Allusionist 10: Election Lexicon

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On the eve of the 2015 General Election in the UK, take a jaunt through the etymology of election-related words. Find out why casting a vote should be more like basketball, and why polling is hairy. There's more about this episode at http://theallusion...

On the eve of the 2015 General Election in the UK, join me for a jaunt through the etymology of election-related words.

Find out why casting a vote should be more like basketball, how debating could descend into fisticuffs, and why polling is hairy.

FURTHER READING:

• Producer Matt and I went out in a high wind with a megaphone to record at the place for shouting about politics through a megaphone: Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park. Here's a brief history of Speakers' Corner, where people have been blowing high wind through megaphones for more than a century.

• For those who insist upon continuing to do their campaigning indoors, here's a potted history of lobbying in the US.

• I only briefly mentioned the origins of the Tories' name: it has a very knotty history. Read more about that here.

• Swingometer fans! Thanks to the BBC, here're some archive videos and pictures of swingometers through history.

• Here is the transcript of this episode.

RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
pismire

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See you in a fortnight, unless etymologocracy wins the day and I'm too drunk on power to make this show.

- HZ

CREDITS

• This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, with megaphone assitance from Matt Hill. Matt tweets as @virtualmatthill and makes numerous podcasts and apps, including Spark London and the Media Podcast. Find more of his work at rethinkdaily.co.uk.

• All the music is by Martin Austwick. Hear more of it at http://thesoundoftheladies.bandcamp.com/.

• Find me at facebook.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/allusionistshow and twitter.com/helenzaltzman.

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So goddamn windy that day. The campaign trail is more challenging than I had expected.

Allusionist 8: Crosswords

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Cryptic crosswords: delightful brain exercise, or the infernal taunting of the incomprehensible? Either way, crossword setter John Feetenby explains how they're made and how to solve them. Visit theallusionist.

Cryptic crosswords: delightful brain exercise, or the infernal taunting of the incomprehensible?

Either way, crossword setter John Feetenby explains how they're made and how to solve them. He reveals how he composes clues (even one for 'Zaltzman'), why crosswords reign supreme over sudoku, and why 'jacuzzi' is rarely the answer.

ADDITIONAL READING:

• If, like me, you suck at cryptic crosswords, to start off here's Cryptic Crosswords for Dummies.

• I'll never be able to do The Guardian's crossword, but if that's the crossword mountain you want to climb, here's the Guardian's Cryptic Crosswords for Beginners series. I can do the Telegraph crossword a bit, so here's the Telegraph's guide too.

• This is a very handy compendium of what words mean in crosswordese.

• Here's a summary of the differences between UK and US crosswords.

I'm aware that crosswords from other countries work differently to British ones, so do illuminate me about your own local crossword practices.

RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
waterbrash

Say hi at facebook.com/allusionistshow and twitter.com/allusionistshow, and come back in a fortnight for the next episode.

- HZ

CREDITS

• John Feetenby's crosswords appear every Sunday in one of Britain's major newspapers. He is @feexby on Twitter and his website is feexby.com, via which you can find his own podcasts.

• This episode was presented and produced by me, Helen Zaltzman.

MUSIC:

• 'Allusionist Theme' - Martin Austwick

• 'I don't Get It' - Cowboy Junkies

• 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' - The Animals