The Allusionist

This is the Tranquillusionist, in which I, Helen Zaltzman, for the purposes of quelling anxiety and stress and sleeplessness, read the lyrics to ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon, with the words arranged in reverse alphabetical order. This episode resides at . The original music is by Martin Austwick, based on the chords of ‘Imagine’ in alphabetical order. Hear Martin’s songs at or on Spotify, and he’s @martinaustwick on Twitter and Instagram. The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the finest independent podcasts. Listen to them all for free on your podding app or at The Allusionist's online home is . Hope you are safe and well in body and mind.

We interrupt the Allusionist break to bring an emergency calming episode. I asked you listeners which words you find soothing. Here they are. Put this episode on a loop to help you sleep; play it to quell your inner monologue; use it as an unreasonably long text tone; whatever you want. View a list of the words at . Martin Austwick composed the beautiful music. Find his songs at and he’s @martinaustwick on Twitter and Instagram. The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the finest independent podcasts. Listen to them all for free on your podding app or at The Allusionist's online home is . Hope you are safe and well in body and mind.

As the climate changes, so does the vocabulary around it - to amplify concern, to dampen concern, to serve corporate concerns… It is linguistically fraught! Journalist Amy Westervelt of the podcast explain some of the shifts in terminology, the squabbles and the industry interference - and how to communicate about climate in a way that does result in useful action. Find out more about this episode, the subject matter and the interviewees, at . The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the finest independent podcasts. Find them all at The Allusionist's online home is . This month, the Allusionist is sponsored by: •  to find out more, and text ALLUSIONIST to 484848 to try it for free. • The , authenticated luxury consignment fashion, accessories, jewellery, art and homewares. Shop instore, on app or at therealreal.com and get 20% off select items with the promo code REAL. •  . •  . •  for a free trial, and use the code ALLUSION to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Today’s episode is something a bit different to usual. A few months ago, I was a guest on the podcast ( crow funerals !). Alie interviewed me as an etymologist (I’m not a qualified etymologist, mind; just an enthusiast), and we cover etymologies of words including ‘buxom’, ‘mediocre’, ‘coccyx’, ‘lacuna’, bust some etymological myths, discuss some broader attitudes towards language, and wonder why so many people hate the word ‘moist’. Here’s some of our conversation; you can hear the full-length version on . There are a couple of swears in it, including what Alie calls ‘the Swiss Army Knife of cussing’. Visit . The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the finest independent podcasts. Find them all at The Allusionist's online home is . This month, the Allusionist is sponsored by: • , and use the code ALLUSIONIST for 10% off your first month. •  and get 20% off your first purchase. •  for a free trial, and use the code ALLUSION to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. •  to find out more, and text ALLUSIONIST to 484848 to try it for free. • The , authenticated luxury consignment fashion, accessories, jewellery, art and homewares. Shop instore, on app or at therealreal.com and get 20% off select items with the promo code REAL. •  . •  .

For your last Allusionist of 2019, here is a quiz all about words for you to play along with as you listen. Get a pen and paper to jot down your answers, or there’s an interactive answer form all ready for you at theallusionist.org/2019quiz. Let me know how you score in the quiz a at . The show will be back in January 2020. For all Allusionist episodes, extra material, transcripts, merch etc, visit . If you enjoyed this quiz, you can also play the 2018 quiz at theallusionist.org/2018quiz. The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the finest independent podcasts. Support our work by making a donation at , and along with the warm glow of satisfaction at helping us make more of the podcasts you like, you can get such rewards as challenge coins, stickers, AND an audio recording of the Allusionist 2019 live show No Title! Yours for a one-off donation of $4.35. I wanted a numerical amount that looked like a word, and 435 is pretty much YES in calculator font, plus 80085 seemed too expensive. Anyway, go and pledge for it at radiotopia.fm! This month, the Allusionist is sponsored by: • , and use the code ALLUSIONIST for 10% off your first month. •  and get 20% off your first purchase. •  for a free trial, and use the code ALLUSION to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.