Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris

Latest Episodes:

What's the French for "raining cats and dogs"? | WORLD IDIOMS Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Let's explore some funny sayings from around the world. In this episode, Rob and Jess discover other languages' equivalents of phrases like "raining cats and dogs", "cost an arm and a leg" and "one sandwich short of a picnic".

Discover idioms in languages as diverse as Korean and Russia, Quebecois and Welsh in this wordy nerdy world tour of adages from overseas.

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🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/YBIXXAipmZw

100 quick-fire word facts | 100th EPISODE Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

Rob and Jess are celebrating 100 episodes of Words Unravelled by sharing their top 100 wordy nerdy facts.

🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/1PM_iwxAyb8

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Which German terms are in the English zeitgeist? | GERMAN WORDS Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

Willkommen! Jess and Rob are exploring the German words in English. In this Zeitgeisty episode, discover:

👻 What doppelgänger literally means,
📏 The longest German word,
🤧 And why Americans say "Gesundheit!" when they sneeze.

Satisfy your linguistic wanderlust in another wunderbar edition of Words Unravelled.

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🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/Lad89Mtao0U

Why is English full of Latin? | LATIN WORDS Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

You speak more Latin than you think. Not only are the many French words in English derived from Latin, but almost 30% of our vocabulary comes directly from the language of the Romans. In this episode, Rob and Jess explore how those words got there, what they literally mean, and whether we are using them correctly.

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🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/52GtCvS7HCU

==LINKS==
Rob's YouTube channel: youtube.com/robwords
Jess' Useless Etymology blog: https://uselessetymology.com/
Rob on X: x.com/robwordsyt
Jess on TikTok: tiktok.com/@jesszafarris

Are sharks named after people? | OCEAN WORDS Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

Rob and Jess are taking the deepest of dives into the origins of words from the ocean.
🐟 Are many fish 'fish' or 'fishes'?
🦈 Why is there a mystery around sharks?
🐠 What is a sarcastic fringehead?
These questions answered, and many more, in this subaquatic special of Words Unravelled.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ROB EDINBURGH TICKETS: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/robwords-live

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👀 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/-54FiJ0PsXo

Does 'Abracadabra' mean anything? | MAGIC WORDS Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

Take a pinch of witchcraft, add a touch of sorcery, and "Hey presto!" you have a wordy nerdy episode about magical terms.

🧙 Can only women be witches?
🔒 What did a warlock originally do?
🪄 What is the literal meaning of 'Alakazam'?

These questions answered – and many more – in another enchanting episode of Words Unravelled.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ROB'S EDINBURGH SHOW: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/robwords-live

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US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/
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WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/O5DTL8Ogoo4

What's so great about 'seventh' heaven? | NUMBER IDIOMS Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

We're exploring the origins of common sayings relating to numbers in this episode.

🥉 Why is the third time a charm?
⛅️ What's so great about "seventh heaven"?
🙃 Why do we say "at sixes and sevens"?

Rob and Jess explore these numerical idioms – and many more – in this magnificently mathematical edition of Words Unravelled.

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🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/gH0Zz10y9Ek

Words the Vikings left behind | OLD NORSE Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

What did the Vikings do for us? Rob and Jess are exploring the words left behind by the Scandinavian invaders.

🪓 How much of English is Old Norse?
🗺️ Which place names are inherited from "the Danes"?
📝 How did the Norsemen change English grammar?

These questions answered, and many more, in another Words Unravelled.

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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ROB EDINBURGH TICKETS: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/robwords-live

WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/La3toomR-ow

Are you pronouncing 'caramel' wrong? | ACCENTS (ft. Valerie Fridland) Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

Why do Americans and Brits have the accents they have? Sociolinguist, professor and author Valerie Fridland joins Rob and Jess this week to discuss why we talk funny.

🍮 Does 'caramel' have one or two syllables?
🪶 Do Americans sound more like Shakespeare than Brits?
🎩 Why do some accents sound 'posher' than others?

These questions answered, an many more, in another gloriously nerdy episode of Words Unravelled.

📘 VALERIE'S BOOKS 📕
Why We Talk Funny: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/744046/why-we-talk-funny-by-valerie-fridland/
Like, Literally, Dude: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671558/like-literally-dude-by-valerie-fridland/

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🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/t71jZBSfack

What does 'Mona Lisa' even mean? | ART WORDS Jul 08, 2026

Show notes

How does an artist use a 'donkey'? What does 'Mona Lisa' actually mean? Who is the "dada" in Dadaism? Rob and Jess are explaining word origins from the art world in the latest Words Unravelled, exploring artists, artworks and art supplies.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿ROB'S EDINBURGH SHOW🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/robwords-live

👕 OUR MERCH 👚
US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/
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WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/0xi1MatI3pw

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