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The Allusionist

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A PODCAST ABOUT LANGUAGE
BY HELEN ZALTZMAN

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The Allusionist

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Allusionist 46: The State Of It

November 4, 2016 The Allusionist

Each of the 50 states in the USA has its own motto. The motto might be found on the state seal, or the state flag; more often than not, it might be in Latin, or Spanish, or Chinook; it might be a phrase or a single word. And if you think you know what yours is, check that it is not in fact an advertising slogan.

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In Radiotopia, episodes Tags words, phrases, linguistics, language, USA, United States of America, states, mottos, slogans, adverts, advertising, state mottos, Massachusetts, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Texas, Missouri, England, history, American Revolution, War of Independence, Show Me State, PRX, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Latin, pizza, Don't Mess With Texas
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Allusionist 24: Spill Your Guts

November 4, 2015 The Allusionist

It's cathartic; it's a useful historical record; and it might help you behave better on public transport. Neil Katcher and Dave Nadelberg from Mortified discuss the art and practice of keeping a diary. Find the Mortified podcast, stage shows,

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It's cathartic; it's useful historical records; and it might help you behave better on public transport. Neil Katcher and Dave Nadelberg from Mortified discuss the art and practice of keeping a diary.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:

  • This website has a fair amount of information about Samuel Pepys, including his diary entries describing the Plague and the Great Fire of London - and some of the entries he wrote in code because they're a bit saucy.

  • Pepys wrote his diary in shorthand, so snoopers couldn't understand it. Read a translation at Project Gutenberg.

  • Anne Frank, meanwhile, edited a version of her diary for possible public consumption, which was the one published in 1947. The longer, private version was recently published.

  • Mortification comes in many forms. All of which are funnier when they happened to someone else.

  • My friend Jo Neary has been keeping an illustrated diary for decades. Occasionally, she shares some pages online, to my delight.

  • Which of these medical acronyms will follow in LOL's footsteps and be in common use in textspeak within the next 30 years?

  • Having trouble translating DAMHIKT, UDS or POTF? Acronym Finder is here to help.

  • Here's the transcript of this episode.

RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
horst

CREDITS:

  • Dave Nadelberg and Neil Katcher run Mortified. It's a weekly podcast, a stage show in many cities around the world, a documentary, a TV series, and books; find all these Mortified things at getmortified.com.

  • This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman. Thanks for the advice, Eleanor McDowall and Martin Austwick (who also provided all the music).

  • Communicate with me publicly at facebook.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/allusionistshow and twitter.com/helenzaltzman.

- HZ

In episodes Tags laugh out loud, written word, Neil Katcher, journaling, handwriting, Anne Frank, embarrassment, blogs, acronyms, noose, technology, kewl, history, Latin, Portuguese, teenage, awkwardness, etymology, French, Roman Mars, LOL, computers, Dave Nadelberg, communication, writing, embarrass, PRX, digital communication, kids, emoji, folk etymology, privacy, therapy, abbreviations, Passion House Coffee Roasters, language, confessional, punishment, little old lady, Livejournal, LOLINAD, paper, longevity, Samuel Pepys, diary, Usenet, rope, pineapple, Spanish, journals, LOLFDGM, words, blogging, diaries, typing, Mortified, shame
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The Allusionist by Helen Zaltzman is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.