Episodes

  • Kick the Bucket

    Kick the Bucket
    Aug 2 2023
    Well, this is it. The last episode of The Idiom. It feels like we should talk about the biggest topic of all, the one we put off until the end (the real end). Death! There are oodles of idioms about death. From pushing up daisies to hitting a deadline, it seems our language is peppered with them. Which makes sense, death is one of the few truly universal experiences across all cultures.
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    20 mins
  • A weight off my shoulders

    A weight off my shoulders
    Jul 26 2023
    Here in Australia, we’ve been slowly getting better at talking about mental health. But it’s not the same story across all cultures. For many, discussion of mental fitness remains cloaked in idioms, or worse, silence.
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    21 mins
  • Saving for a rainy day

    Saving for a rainy day
    Jul 19 2023
    We’re not comfortable talking about money in Australia. You don’t go to a dinner party and ask people their salary. But why not? Money is something we all need and want. We've all got money on our minds, so why not share? Rune goes in search of answers, and the idioms we use to skirt around money talk.
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    19 mins
  • How ya goin'?

    How ya goin'?
    Jul 12 2023
    Do idioms and language get in the way when you’re trying to participate in a new culture? Idioms add spice to the meal of conversation and Australians use them a lot in daily conversation, but they depend on a shared cultural understanding. In a society as multicultural as Australia, is that a problem?
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    19 mins
  • Spinning a yarn

    Spinning a yarn
    Jul 5 2023
    We know that language shapes how we see the world, and storytelling has the power to preserve cultural knowledge from one generation to the next. Storytelling and yarning is at the heart of First Nations cultures and communities in Australia. Stories have been passed down for thousands of years, connecting Indigenous peoples with their culture and land. So how does language - including stories, slang and idioms - preserve First Nations cultures? And what is the impact of colonisation on this tradition of handing down culture through language? This episode of The Idiom is all about deep listening, with guests Taryn Marks and Dr John Davis.
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    33 mins
  • Donkey Work

    Donkey Work
    Jun 28 2023
    Ever noticed how many idioms there are about animals? They seem to breed like rabbits! And interestingly, different animals tend to have the same reputation across cultures. Lions are brave. Snakes are sneaky. And donkeys? Oh, poor donkeys.
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    16 mins
  • The Elephant in the Room

    The Elephant in the Room
    Jun 21 2023
    Rune Pedersen just wants to talk about something he’s not supposed to talk about. Taboos! Idioms are a great way to approach taboos. They allow us to talk about something without saying it directly, but what and who gets cut out of the conversation when we beat around the bush?
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    18 mins
  • It's Raining Cats and Dogs

    It's Raining Cats and Dogs
    Jun 14 2023
    Danish import Rune Pedersen has a theory... Idioms hold the key to truly understanding other cultures. Can understanding more about idioms help him break the ice with anyone and their dog at the local pub? In this first episode of The Idiom, Rune sets out to discover what common idioms about the weather can tell us about each other.
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    22 mins