Booksmart Studios

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Channel • 2 Shows

Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated weekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated weekly

6 JAN

McWhorter vs. McWhorter

The world was shocked by a controversial article published by "John McWhorter." Here, he sets the record straight. Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 287: "McWhorter vs. McWhorter." With John McWhorter. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Jan

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30 min
30/12/2025

A Toast to Toast

Raise a glass to browned bread ... now you're toast! Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 286: "A Toast to Toast." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30/12/2025

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30 min
3 FEB

You Get the Gist

During an appearance on The Gist with Mike Pesca, we discussed the curious backstory of, you guessed it, the word "gist." Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 289: "You Get the Gist." With Bob Garfield, Mike Pesca, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. Special thanks to Michelle Hunter Pesca. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Feb

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13 min
24 FEB

Open Season for Racists

Like 'analog watch' and 'snail mail,' 'openly racist' is a retronym — John McWhorter and Mike Vuolo explain. ⁠Visit Lexicon Valley⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 291: "Open Season for Racists." With John McWhorter and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24 Feb

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24 min
20 JAN

Derek Guy on the Language of Clothing

A prolific writer on men's fashion, Guy discusses the vocabulary of outerwear and why dress is a form of social language. ⁠Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 288: "Derek Guy on the Language of Clothing." With Derek Guy and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Jan

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20 min
3 MAR

Look It Up! The Story of the Dictionary.

"Unabridged" author Stefan Fatsis on the fastidious practice of lexicography and the heiress who amassed the largest collection of dictionaries in history. ⁠⁠Visit Lexicon Valley⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 292: "Look It Up! The Story of the Dictionary." With Stefan Fatsis and Bob Garfield. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Mar

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30 min
10 FEB

Playing the Angles

What does St. John the Apostle have in common with Bernie Bernbaum, the sniveling grifter from Miller's Crossing? Angling! Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 290: "Playing the Angles." With Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Feb

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25 min
10 MAR

How Do Words Get into the Dictionary?

⁠⁠Getting new words into the dictionary is a rigorous, time consuming process — with no guarantee of success. Visit Lexicon Valley⁠⁠⁠. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 293: "How Do Words Get into the Dictionary?" With Stefan Fatsis and Bob Garfield. Edited and produced by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Mar

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26 min
09/12/2025

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Author John Koenig talks about inventing words for those subtle emotions that hitherto had no name. Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 284: "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows." With Bob Garfield, John Koenig, and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. Produced by Livia Bloom Ingram. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

09/12/2025

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27 min
23/12/2025

All the Rage Bait

Oxford English Dictionary editor Fiona McPherson talks to Mike Vuolo about the terms that caught her attention in 2025. Visit Lexicon Valley. A Booksmart Studios production. Episode 285: "All the Rage Bait." With Fiona McPherson and Mike Vuolo. Edited by Mike Vuolo. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23/12/2025

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17 min

A podcast about language, with hosts Mike Vuolo, Bob Garfield and John McWhorter.

5.0 (2)

SOCIETY & CULTURE

Exploring the power of language to inform and misinform. Podcast by Mike Vuolo, Bob Garfield and John McWhorter. If you haven’t yet, please consider a paid subscription to Lexicon Valley. Visit BooksmartStudios.com!

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Booksmart Studios

Ad free and exclusive episodes from Lexicon Valley

Top Shows

McWhorter vs. McWhorter

A Toast to Toast

You Get the Gist

Open Season for Racists

Derek Guy on the Language of Clothing

Look It Up! The Story of the Dictionary.

Playing the Angles

How Do Words Get into the Dictionary?

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

All the Rage Bait

Ad free and exclusive episodes from Lexicon Valley

Occupy!

Sullen, Secure & Sober

From Grunts to Special Grunts

English Is Hard Enough Without Antiquated Distinctions

Four Calling Birds? Not Exactly.

23,000 Year Old Footprints Help Solve a Vexing Linguistic Riddle

In Language, Context Is King

I Got Beat

Our Bodies, Ourselves, Our Buttocks

Is the Bird Named for the Country?

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Booksmart Studios

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