Word Savvy

According to author Philip Pullman, “After nourishment, shelter, and companionship, stories are the thing we need the most in the world.” What do you think about this statement, Megan?I agree that my life would feel much less fulfilled without stories.  I recently completed a novel by Emily Henry and this quote stuck with me. “Some books you don’t read so much as live, and finishing one of those always makes me think of ascending from a scuba dive.  Like if I surface too fast I might get the bends.”

In Season One of Word Savvy we talked about the backstory of words that kindled our curiosity on a variety of topics - from the origin of chocolate to the role of viral language influencers. However, in this season, we’re focusing on the many ways people use words to spin tales. We all have a story to tell. In fact, our lives are a story.  While all types of writing can influence our thinking, a story is essentially an account of imaginary or real people and events primarily told for entertainment. It’s interesting to note that the Latin words for story are fabula meaning tale or fable and historia meaning account or history - hinting at the ancient beginnings of storytelling.Let’s hear what some published storytellers have to say on this subject before we go on to talk about why humans are so fascinated with the many different kinds of storytelling.

It seems that almost everyone lights up at the mention of chocolate. Including us. That’s probably why it was the topic of one of the first Word Savvy episodes we recorded. And when you look up the word chocolate in the dictionary, it only has one meaning: a food preparation made from roasted and usually sweetened cacao seeds.   We decided - that to be fair - we had to give vanilla equal time, though it rarely gets star billing. In fact, unlike chocolate, the word vanilla has accumulated a number of unflattering synonyms like plain, boring, ordinary and bland, to name a few.

I fondly remember pulling apart the Sunday paper over leisurely breakfasts. Sipping rich coffee made from freshly ground beans with smooth jazz playing on the radio in the background. Calling dibs on the funny pages and then on the newspaper insert, Parade magazine.  There is something sentimental about print newspapers and slow paced mornings!  What were your favorite comic strips?

Today, we’re exploring the calendar - another human invention that breaks down time, but into larger chunks called months, weeks and days of a particular time period. Various civilizations around the globe have contributed time measurement systems throughout the ages. They don’t all agree, but the one focus that unites humanity in tracking time is that throughout history we have kept our eyes on the sky - on the movement of the sun and moon, the planets and constellations.

While tinkering with a recipe is always good for a laugh and some interesting outcomes, so are the words that replace exact measurements with a more creative approach to food prep. Like, “Hmmm…should I add a tad or a dash?  A knob or a dollop?”

We like to say that Word Savvy focuses on words that kindle our curiosity, but in this episode we’re focusing on a topic that kicks it up a notch. We’re talking about pockets! They’re indispensable for us and scads of other pocket enthusiasts! Not only are pockets practical, they’re a fashion statement for some. But there is a mystique about them too, hence all of the language around the word pocket alluding to hiding things. In fact, deep pockets can lead to missing ducks as our listeners will learn.

An interesting debate continues today on whether a single dotted-cube is called a die or a dice. I default to dice regardless of the number of cubes I'm referring to.  Where do you come down on the issue?I prefer to use dice for singular and plural as well. Die seems antiquated. It’s been a very long time since Julius Caesar supposedly said “The die is cast” in Latin or “Let the die be cast” in Greek.

Curiosity led us to wonder where chocolate comes from, other than the candy aisle.  And looking at the word origin of chocolate helped us solve the mystery.  Every word has a back story which brings it to life and the story of chocolate is epic!

I can’t wait to dig into the “potato-in-your-shoe” story, but first let’s look at the word origin of socks.I’ll say once again that every word has a backstory which brings it to life.  And the backstory of socks knocked my socks off!  People were wrapping their feet with animal skins and plant matter from earliest times. But the word sock, meaning a knitted or woven covering for the foot that applies today, can be traced back to the Old English word spelled s-o-c-c meaning a slipper or light shoe. 

The word superstition sparks the imagination, like an old creaking door that when opened takes us to the world of the supernatural or one with superpowers.And sometimes it just takes us to making a wish before we blow out the candles on our birthday cake or not opening an umbrella indoors.We love to share the backstory of the words we feature here on Word Savvy, but in the case of superstition, we’re going to set the stage with a couple of familiar yet key related words: CHANCE and LUCK.

Why are we so fascinated with puzzles?  We describe our podcast, Word Savvy, as word candy.  Do you think that puzzles are a sort of irresistible brain candy? I guess that’s a playful way to describe puzzles. As a verb, puzzle means to confuse someone. As a noun it can mean a person or thing that’s hard to understand or a game or a problem designed to test ingenuity or knowledge.

A penny for your thoughts on the demise of the U.S. penny or rather on saying ta-ta to the one cent coin, its official name!It’s a sudden, but not unexpected ending. After being part of our currency for 230 years, the last penny was minted on November 12, 2025 in Philadelphia because of production costs. While I understand that it doesn’t make sense (he-he) to mint coins that cost more than their value, I’m a little sad to see the end of the U.S. one cent coin.

Our obsession with time is reflected in the extensive English vocabulary related to it - way too many words to cover today! But one word that stands out to us is the prefix chrono that defines linear time and came from Greek language and mythology.

Recently Dictionary dot com announced their pick for the 2025 Word of the Year and I don’t think I’m the only one who is a little confused by their choice.  It’s actually a number - 6 7.I know what 10-4 means, but what does 6 7 mean? That’s a great question and the origin is a bit fuzzy.  It could be a reference to a song or a viral TikTok.  The sing-songy numerals are usually paired with upturned palms alternately moving up and down.  It is sometimes a response meaning ‘so-so’ or ‘this or that’.  But often it is just repeated randomly, usually by the Gen Alpha crowd. 

What in the world would we do without maps? I guess the practical answer would be that we’d often get lost trying to find our way to unfamiliar places. But for many of us who love to travel, maps also tease our wanderlust. And there’s nothing like spinning a globe to make us wonder about faraway places.  From a learning perspective, it would be impossible to study history or geography in a meaningful way without maps. And fictional maps help bring many great adventure stories to life - like the ones of  Middle Earth, Treasure Island and Neverland.Listen to this episode to discover the story behind maps!

Why is quiche called quiche?And why is the “qu” pronounced like a “k” and not like the “qu” in quiet? And wouldn’t other people who love language be interested in learning the backstory of this savory pie?Today, we’re pleased to introduce Word Savvy with an episode about quiche, a word that represents a popular savory dish that has a humble, yet epic, backstory that goes well beyond eggs and cream! 

Word Savvy, a playful language podcast, is word candy for logophiles and casual wordies alike. We dig as deeply as our keyboards allow to find the origins and interesting facts about words that kindle our curiosity. Then we have a ball wrapping these gems in tight, slightly amusing narratives. After listening to our weekly podcast episodes, you’ll find yourself delighting friends and family with rich Word Savvy tidbits!