you have memories of a life you never lived? Written by Mur Lafferty (Bookburners, The Shambling Guides series) and SL Huang (The Vela, Zero Sum Game). Embodied is a Realm production. Listen away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter whi ... Show More
28m 21s