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Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris

Jess Zafarris and Rob Watts unravel the stories behind everyday words. Want to watch our episodes too? Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8R3ZnESMdsuTevq4ib9CvA

society & culture self-improvement

All Episodes

42:32

What does your name mean? | FIRST NAMES EXPLAINED

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/11/05

Rob and Jess are exploring the origins of first names. 👩 Are all MARYS actually MIRIAMS? 🕵️‍♀️ How can JAMES, IAGO and JACOB be the same? 💡 What do ROBERT and JESSICA mean? These questions answered – and many more – in this nominally fascinating etymological exploration of why we're called what we're called. It's time for Words Unravelled! 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ WATCH THIS EPISODE:

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44:34

Are pets called 'pets' because we pet them? | PET WORDS

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/10/29

In this episode, Rob and Jess dig into the origins of the words we use for our furry, feathered, and occasionally scaly companions. 🐕 Where does the word 'dog' come from? 🐈 What does 'cat' literally mean? 🐹 Are guinea pigs even from Guinea? These questions answered, and many more, in this edition of Words Unravelled dedicated to our beloved pets. WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/_r2HMeiDhKA 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP:

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39:54

Can a hill be taller than a mountain? | GEOGRAPHY WORDS

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/10/22

From mountain high to valley low, Rob Watts and Jess Zafarris are exploring the origins of geography words.🐻‍❄️ Why are the poles called 'poles'? 🗻 What is the difference between a hill and a mountain? 🧭 What do the points of the compass literally mean? These questions answered – and many more – in another worldly, wordy and nerdy episode of Words Unravelled. 🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/0TTPpHUVL3Y 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP:

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49:03

100 Word Facts... and Rob & Jess meet!

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/10/15

Internet word nerds RobWords and Jess Zafarris share 100 word facts. They met in person for the first time after Words Unravelled reached 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. Prepare for 49 minutes of pure linguistic geekery.🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/uPfbuo6iP6Y 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 👂LISTEN: https://podfollow.com/words-unravelled-with-robwords-and-jess-zafarris or search for

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44:25

Who was the first to 'spill the beans'? | IDIOM ORIGINS

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/09/17

In this episode, Jess and Rob 'spill the beans' about all manner of food-related idioms.🍌 Why does 'going bananas' mean going mad? ☕️ Who is the Joe in a 'cup of Joe'? 🍏 What did we compare apples to before oranges? 🧅 What does it really mean to 'know your onions'? Answers to these questions and many more as we explore the origins of commons sayings in Words Unravelled. OTHER IDIOM EPISODES https://youtu.be/Fkf61-j8VmQ?si=3GWneox_uAN1NsXI https://youtu.be/ca3lz3dXgW8?si=9D_DE4-MiJ9jV5IK 👕

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43:17

Why are we saying 'Caesar' wrong? | TITLES & POWER

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/09/10

In this episode, Rob and Jess take a right royal romp through the etymologies of eminent titles. They discuss the origins of words like "lord", "emperor", "queen" and a whole host of others:🏛️ How did Caesar become a title all over Europe? 𓁏 What did 'pharaoh' mean to the ancient Egyptians? 👑 What is the etymology of the word 'king'? 🗳️ What is a 'timocracy' or a 'kakistocracy? These questions answered – and many more – in another Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP:

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41:43

What does 'stegosaurus' literally mean? | DINOSAUR NAMES

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/09/03

We’re digging into prehistoric word origins. In this episode, Jess and Rob unearth the literal meanings behind the names of the dinosaurs. 🦖 What does Tyrannosaurus rex really mean? 🦕 Why is Stegosaurus called the “roof lizard”? 🐦 Are dinosaurs birds or lizards? 🦴 Are dinosaur names Latin or Greek? These questions answered – and many more – in another monstrous episode of Words Unravelled. 🌐 LINKS 🌐 Charlie the Unicorn: https://youtu.be/CsGYh8AacgY?si=s0AwwpXqwB_1_GhX Rob's dinosaur video:

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42:51

Why is England called 'England'? | COUNTRY NAME ORIGINS

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/08/27

We're taking a world tour of word origins. In this episode, Jess and Rob discuss how a multitude of countries got their names.🇺🇸 Where was the original "America"? 🇬🇧 Why is Britain called "Great"? 🇨🇦 What does "Canada" mean? 🇩🇪 Why do the Germans call themselves "Dutch"? These questions answered – and many more – in another worldly wise episode of Words Unravelled. 🌐 LINKS 🌐 Rob's UK country names video: https://youtu.be/aXAjMlTO7Dc?si=DpZ8oZlH8h6iVX0O Rob's European countries video:

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45:43

Why do news anchors talk like that? | JOURNALESE

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/08/20

BREAKING: Rob and Jess uncover news clichés and weird journalistic words. 📺 Why do TV news anchors talk in that strange way? 🗞️ Why do newspaper journalists spell lead as "lede"? 🎤 Why do journalists use clichés like "on the rise"? 🐊 What is a "knobbly monster"? These questions answered – and many more – in another hot-off-the-press episode of Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP:

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43:05

How could one man write a dictionary? | SAMUEL JOHNSON

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/08/13

Samuel Johnson's 1755 dictionary was one heck of an achievement. But it is also far from perfect. In this episode, Jess and Rob discuss some of the more amusing entries within its pages, and even the words that landed dear Samuel in hot water. Enjoy this cover-to-cover exploration of English's most important dictionary and the extraordinary man who wrote it.👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 📘 JESS'S

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47:23

Why do pilots sit in a 'cockpit'? | AVIATION WORDS

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/08/06

Welcome aboard flight WU321 bound for Etymology Island. In this episode, Rob and Jess take to the skies and soar through the word origins of a multitude of aviation terms. ✈️ Is it an 'airplane' or an 'aeroplane'? 🐓 Why do pilots sit in a 'cockpit'? 🛩️ Why is English the language of aviation? 🔠 How did the NATO alphabet come to be? These questions answered – and many more – in a high-flying episode of Words Unravelled charting the etymology of flight. 🍾BECOME A MEMBER🍾 Click "join" here:

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50:31

How did currencies get their names? | MONEY WORDS

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/07/30

In for a penny, in for a pound: Rob and Jess discuss money word origins in this episode of Words Unravelled. 💰 Where did the dollar sign come from? 💷 What is the British currency a pound of? 🤑 Which goddess is all money named after? These questions answered – and many more – in another financially sound episode of Words Unravelled. 🏆 VOTE FOR US 🏆 The British Podcast Awards listeners' choice award: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/... 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP:

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43:10

Does English use the wrong word for clouds? | WEATHER...

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/07/23

Jess and Rob have got their heads in the clouds, exploring the origins of our words for weather.☄️ Why don't meteorologists deal with meteors? ☁️ How are we using the wrong word for 'cloud'? ☔️ What was the original 'raincheck'? 🤬 Why does Jess hate the word 'petrichor'? These questions answered, and many more, in this etymological meteorological episode of Words Unravelled. 🌐 LINKS 🌐 Our games video (re: chess): https://youtu.be/vBa8CIltJ24?si=BxcDAYTk7yLYq5ja Our Christmas video (re:

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45:25

Exposing grammar myths and mistakes with Grammar Girl

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/07/16

Is it "on accident" or "by accident"? Should "red, white, and blue" have that second comma? Is "10 items or less" okay? Jess and Rob are joined by the internet's Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty, to examine some common grammatical myths and mistakes.🥳 Is it wrong to use "fun" as an adjective? 🏎️ Is "drive SLOW" bad grammar? (or just a flat adverb?) 🥃 Why does "tonic and gin" sound weird? These questions answered, as well as many more, on Words Unravelled. Mignon's podcast:

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48:46

Why is English full of French words?

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/06/25

Bienvenue dans cet épisode de "Mot Décortiqué"! Rob and Jess are exploring the enormous influence French has had on the English language. 📊What proportion of English words are French? 🥩Why do our meats have French names? 🇫🇷Which words have we borrowed from French twice? These questions answered and many, many more in another merveilleux, fabuleux Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP:

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41:26

Precisely how long is a 'moment'? | TIME WORDS

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/06/18

Jess and Rob present a brief history of time words in an episode filled with chronological etymology.⌚️ How did "seconds" get their name? 🕰️ What does "clock" literally mean? 🇫🇷 How did France's decimal calendar work? These questions answered – and so many more – in this timely episode of Words Unravelled. Our mythology episode: https://youtu.be/b8s2uxWrMhQ?si=G--tQQwAj9mKHk-S 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP:

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46:28

What was the original "blockbuster"? | MOVIE WORDS

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/06/11

Lights, camera, action! Rob and Jess are discussing movie and TV terms in this filmic episode of Words Unravelled.🎥 Why do Brits call movies "films"? 🤷🏼‍♂️ Why has Allen Smithee directed so many terrible movies? 🙀 Why is there a "dead cat" on every Hollywood set? These questions answered, and many more, in this episode crammed with film and television etymology. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreads... EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreads... WATCH THIS

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41:59

How can you tell a bug from a beetle? | ENTOMOLOGY...

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/06/04

Time for some entomology etymology! Rob and Jess will have you in bits as they explore the literal meaning of "insect" and all manner of other term for creepy crawly.🕷️ Why do spiders spin "cobwebs"? 🦋 Was a butterfly ever a "flutterby"? 🐞 Which is older, "ladybug" or "ladybird"? These questions answered, and many more, a critter-crammed episode of Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP:

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39:52

Why is the Pope "the daddy"? | HOLY WORDS

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/05/28

Holy heck! Rob and Jess are back with an episode of biblical proportions. Join them as they get to the gospel truth about the origins of religious words.⛪️ What was kept in the very first chapel? 🦛 Which animal was the original behemoth? 🗝️ Where does the word "conclave" come from? These questions answered – and many more – in another Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 👀WATCH THIS

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39:03

Why do Brits think 'pants' are underwear? | CLOTHING...

Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris ·

2025/05/21

Jess and Rob are unravelling the origins of our words for fabric and clothing in this highly fashionable episode of Words Unravelled.🩲 Why do 'pants' mean different things in the UK and US? 👖 Which city are your jeans named after? 🪶 What's flappy about a 'flapper girl'? ✈️ Is 'nylon' really named after New York and London? These questions answered, and many more, in our most unravelly episode of Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK

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