Lexiconned

What do ancient Roman spirits and IQ scores have in common? In this episode of Lexiconned, TJ explores the tangled history of the word “genius”—from its roots in Latin religion to its modern-day misuse. Discover how the word changed, and what we lost along the way.

Sources:

• Oxford English Dictionary
• Online Etymology Dictionary
• Encyclopedia Britannica
• Latin literature and religious texts
• “The Birth of the Modern Genius” by Darrin M. M...

What do YouTube comments, medieval monks, and modern politics have in common? They’re all tangled in the wild history of vulgar. In this episode, TJ traces the word’s transformation from “of the people” to “offensive,” and asks whether vulgarity might just be the people’s poetry.

Sources:

• Oxford English Dictionary
• Online Etymology Dictionary
• Encyclopedia Britannica
• Latin texts and linguistics journals
• Writings of John McWhorter, Geor...

Episode Description: Is hell a biblical punishment or a medieval invention? In this episode of Lexiconned, TJ takes you on a blazing journey through the etymology, theology, and mythology behind one of the most powerful words in English. From Viking goddesses to Dante’s inferno, discover the strange and surprising origins of “hell.”

Sources:

• Oxford English Dictionary
• Online Etymology Dictionary
• The Bible (King James Version)
• Dante A...

Episode Description: Did Marco Polo really bring pasta to Italy? Or is that just a saucy myth? In this episode of Lexiconned, TJ boils over the false origins and savory truth behind spaghetti—from its linguistic roots to its role in shaping Italian identity. Pull up a chair, grab a fork, and dig in.

Sources:

• Oxford English Dictionary
• The Oxford Companion to Food
• Alan Davidson, The Penguin Companion to Food
• Encyclopedia of Pasta by O...

Episode Description

From “Dutch courage” to “paint the town red,” this episode uncorks the myths and truths behind your favorite drinking expressions. Join TJ Martin as he pours one out for linguistic history, one phrase at a time.

Full Source List

1. Oxford English Dictionary – Definitions and first recorded uses
2. Etymonline (Douglas Harper) – Etymology for “booze,” “hangover,” “one for the road,” etc.
3. Merriam-Webster Dictionary – Cont...

Discover how Shakespeare's words went from stage to everyday speech in this bard-tastic episode of Lexiconned. We break down famous phrases the playwright coined—or catapulted into cultural fame—from “wild goose chase” to “green-eyed monster.”

Sources:

• Crystal, David. The Stories of English. Penguin Books.
• Partridge, Eric. Shakespeare’s Bawdy. Routledge.
• Oxford English Dictionary
• Shakespeare’s Complete Works, Folger Digital Tex...

This week - we go back to our roots, unraveling a single word that we all think we know. What do Venetian sailors, biblical floods, and viral memes have in common? They all helped shape the word quarantine. In this episode of Lexiconned, TJ explores how a 14th-century medical mandate turned into a global keyword—and what its forty-day origins reveal about culture, language, and human nature.

Sources:

• Oxford English Dictionary
• The ...

The Language of Liberty
Celebrate Independence Day with a deep dive into the Revolutionary War’s most explosive contributions to our language. From “lock, stock, and barrel” to “not worth a Continental,” TJ explores how battle-tested idioms still echo through American speech today.

Lock, Stock, and Barrel | Keep Your Powder Dry | Flash in the Pan | Turncoat | 

Half-Cocked | Toe the Line | Run the Gauntlet | Yankee Doodle | Give ...

 From factory floors to fluorescent-lit offices, Lexiconned dives into the idioms that built the working world. In this episode, we unpack the language of labor—from punching in and climbing the corporate ladder to thinking outside the box and cutting corners. Whether you’re a blue-collar grinder or a white-collar warrior, these phrases reveal the culture, history, and humor of the modern workplace.. From punching in and getting th...

From cold feet to getting something off your chest, we use body-based idioms every day to express doubt, love, relief, embarrassment—and everything in between. In this episode of Lexiconned, TJ dives into 15 popular expressions rooted in the human body, tracing their histories from biblical texts to Broadway, battlefield slang to Shakespearean drama. It’s a linguistic anatomy lesson you’ll feel in your bones.

 Don’t forget to like, ...

What do silver spoons, cash cows, and red ink have in common? In this Lexiconned episode, host TJ explores the surprising origins and cultural reach of financial expressions we use every day. It’s a lighthearted linguistic audit of how money makes us talk.

[Sources]

• Oxford English Dictionary
• Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang
• "Word Origins...And How We Know Them" by Anatoly Liberman
• Financial Times archive (Black Friday history...

In this episode of Lexiconned, host TJ Martin takes us on a tour of everyday trouble, decoding ten expressions born from secrecy, stress, and slip-ups. From medieval market scams to nautical metaphors, learn how we dress up life’s chaos in vivid, memorable turns of phrase. 

Explore the expressions: Caught Red Handed, Bite the Bullet, Kick the Bucket, Skeletons in the Closet, Let the Cat out of the Bag, Under the Weather, Hit the Fan...

Episode Description
Why do we say "by and large" when we mean "generally"? And how did a dozen turn into thirteen? In this Lexiconned episode, TJ explores curious expressions tied to measurement: "Give an Inch (Take a Mile)," "By and Large," "A Baker's Dozen," "In Spades," "A Hair's Breadth," "To the Nines," and "Second to None."...

Truth.
 It built our loyalties.  It fueled revolutions.  It shaped law, journalism, art—and everything we trust (or don’t).

In this special Foundations episode of Lexiconned, we explore the complex roots of one of humanity’s most powerful—and most contested—words.

From ancient oaths to Enlightenment science to today’s digital battlegrounds, truth has been worshiped, weaponized, and worn thin.

Where did it come from?  How has it ev...

What does justice really mean? In this powerful long-form episode, TJ breaks down the word that lives at the heart of courtrooms, protests, and moral debates around the world. From Hammurabi to hip-hop, Supreme Court rulings to superhero stories, we trace justice’s tangled roots through language, law, and culture—and ask whether it can ever truly live up to its name.

Links to Supreme Court Cases Referenced:
Dred Scott v. Sandfor...

For the month of May we are kicking off a series, I’m calling foundations. This is the first episode in that mini-series.

Freedom is one of the most powerful—and most misunderstood—words in the English language. In this extended deep-dive, TJ traces the word from its ancient Proto-Indo-European roots to its modern cultural clashes. Along the way, we examine what freedom meant to medieval peasants, Civil War soldiers, civil rights ac...

How Horse Racing Shaped the Way We Speak
Dark horse. Down to the wire. Photo finish.
These aren’t just racing terms—they’re the language of life, competition, and culture.

In this special Lexiconned bonus episode, TJ heads to the track—linguistically speaking—to explore 12 iconic phrases that began at the races but ended up everywhere else.

From political campaigns to product launches, these metaphors shape how we think abo...

In this episode, TJ dives into the frustrating and humorously ironic history of "red tape." From King Charles V’s attempts at administrative modernization to modern-day governmental battles against paperwork, discover why bureaucracy never seems to die. Prepare yourself for a journey through layers of officialdom and comedic despair—welcome to the tangled world of red tape!

Don't forget to check out the podc...

Ever wondered why we divide our time into a seven-day cycle? Why is Sunday the “sun” day, and Wednesday such a spelling nightmare? In this episode of Lexiconned, TJ takes you through the history, mythology, and linguistic evolution of our week’s daily roll call—from celestial bodies to Norse gods, and a bit of Roman imperial influence. Learn how these seven words structure our lives and why we’re still stuck with them after thousan...