This episode gets into the origins of musical instrument names, from the guitar and ukulele to the harmonica, saxophone, drum and more. Learn how the saxophone got its name from its inventor, whose surname, Sax, is locational, tracing to Saxony. The Theremin is another instrument named after its creator. Discover Benjamin Franklin's surprising connection to the word 'harmonica', the etymological link between the oboe and the word bouquet, and the royal connection behind the phrase "blowing your own trumpet".

This episode uncovers etymology related to the pharmaceutical industry. Learn how Ozempic and Tylenol got their names, as well as pharmaceutical giants like Roche and Pfizer. Pfizer, for instance, is an occupational surname rooted in a Latin word meaning "baker". Find out how a male enhancement drug might be named after a Sanskrit word meaning "tiger" or designed to evoke the word "vigour". Additionally, we trace the word "placebo" back to a Latin word meaning "to please" and look at the origins of terms like "mongering", "gouging" and "lobbying".

In this episode, we uncover the origins of words related to the summer season, such as sweltering, holiday, barbecue and scorching. Learn about the dahlia, a flower of the British summer season, named after Swedish botanist Anders Dahl, who shares a surname with the famous author Roald Dahl. The name means "valley" with the English variant being "dale". Discover why the sunscreen brand Piz Buin is named after a mountain and how "al fresco" has a very different meaning in Italian slang compared to its English usage of dining outdoors.

This episode explores the origins and meanings of names popular with royalty. Discover why the nickname of a 10th century Nordic king lives on in the 20th century technology term Bluetooth. Learn how the name Harry, a pet form of Henry, traces back to the French pronunciation during the Middle English period. We also look into the ancient Greek roots of many female royal names such as Catherine, Sophia, Eugenie and Alexandra, and explore the connection between the mythological King Arthur and the name Jennifer.

This episode gets into the origins of sleep-related terminology. Starting with how synonyms for sleep such as rest, nap, slumber and ZZZs entered the English language, we explain a theory as to why it's "forty winks" instead of twenty, thirty or fifty. Learn why the Old English word for snore is connected to rooting for someone to win, and why Australians might refer to a duvet as a doona.

In this episode, we explore the stories behind the names of some of the world's most iconic landmarks and the etymology of the words used. We examine Big Ben, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Gherkin, Burj Khalifa and more. Also uncovered are the origins and meanings of the names of architects associated with these structures. Discover how a planning permission complaint led to the naming of The Shard and the etymologies of words like mausoleum, monument and landmark.

This time we're looking into the origins of global corporations, exploring the etymology of their brand names and uncovering snippets of their histories. Some corporate names are derived from everyday words (Microsoft, Apple, Shell) and others from their founders' names (Audi, JP Morgan, Toyota). Learn why a payment provider's name also means travel documentation, and the reason behind Microsoft's rebranding of its search engine to Bing.

In this episode we're taking a look at hair terminology, including the etymology behind diverse synonyms for hair, including dreads, mane and tresses. Learn about intriguing connections such as the association between the term "alopecia" and foxes, and the link between pomades and apples. Ever wondered about the origins of the word "shampoo" or the emergence of hair conditioners in the mid-century era? Listen to uncover the history. Also explored in this episode is the visionary behind the iconic jheri curl hairstyle and what the term 'bigwig' has to do with wig wearing.