Big Words for Smart People

Big Words for Smart People

Eric and Frankie are not linguists. What Eric and Frankie lack in bona fides (boring fides, more like it) they make up for in sibling jocularity, rampaging tangents, and lighthearted ribbing. They already know you're a smart person, you don't need to be told that. Instead, join them every Wednesday to learn a new, cool, big word to enrich your new, cool, big brain and listen in on a casual conversation loosely connected to the word. BW4SP releases weekly to enrich your lexicon, ~30 minutes at a time. All thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed in Big Words for Smart People are their own. Interested in joining our community? Join the Discord! Have a suggestion for us and don't like Discord? Email us at bigwordsforsmartpeople@gmail.com! Support us! https://ko-fi.com/bw4sp

Episodes

March 25, 2026 51 mins

Y'all remember that "game" Frankie did for episode 27: Mercurial? Buckle up, folks

Capricious - adjective

1: governed or characterized by sudden irrational and unpredictable impulses or whims : impulsive broadly : unpredictable, erratic 2 (law ): not supported by the weight of evidence or established rules of law

In this episode:

  • Eric has allergies and he sounds like droopy dog
  • Pre-35 absolution
  • Big Balls for Strong T...
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Au-to-ma-ticity, the word of the week is:

 

Automaticity - noun (definitions from adjective form, automatic)

1a: largely or wholly involuntary b: acting or done spontaneously or unconsciously c: done or produced as if by machine : mechanical

In this episode:

  • Power Wash Celebrity Sighting
  • We love doing two things at the same time poorly
  • Eric teaches us about stuff... kinda
  • Non-fluent pillow talk, yum
  • Handing a controller to g...
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March 11, 2026 36 mins

Take your medicine, the word for the week is

 

Mithridatism - noun

: tolerance to a poison acquired by taking gradually increased doses of it

In this episode:

  • BC - Before Chester
  • "I don't care for Mithridatis VI..."
  • Pliny the Elder wrote the Gen I PokeDex
  • Read more
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March 4, 2026 38 mins

Turn to page 69 school planners and jot this down, the word of the week is:

 

Lenticular - adjective

1: having the shape of a double-convex lens 2: of or relating to a lens 3: provided with or utilizing lenticules In this episode
  • Get that good vitamin Sun
  • Elementary school nostalgia
  • Eric...
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February 25, 2026 42 mins

Kaboom! The word for the week is:

 

Smithereens - plural noun

: small broken pieces : fragments, bits

In this episode:

  • hot.dog
  • I got blown to away
  • Choose your own mindsweeper
  • Chipocalypse
  • Thanks, ball lightning!

Like what we do?

  • Join our Disco...
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February 18, 2026 34 mins

Two Swordz joins us today with a new, two-part word!

 

Objet d'Art - noun

1: an article of some artistic value 2: curio

In this episode:

  • Piss hell (we promise this whole episode won’t be about pee)
  • Banksy shredding
  • The story of “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin”
  • Fartin Scroti
  • PleasrD...
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February 11, 2026 38 mins

(Sorry we missed a week, Eric's a moron)

Let's not lose our heads, y'all. The word of the week is:

 

Berserk - noun

1: an ancient Scandinavian warrior frenzied in battle and held to be invulnerable 2: one whose actions are recklessly defiant Berserk - adjective : markedly out of control due to intense anger or excitement : frenzied In this episode:
  • Berserk AI
  • Th...
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January 28, 2026 39 mins

We never thought we'd have to post this episode (it's so dang cold).

 

Mercurial - adjective

1a: characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood b: very lively and quick c: changing often : very changeable 2a: having qualities (as of eloquence, ingenuity, or thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury or in astrology to the influence of the planet Mercury b: fast in development or occurrence : quick ...
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January 21, 2026 37 mins

Two Swordz, Two Hearts, One Word:

 

Supercilious - adjective

: coolly and patronizingly haughty

 

In this episode:

  • Too many rangoons
  • Introducing Two Swordz (and his Biggest Fanz)
  • And JFKaby
  • Lifeguard stunts
  • Fun in media, less in reality
  • The American Lean™
  • Read more
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January 14, 2026 46 mins

If you like listening to people talk about their cats, you're in luck! The word of the week is:

 

Caterwaul - verb

1: to make a harsh cry 2: to protest or complain noisily   In this episode:

  • Bring back Street Pass in 2026
  • Frankie might not be very good at limericks either
  • Cats
  • Tiny Spider-Man window cleaning
  • Howling sh*t sprints
  • Read more
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January 7, 2026 40 mins

Just in time for the new year, the word of the week is:

 

Harrowing - Adjective

: acutely distressing or painful

 

In this episode:

  • What is the hottest tattoo?
  • Self-broken bones
  • Things to talk about while getting a tattoo
  • The Twilight slippery slope
  • Like, seriously, a lot of tattoo ...
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December 31, 2025 37 mins

Another addition to our growing collection of "slurs for hot people," the word of the week is: 

 

Termagant - Noun

1Termagant : a deity erroneously ascribed to Islam by medieval European Christians and represented in early English drama as a violent character 2: an overbearing or nagging woman : shrew   In this episode:
  • Exposing lifeguards
  • Funny eyebrow bird
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December 24, 2025 44 mins

Loosen those coin-purses, the word of the week is:

 

Parsimonious - adjective

1: exhibiting or marked by parsimony especially : frugal to the point of stinginess   2: sparing, restrained In this episode:
  • Call Me Maybe Roulette
  • Millennial grand-aunt
  • Tree Anxiety
  • Caked-Up Geeses for the Nieces
  • Read more
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December 17, 2025 39 mins

Hey, come quick! The word of the week is:

 

Expeditious - adjective

: marked by or acting with prompt efficiency

 

In this episode:

  • Snow Day Qualms
  • Bird Calling
  • Fish or Motorcycle
  • Fast Family
  • Dementia Clock
  • Bonus: Ruben Sneezes

Like what we do?

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December 10, 2025 35 mins

Just a heads up... lot's of pee talk in this one, folks.

 

Exude - intransitive verb

1: to ooze out 2: to undergo diffusion

transitive verb

1: to cause to ooze or spread out in all directions 2: to display conspicuously or abundantly In this episode:
  • Eric is still vaguely sick
  • Dry guys go to heaven
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December 3, 2025 39 mins

Hearken back once more to a time when farmers farmed farms and the Gak was abundant, the word for the week is: 

Pastoral - adjective

a(1): of, relating to, or composed of shepherds or herdsmen (2): devoted to or based on livestock raising

b: of or relating to the countryside : not urban c: portraying or expressive of the life of shepherds or country people especially in an idealized and conventionalized manner pastoral poetry ...
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November 26, 2025 52 mins

Just when you thought we couldn't be more childish, the word of the week is:

 

Puerile - Adjective

1: juvenile 2: childish, silly   In this episode:
  • College Radio… um… college radio
  • Foot condoms
  • Ostrich dating
  • In defense of bad action movies
  • Minecraft horror mods
  • Read more
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November 19, 2025 46 mins

Ken you dig it? That's the word. It's ken.

 

Ken - Noun 

1: the range of perception, understanding, or knowledge 2a: the range of vision   b: sight, view

Ken - Verb

1 (archaic) : see   2 (chiefly dialectal) : recognize   3 (chiefly Scotland) : know

In this episode:

  • Social anxiety phone problems
  • Hotel ghosts
  • Benevolent voy...
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November 12, 2025 36 mins

This word comes with a warning: don't use this word. At least, change how you use it.

 

Pulchritudinous - Adjective

: physical comeliness

 

In this episode:

  • Pwe’re psorry pfor pthe pplosives
  • Ulysses Quotes - Circe never disappoints
  • Hot tips for sexy orchids
  • Ruben does not have sexy phone voice
  • Read more
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November 5, 2025 42 mins

It's whatever, but the word for the week is:

 

Sprezzatura - Noun

: studied nonchalance

: graceful conduct or performance without apparent effort

: the state of Eric being a huge fartbag1

 

In this episode:

  • Not a dilf, just a dil
  • I’m a Sprouts 6
  • Almost no Twilight references in this one
  • Furry Raves and Crypto ...
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