Allusionist 225. Hues — The Allusionist You know what's an absolutely pesky kind of word to define in a dictionary? Colour names. A passel of lexicographers spent years - decades, even - trying different ways to describe colours in words fo...

Hello! The show is back from hibernation! Alumsionist @korystamper.bsky.social explains her multi-year quest to document the multi-decade quest to define colours for Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. Listen/read at theallusionist.org/hues and of course the podplaces

Journalist plans to create new archive of residential school survivor stories — before it's too late | CBC News A new project from award-winning journalist Connie Walker aims to create an archive of testimonies of abuse at residential schools before the accounts are destroyed in September 2027.

an incredibly important project by Connie Walker — most Canadians don't know that the government has an archive of 38,000 residential school survivor testimonies, which are slated to be destroyed next year www.cbc.ca/news/indigen...

Allusionist 224. Cosmic Hairball — The Allusionist Pack your oxygen tank, we're going up to space. There’s a lot of etymology up there.

there's a new episode in your podfeed. Like me, it is short and silly. theallusionist.org/cosmic-hairb... Music by @martinaustwick.bsky.social

gosh thank you!!

Allusionist 130. Valentine — The Allusionist St Valentine's name may nowadays be all over the romance-related merch for 14 February, but he was also the patron saint of beekeepers, epilepsy and plagues. Let's get to know this multi-hyphenate sai...

Annual reminder of my factually accurate, 0% romantic account of who St Valentine was theallusionist.org/valentine. Hope you enjoy celebrating the patron saint of epilepsy and beekeepers

Over on threads someone just use ai;dr and we all need to adopt that right quick

Allusionist 224. Cosmic Hairball — The Allusionist Pack your oxygen tank, we're going up to space. There’s a lot of etymology up there.

there's a new episode in your podfeed. Like me, it is short and silly. theallusionist.org/cosmic-hairb... Music by @martinaustwick.bsky.social

Huh, never heard of this before, anyone know more about it?

Me ranting about pronouns, why it's ok to make a mistake & how to ask for help.

Allusionist 223. Bonus 2025 — The Allusionist MP3  • APPLE PODCASTS  • RSS  • GOOGLE • POCKETCASTS • TRANSCRIPT It's the annual parade of bonus bits ! Every year, the show's guests say too many inte...

there's a new episode in your podfeed! Featuring dino gobs, feminist cookbooks, and swear school, with @aketchum22.bsky.social, @martinaustwick.bsky.social, @suchmayer.bsky.social, #HannahMcGregor, #KellyElizabethWright and @mixedlinguist.bsky.social theallusionist.org/bonus2025

portmantbingo!

The Allusionist Episodes of The Allusionist

Today is @allusionistshow.bsky.social's eleventh birthday! Happy birthday, show! My voice has returned sufficiently so there'll be a new episode this week, and there are 200+ not-new ones at theallusionist.org to catch up on if this is your first time hearing that this podcast exists

Festivelusionists — The Allusionist 'Tis the season for the festive Allusionists! Here’s your playlist of episodes from the back catalogue, which are all also available in your podcast app, of course: A Christmas Carol I read the ...

Welp, laryngitis has compelled me to postpone the last episode of the year (and also AMT) to 2026. But now is a fine time to listen to some Festivelusionists, which are gathered in a playlist at theallusionist.org/festivelusionist

Including me reading the whole of A Christmas Carol; the Winterval war on Christmas; @gregjenner.bsky.social on the many names for Father Santa Claus Kringle; answering kids’ letters to Santa; and a fact-checking trip to the Dickens Fair

Festivelusionists — The Allusionist 'Tis the season for the festive Allusionists! Here’s your playlist of episodes from the back catalogue, which are all also available in your podcast app, of course: A Christmas Carol I read the ...

Welp, laryngitis has compelled me to postpone the last episode of the year (and also AMT) to 2026. But now is a fine time to listen to some Festivelusionists, which are gathered in a playlist at theallusionist.org/festivelusionist

Allusionist 222. A Christmas Carol — The Allusionist Today, we read the novelisation of The Muppet Christmas Carol , also known as the 1843 festive lit hit A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

8. @allusionistshow.bsky.social reading the whole of A Christmas Carol with music and sfx by @martinaustwick.bsky.social is a festive delight. Well worth 2 and a bit hours of your time www.theallusionist.org/allusionist/...

It’s a very good adaptation! And a lot of the dialogue is directly lifted from the book

Did you guys know they made a book out of that really good Muppet movie?

Helen Club, assemble!!

If you've not yet before experienced @helenzaltzman.bsky.social's festive offerings, you're in for a treat! She and @martinaustwick.bsky.social create such a wonderful, cosy mood with their readings. Plus, once you've experienced the book, you'll realise just how close the Muppet version is!

Gosh very kind of you, Steve!

Things I’m not mad about today:
2) Enjoying @hels.bsky.social reading “A Christmas Carol” on @allusionistshow.bsky.social and hearing “Keep it in your pants, Dickens!” 😂

Allusionist 222. A Christmas Carol — The Allusionist Today, we read the novelisation of The Muppet Christmas Carol , also known as the 1843 festive lit hit A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

New episode in your podfeed: I read all of A Christmas Carol, with musical backing from @martinaustwick.bsky.social. It’s a banger! theallusionist.org/christmascarol

Allusionist 221. Scribe — The Allusionist "I have never felt so naked. That's how exposed I felt at the idea that my handwriting was going to be seen by the world," says Tim Brookes, founder of the Endangered Alphabets Project and author of t...

new episode is in your podfeed! @timbrookes.bsky.social of #EndangeredAlphabetsProject takes us on a delightful journey of handwriting. Listen/read via theallusionist.org/scribe and find Tim's book By Hand at endangeredalphabets.com

Allusionist 221. Scribe — The Allusionist "I have never felt so naked. That's how exposed I felt at the idea that my handwriting was going to be seen by the world," says Tim Brookes, founder of the Endangered Alphabets Project and author of t...

new episode is in your podfeed! @timbrookes.bsky.social of #EndangeredAlphabetsProject takes us on a delightful journey of handwriting. Listen/read via theallusionist.org/scribe and find Tim's book By Hand at endangeredalphabets.com

ahhhh Christian this is VERY lovely of you to say, thank you

some of my favourite topics too! Thanks so much, Tania

See also www.theallusionist.org/lexicat1 by @allusionistshow.bsky.social

I hate portmanteau words but “slopaganda” is magnificent

I would love to make this happen!