Welcome to our whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase. Each week, we delve into the origins of phrases to find out how they came into the English language. We tell the story of how the phrase got from its beginnings to where it is today. Shauna and Dan are two big nerds, so expect some geek culture references, random trivia facts, and loads of laughs!
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This week Shauna and Dan discover that Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast is the bee's knees! Or at least we think so. It turns out, these two words together have had many meanings over the years before turning into something great. Bonus: Babe Ruth, Alanis Morissette, and the answer to everyone's question: Do bee's even have knees? Copyright 202…
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This week Shauna and Dan dive into the phrase, Fish Out of Water. Dan questions if Chaucer ever played Dungeons and Dragons, while Shauna geeks out over fish who can walk on land. Bonus: Picket Lines and the Joys of Retirement Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, Talk is Cheap. Spoiler: This phrase was not coined by P.T. Barnum, despite the Internet's insistence to the contrary. Bonus: Vulgar Tongues, Singers & their bands, and Bacon desserts Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan do their diligence to find out how to "Save My Bacon". Bonus: Bugbears, Budget Strategies, and controversial takes on what Country has the best bacon Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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242 Keeping Up With the Joneses
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase "Keeping Up With the Joneses". Along the way your hosts ponder what massive changes must happen in a 100 year life span and who would play Dan in a movie about his life. Bonus: An anthropologist talks sociologyKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan discover why someone would be the black sheep of a family. Warning: Dan knows absolutely nothing about sheep. And it shows. Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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RETRO 78 Heads Will Roll
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase "Heads Will Roll" featuring blood-lusting kings, murderous queens, and tyrannical dictators. Bonus: William Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, and Beetlejuice. Copyright 2024 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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RETRO 57 Acknowledge the Corn and other American Civil War Slang
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RETRO This week Shauna and Dan travel to Gettysburg to explore Civil War slang. They Acknowledge the Corn after they try to come the gum game, all while staying fit as a fiddle so they can see the elephant. BONUS: Learn how hardtack was like twinkies! #BunnyTrails Originally Aired August 7, 2019 Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved…
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240 Reach Across the Aisle
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, Reach Across the Aisle. Dan says it might be the most boring origin story they've ever done - seating charts. There's also a similar phrase in the United Kingdom. Bonus: Taylor Swift, Rock Churches, and one guy who watched 1,413 hours of the US House of Representatives meetings. Oof. Copyright 2024 All R…
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RETRO 135 Cool as a Cucumber
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RETRO: Shauna and Dan take a cool drink of gourd water this week as they explore the phrase Cool as a Cucumber. We learn Dan abhors cucumbers unless they've been drowned in vinegar and he dislikes some of the previous words for cucumbers. It seems some old-timey folks disliked them, too. Bonus discussion: is cereal a soup? Copyright 2024 by The Rea…
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239 Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
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This week Shauna and Dan look at the phrase, "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades", which is way more modern than Dan thought. Also, Shauna points out Clydesdale horses bring their own Ugg boots to the party, while Dan notes that trebuchets are the superior siege engines. Bonus: Shippy Shippers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the…
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This week Shauna and Dan dive into the phrase "Soup to Nuts". Bonus: The Irish phrase "To take the soup", the Three Stooges, and gloves versus mittens. Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase "Tickled Pink". Bonus: Tickled to Death, Pinkalicious, and Secretly loving hated books Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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236 Armchair Quarterback
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This week Shauna and Dan yell at the TV like good armchair quarterbacks should. You might think this phrase started with American Football, but if you thought that you'd be wrong. Bonus: Travellers, Critics, Strategists, and Generals Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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235 All Hell Breaks Loose
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This week Shauna and Dan explore what happens when all hell breaks loose. Bonus: Sharks, Commutes, and Paradise Lost. Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan look into the origins of Saved by the Bell. Spoiler alert: It does NOT come from taphophobia, or the fear of being buried alive. That is a particularly persistent myth with no evidence to support it. Bonus: Dan crushes on Kelly, Lisa, and Jessie. Plus, SPORTS! Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved…
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This week Shauna and Dan delve into the phrase, Cradle to the Grave. Dan prefers the contemporary term, Womb to the Tomb, but we know he has a simple mind and likes rhyming things. Bonus: Shauna enjoys metal music, plus your hosts discuss awesome names. Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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If Shauna and Dan had a nickel for every episode of Bunny Trails they released, they'd have $11.60, which isn't alot, but it's not nothing. Bonus: Rich women of the Barony of Glenard, Mark Twain, and Memes. Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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231 Law of the Jungle / It's a Jungle Out There
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This week Shauna and Dan delve into two similar phrases, Law of the Jungle and It's a Jungle Out There. And yes, we talk about Kipling and Disney again. Bonus: Dan becomes an art critic. Shauna fails to choose a fruit. Remember to drink respectfully. Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the surprising origins of pie in the sky. From workers rights to great British actors this episode has tons of cool facts! Bonus: Biggest meal of the day Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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RETRO 98 Calm Before The Storm
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This week Shauna and Dan take a look at the Calm Before The Storm. Then quickly learn there is SO MUCH MORE to this phrase! Join them on a whimsical adventure to explore the calm before and after the tempest. Copyright 2024 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan look into the phrase, a Tough Nut to Crack. Dan gets super confused about the history of window blinds and then does a quick Aaron Neville impression. Bonus: The best Superman actors Copyright 2024 All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan try not to Fly Off the Handle as the dig into old dictionaries and early uses of the phrase. Bonus: Maine becomes a State, Buddy Rich, and our favorite pen colors. Copyright 2024 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan decide to Speak of the Devil. Or sometimes, Talk of the Devil. Which do you say when someone you were just talking about shows up? Bonus: The devil has rattling bones and Dan hates horror games. Copyright 2024 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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226 Whole Kit and Caboodle
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This week Shauna and Dan look into the whole kit and caboodle. Interesting, both of the phrases existed by themselves before they made common cause to outlast many of their rival phrases. Bonus: Make-up tackleboxes, planting people, and clowns! Copyright 2024 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved…
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This week Shauna and Dan talk about spitting into the wind. Gross. Fortunately, there is an early phrase that is less gross. Bonus: Our thanks to archivists, language researchers, and other professional word nerds. Also, combatants fighting the invisible opponents. Copyright 2024 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved…
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RETRO 105 Crossing the Rubicon
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RETRO: This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase Crossing the Rubicon. Dan takes a guess at the origin of this phrase, but can't even get the right "ancient crosser of things". It's a mix of Crash Course World History and etymological fun on this week's Bunny Trails! Don't forget to be awesome! Originally aired March 24, 2021. Copyright 2024 by T…
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase "when pigs fly". This one comes to English from Latin, and was quite a bit longer than the phrase we use today. Bonus: Reese's Peanut Butter Blobs and other holiday candy. Copyright 2024 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase "not my cup of tea". Bonus: The silk road, black drag culture, and the age old question: Sunrise or Sunset? Copyright 2024 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan discuss the origins of the phrase Pecking Order. Bonus: Dan shares a secret, Shauna rolls a Nat 20 on charisma, and Dan gives you a new way to read Lord of the Flies. Copyright 2024 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan explore what it means to be on pins and needles. Bonus: Shauna reviews tiny artwork while Dan fawns over children's books. Plus which would you rather be, a cheerleader or the mascot? Copyright 2024 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase "hell freezes over". We start with the concept of hell and how it became to be known as an eternal, fiery place. Then we look at all the interesting ways this phrase has been used. Bonus: Dan hates speedboats, Shauna stans Doré, and we answer the question of bad hair cut or bad dye job. Copyright 2024 by …
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Welcome to our 7th season of Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast! This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase cold feet. Shauna gets cold feet on the subject of corns while Dan finally learns what corns even are. Bonus: The great onion ring vs fry debate. All Rights Reserved, 2024Kirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan learn why we call those pesky emails spam messages. Bonus: The first spam messages (way older that you might think) and why Hormel's canned meat is called SPAM. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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RETRO 92 Christmas Spirit and other Christmastime Phrases
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We are digging into the archives this week to bring you the Christmas Spirit. Plus we talk *No Spoilers* about the new Christmas musical, Spirited. Then we jump into a RETRO episode on Christmas phrases, originally released December 23, 2020. This week we get into the Christmas Spirit while talking about the Christmas Blues. New plan, let's talk ab…
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217 A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss
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This week Shauna and Dan discover why a rolling stone gathers no moss. Bonus: Dan confuses moss for algae, Shauna forgets about Mick Jagger, and introverts unite. Also, did you know a rolling stone gathers no potato chips? Do with that information what you will. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved…
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the history of the snowball effect. Bonus: Snowpersons, Science Fiction Matriarchs, and Snake Oil Sales Folk. Double Bonus: Air travel tips!Kirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan make a podcast easy as pie. Though Dan points out that making a pie from scratch isn't always that easy. Bonus: The rankine scale, dream interpretations, and doodlewash. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan celebrate life with a ticker tape parade! What is ticker tape? When was the first ticker tape parade? Bonus: Bad budgets and pool parties. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan review why birds of a feather tend to flock together. Bonus: Pictures of cats before the internet, Dodos in the magical world, and Dan gets lost in armed robbery. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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Shauna and Dan explore the treachery of being stabbed in the back. Bonus: Ancient Greeks, World War II, and the most hated household cleaning jobs. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan pass the podcasting test "with flying colors"! We explore flags, heralds, banners, and even liveries to find the origins of this phrase. Bonus: Synonyms with Roget, Crowsnests with Ensign Crusher, and Georgian Portia's with Miss Ferguson. #BunnyTrails Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved…
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210 As Hungry as a Horse
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This week Shauna and Dan decide if they are as hungry as a horse or if they are so hungry they could eat a horse. Better question, would they eat the saddle, too? Bonus: Hungry like a wolf, oxen, hawk, and farmhand. #BunnyTrailsKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan reach the last straw. The final straw. The straw that broke the camel's back. Also, apparently, of feathers and horses. Bonus: Alliterative anthropomorphic animals, Habitual nuns, and a request of xkcd. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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This week Shauna and Dan go back to school to learn a history of the United States legislative bodies to help understand the idiomatic phrase, Act of Congress. Spoiler: The USA is predictable throughout its entire history so far. #BunnyTrails Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved…
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RETRO 142: Jump the Shark
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RETRO: Shauna and Dan dig into the origins of Jump the Shark while documenting the phrases shift from TV failures to a plethora of topics. As a bonus, there are shows that ran for years after supposedly jumping the shark and other shows that jumped the shark twice! Despite the negative phrase it's all Happy Days on this week's #BunnyTrails Original…
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207 Fighting Tooth and Nail
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This week Shauna and Dan delve into the history books to learn about Fighting Tooth and Nail, including when we started adding word like "fight" in front of the more common "tooth and nail". Bonus: Hipster Blacksmiths, Cultist Communions, and the best Stage Musicals. #BunnyTrails Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved…
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase bite the bullet. We discover the predecessor phrase and debunk several origination myths for this one. Bonus: Valets, Sepoys, and Artificial Intelligence. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights ReservedKirjoittanut Shauna Harrison, Dan Pugh
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205 Albatross Around Your Neck
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This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, Albatross Around Your Neck. Shauna delves into the etymology of albatross with some pretty cool connections. Bonus: Cubism, Lisa Loeb glasses, and Dan talking to the FBI person who is listening in on the recordings. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved…
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204 Tug at Your Heartstrings
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This week Shauna and Dan explore heartstrings and their journey from literal, though misunderstood supporting structures to the marionette strings of your emotions. Bonus: Sad animated films, underused guitarists, and the best pizza places. Copyright 2023 by The Readiness Corner, LLC - All Rights Reserved…
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