Something Rhymes with Purple

Latest Episodes:

Tidsoptomist Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

They say that time flies when you’re having fun, so this week’s episode should whizz by in a jiffy. Gyles and Susie tackle all things horological from clepsydras to obelisks and they reveal the musical history of the grandfather clock.

They also chat about how best to use one’s time and the frustrating accuracy of Parkinson’s Law alongside the usual Trio and Poetry to finish on.

A Somethin’ Else production.

We love answering your wordy questions on the show so please do keep sending them in to purple@somethinelse.com

To buy SRWP mugs and more head to.... https://kontraband.shop/collections/something-rhymes-with-purple

If you would like to join the Purple Plus Club on Apple Subs please follow this link https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/something-rhymes-with-purple/id1456772823 and make sure that you are running the most up-to-date IOS on your computer/device otherwise it won’t work.

Susie’s Trio:

Bowerbird: a collector of useless objects or knick-knacks

Mush faker: Victorian slang for an umbrella repairer

Lubberland: a mythical paradise reserved for those who are lazy

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E.T. Apr 12, 2022

Show notes

Today, Susie and Gyles are blasting into outer space as they take a voyage into the linguistical world of extraterrestrial life.

Rock bands and conspiracy theories will be involved in this episode’s lexical discovery as we fly by UFO’s, Crop Circles and Area 51. Also Susie and Gyles share their own run-ins with alien life before Gyles serenades us with a rather Saucy song.

A Somethin’ Else production

This episode features “The Saucer Song” from the musical, Salad Days written by Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds.

We love answering your wordy questions on the show so please do keep sending them in to purple@somethinelse.com

To buy SRWP mugs and more head to.... https://kontraband.shop/collections/something-rhymes-with-purple

Susie's Trio:

Tachyphagia - Eating very quickly

Pica - Unusual cravings, particularly experienced during pregnancy

Aflunters - in a state of disorder

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Usquebaugh Apr 05, 2022

Show notes

Susie and Gyles are in high spirits today as they lead us on a discovery to the essence of our souls…at least etymologically!

We are delving into the world of spirits but not the religious or ghostly type… the alcoholic kind. This exploration will take us across the globe as we visit Geneva for our gin followed by a jaunt to Japan to discover why ordering “Sake” might not get you what you want. Susie will take us on a trip to Germany for a mouthful of Schnapps before she escorts us to India for a hot toddy to soothe her cold. We will learn why the name Gyles ‘Brandy’ Brandreth leaves him blushing and our hosts reveal the winning sonnet sent in from a Purple Person.

A Somethin’ Else production

We love answering your wordy questions on the show so please do keep sending them into purple@somethinelse.com

To buy SRWP mugs and more head to.... https://kontraband.shop/collections/something-rhymes-with-purple

If you would like to sign up to Apple Subs please follow this link https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/something-rhymes-with-purple/id1456772823 and make sure that you are running the most up-to-date IOS on your computer/device otherwise it won’t work.

Susie’s trio:

Brachiate - to swing through the trees with ease using your arms

Hirrient - a trilling sound (purring of a cat, or rolling your ‘r’s’)

Chirocracy - to ‘rule by hand’, the result of ruling with force

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Saddle-goose Mar 29, 2022

Show notes

Recorded in front of a live audience at London’s Cadogan Hall we’re talking all things April Fools. Expect pranks aplenty as Susie and Gyles put a whoopee cushion under the jesters and hoaxters of times gone by, unpick the foolish history of Little Witham, and are unasinous in their pursuit of the perfect saddle-goose.

A Somethin’ Else production

We love answering your wordy questions on the show so please do keep sending them into purple@somethinelse.com

To buy SRWP mugs and more head to.... https://kontraband.shop/collections/something-rhymes-with-purple

If you would like to sign up to Apple Subs please follow this link https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/something-rhymes-with-purple/id1456772823 and make sure that you are running the most up-to-date IOS on your computer/device otherwise it won’t work.

Susie’s trio:

Clinchpoop – a person lacking in gentlemanly breeding

Fimble-famble – a lame excuse

Meldrop – a drop of mucus hanging from the nose

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Pea Green Boat Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

Today, Gyles compares us to a Summer’s day as he takes us on exploration of one of his favourite subjects: Poetry, and specifically, the Sonnet.

Together, Susie and Gyles will uncover the A’s and B’s of this ‘little song’, deciphering the iambic from the pentameter, and encountering the greats from Shakespeare to Petrarch to Milton.

14 lines later, we’ll have what Gyles teaches us can be a companion for life as there is always a poem for an occasion that can provide comfort and company. We’ll be dancing by the light of the moon by the end of this episode!

A Somethin’ Else production.

If you would like to take part in Susie and Gyles’ sonnet writing challenge, please email them in to purple@somethinelse.com.

To buy SRWP mugs and more head to.... https://kontraband.shop/collections/something-rhymes-with-purple

Susie trio:

To be overmused and have thinkache: To be exhausted from too much thinking and then encounter an instance of mental suffering and general weariness in your mind.
Fauchle - Scottish word meaning to work listlessly and not be able to concentrate.
Firgun - Hebrew term meaning unselfish pride and admiration in someone else’s deeds.

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Triskaidekaphobia Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

For those Purple People among us who refrain from walking under ladders, avoid social engagements on the 13th or live in fear of a broken mirror than this is the episode for you, as Susie and Gyles will be discussing superstitions.

From Saluting magpies to knocking on wood, Susie will take us on an exploration encompassing the biblical and mythical in an attempt to find the origins of these compulsions. We get a double helping of poetry today as Gyles celebrates the birthday of Einstein. However, Susie is quick to point out that he has missed celebrating one other annual event pertinent to today’s topic: the national ‘Open an umbrella indoors day’. Always next year..

A Somethin’ Else production.

If you have any superstitions you’d like to share with Susie and Gyles or have any theories for the ones discussed today, then do get in touch at purple@somethinelse.com

To buy SRWP mugs and more head to.... https://kontraband.shop/collections/something-rhymes-with-purple

If you would like to see Gyles and Susie LIVE and in person on our Something Rhymes With Purple UK Tour then please go to https://www.tiltedco.com/somethingrhymeswithpurple for tickets and more information.

Susie's trio:

Gallitrap - A dialect word from Devon, Gloucestershire and Somerset for fairy ring.

Summer geese - Steam that rises from the moors when rain is followed by hot sunshine.

Haze-fire - The luminous morning mist that the dawn sunshine breaks through.

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Hepeating Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

Recorded live in front of a sell-out crowd at Newcastle’s Northern Stage theatre we’re celebrating International Women’s Day and taking a close look at how the vocabulary we use changes when talking about women as opposed to men.

After delving into some canny Geordie phrases and highlighting the historic work of a local unsung linguistic hero, we discover why some words, such as bubbly and airhead, are only ever used when describing women. And we look at the journeys of words like harlot, buxom, and hussy and how, over the years, their positive origins have been cruelly adapted.

A Somethin’ Else production.

We love answering your wordy questions on the show so please do keep sending them into purple@somethinelse.com

To buy SRWP mugs and more head to.... https://kontraband.shop/collections/something-rhymes-with-purple

Susie’s trio:

Barleyfumble – an old Scots word meaing ‘truce’

Ruelle – the space between the bed and the wall

Amplexus – the mating embrace of a frog and a toad

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Galvanise Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

Did you know that every time you galvanise yourself to pick up the saxophone, or pop on a cardigan before sipping a glass of pasteurised milk, or you enjoy a Caesar salad and a play on a Rubik’s Cube you have someone in particular to thank for the pleasure?

This week we’re returning to the ever-rich world of eponyms. Join us to find out how everything from the Cyrillic alphabet to chauvinism can be traced back to one man or woman in history.

A Somethin’ Else production.

We love answering your wordy questions on the show so please do keep sending them into purple@somethinelse.com

To buy SRWP mugs and more head to.... https://kontraband.shop/collections/something-rhymes-with-purple

Susie’s Trio

Amaranthine – undying and immortal; a beautiful purple/red colour

Brindle – streaked or spotted with a darker colour (especially in dogs)

Arcadian – idyllically simple and contented

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Tufty Feb 22, 2022

Show notes

Whether you’ve had a ruff day and need a Puple style re-leash, or you have dug out a paw-fect podcast listening moment, come hear about a man’s best friend on today’s episode of the podcast.

Today we will be laying low with the basset hound and paddling with the poodle as we hear the fascinating etymology of dog breeds. We will find out why Saint Bernards are so saintly and what we have to thank Mr. Doberman and Mr. Russell for. Gyles’ expertise in English etiquette help answer your correspondence queries and Susie’s Springer Spaniel Tufty is with us in spirit as for all us dog lovers, we know that you never forget your first furry best friend.

A Somethin’ Else production.

We love answering your wordy questions on the show so please do keep sending them into purple@somethinelse.com

To buy SRWP mugs and more head to.... https://kontraband.shop/collections/something-rhymes-with-purple

Susie’s trio

Litotes - an ironic understatement

Dactylology - tracing of letters using your hands and fingers

Blunder-a-whack - ones whose carelessness has caused a total disaster

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Chatoyant Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

Put your seatbelt on and relax in the passenger seat as we chauffeur you through the highways and byways of the language of the road. After easing the car out of the garage, we’ll cruise over the tarmac and the cats eyes, and try to avoid mounting the pavement before a well-earned stop at a Service Station. To pass the time en route, Gyles and Susie will discuss highway robberies, swap chicken jokes, and discover their unique CB radio handles. 10-4, looks like we’ve got ourselves a convoy.

A Somethin’ Else production

We love answering your wordy questions on the show so please do keep sending them into purple@somethinelse.com

To buy SRWP mugs and more head to.... https://kontraband.shop/collections/something-rhymes-with-purple

Susie’s Trio

Hodophile – a lover of journeys

Gadwaddick – to go on a jaunt

Trouvaille – something lovely found by chance

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