RETRO Ep14: Rose Colored Glasses

Shauna and Dan debate whether seeing the world through rose-colored glasses is a good thing or a bad thing. History sure has an answer, but it's an interesting journey on this week's Bunny Trails!

Originally aired June 19, 2018.

Episode 77: Ugly Duckling

Shauna and Dan break down "Ugly" and "Duckling" to find the source of this fairy tale phrase. Shauna struggles with a word but finds she can sing it just fine. Dan makes bad jokes. Despite the mean sounding phrase, it's a heartwarming coming of age tale on this week's #BunnyTrails!

Episode 75: Bite the Dust

Another one gone and another one gone and another one bites the dust... From Queen (the band) to Homer (the Illiad), Bite the Dust has a long and storied history. Listen now to hear how this phrase from the ancient Greek made its way into the English lexicon to mean dying, falling down, and being mortally wounded! #BunnyTrails

Episode 73: Lost the Thread

Welcome to Season 3!!! We've got new audio equipment and Dan is still fighting a cold, so between those two things the audio is a bit wonky. But don't lose the thread here, we'll fix it before next week! This week Shauna and Dan explore the phrase, Lost the Thread, which is way older than Dan thought - but Shauna pretty much nailed it.

Episode 72: Nothing Ventured

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained. Despite its mysterious French roots, this phrase enjoyed some fun variants while making its way to the phrase we use today. So check out the season 2 finale of Bunny Trails cause as they used to say, nothing ventured, nothing have.

Episode 71: Head Over Heels

Did Davy Crockett coin the term "Head Over Heels in Love"? No.

Does the phrase, "Head Over Heels" have something to do with our head being slightly forward of our heels, despite it being higher? Most likely not.

So where does this phrase come from? Well... buckle up for a fun journey through a variety of ways this idiom was used before we landed on the way we use it today.

Episode Artwork by Rosie Chomet, used with permission. Find her work at www.instagram.com/rosiechomet

Help keep #BunnyTrails going at www.patreon.com/bunnytrailspod

Episode 70: Take It With A Grain of Salt

This week, Shauna presents some theories and asks you to take them with a grain of salt. Dan knows too much about Pliny the Elder, but not enough about almost anyone else of the time frame. Along the way we talk cooking strategies, American arrogance, and Latin.  #BunnyTrails

Episode 69: Six Nines

Minds out of the gutter people. This completely safe for work episode talks about six of our favorite phrases with the word "nine" in them. Did "Dressed to the Nines" really start with a military unit? Is "Nine Days Wonder" the predecessor to 15 minutes of fame? Do cats and wives both have "Nine Lives"? Find out on this week's #BunnyTrails!

Episode 68: Lost For Words

Is the phrase "Loss for words" or "Lost for words"? Turns out it's not that simple. We put the more popular of the two in the title, but that doesn't necessarily give it the edge. Plus, Shauna again shares her love of the Urban Dictionary while Dan explains why he prefers a certain pronunciation of 'penDANtic'. Join us for another fun week of #BunnyTrails!

Episode 67: Turn Over A New Leaf

This week Shauna and Dan watch the changing of the leaves and ponder the origins of this phrase. Which word is more important to the phrase, turn or leaf? Learn the history of both, plus listen to Dan struggle to say Walter Matthau's name. What does Walter Matthau have to do with this idiom? Find out now!

Episode 66: Blood Idioms - Halloween 2019

Hematophobes might want to sit this one out. Shauna and Dan delve into several idioms with the word, "blood" in them. Some you'll know, like "Blood on your hands" and "To taste blood". Some you might not know, like the hunting term "In blood" or the fighting term, "To the blood". They even test the waters on a common origin story of "Blood is thicker than water". Check out our Halloween Special for 2019!

Episode 65: Thick As Thieves

Have you ever heard the phrase thick as inkle-weavers? Yeah, us either. But it turns out to be the basis for a phrase you probably HAVE heard, so join us as Shauna inkle-weaves this fascinating tale! #BunnyTrails

Episode 64: Steal My Thunder

This week Shauna and Dan take a close look at the phrase 'Steal My Thunder'. Shauna waxes poetic at the intersection of literature and science, while Dan sings and recounts his knowledge of Texas Wars of the 1800s.

Episode 63: Fire Phrases

This week in the United States is Fire Prevention Week, so we talk a few of our favorite phrases with the word Fire in them, including On Fire, Through Fire, Where's the Fire, and more! #BunnyTrails

Retro Episode: Curiosity Killed the Cat

Why would anyone want to kill a cat?! This week we re-discover the origins of Curiosity Killed the Cat - originally broadcast May 15, 2018. Shauna geeks out of scientists who had curiosity get the better of them, Dan gets pedantic about Pliny the Elder, and they both go a little hard on Shakespeare. Check it out! #BunnyTrails

Episode 62: Tip of the Iceberg

Does the phrase "Tip of the Iceberg" really come from the sinking of the Titanic? Or does it have a darker, more sinister root? Should we start a few new segments, like Dictionaries with Dan, or Sociology with Shauna? Why is this episode so alliteration heavy?!

Episode 61: Dead Ringer

Is there any truth to the story that Dead Ringer (along with Graveyard Shift and Saved By the Bell) originated out of Victorian England with fears of being buried alive?

Follow the amazing story of Dead Ringer through its numerous shifts and turns on this week's Bunny Trails!

Retro Episode - Rain Check

How did we go from a Persian word for 'King' to letting you come back to the next baseball game using your old ticket? Find out here! Plus, Shauna and Dan get a little too close to the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory conspiracy, fail hard at naming stamp collectors, and learn about perforation machines from Google.

Originally released April 25, 2018.


Thanks for growing with us!

Episode 60: At Wit's End

Shauna hits her wit's end this week as she and Dan review the history of this perplexing phrase. Among the discussion: Mary Poppins, Christmas origins, Favorite Animated Films. Also, why couldn't the 1994 Lion King composer travel to South Africa to record animal sounds?

Episode 59: Old Dog, New Tricks

We'll answer the age old question, Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Spoiler Alert: You can. Shauna and Dan talk vocal discrimination, materialism early 1900s style, the downside of Martin Van Buren, and the PC vs Mac debate. Dan finds a new favorite song while also lecturing everyone on how while the way we argue has changed, the fact that we are mean to each other when not speaking face to face hasn't changed. At all.