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History of Everyday Sayings

History of Everyday Sayings

By: Stephen Carter
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About this listen

 In each episode you discover the surprising history of how sayings we use today came to be long ago. This show is for you if you are a logophile - meaning of course lover of words - a writer, speaker, philomath, or someone who simply loves history tidbits you can use to amaze and impress friends and family.Copyright Stephen Carter Art Language Learning Literary History & Criticism World
Episodes
  • Origin and Meaning of "In The Sticks" Plus Words of The Day

    Origin and Meaning of "In The Sticks" Plus Words of The Day
    Mar 11 2026
    In this episode, you discover the origin and historical meaning of the phrase, "In the sticks". In addition, you'll learn the meaning of our three Words of the Day:

    Mea Culpa
    Perspicacious
    Prescind
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    Resources:

    Etymonline.com: "Origin and history of sticks". Link: https://www.etymonline.com/word/sticks
    Phrase Finder: "In the sticks". Link: https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/in-the-sticks.html
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    Host info: Stephen Carter - Website: https://StressReliefRadio.com - Email: CarterMethod@gmail.com
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    Technical information: Recording and initial edits with Twisted Wave. Additional edits with Amadeus Pro, Audacity, Waves ReGen, with final edits and rendering with Hindenburg Pro. Microphone: Earthworks Ethos.
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    10 mins
  • Origin and Meaning of "Longer Than a Country Mile"

    Origin and Meaning of "Longer Than a Country Mile"
    Feb 2 2026
    In this episode, you discover the origin and meaning of, "Longer Than a Country Mile". In addition, you'll discover the meaning of two Words of the Day, Gargantuan and Ergophobia.
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    Resources:

    "What Is a Country Mile? – Origin & Meaning". "Grammarist.com". Link: https://grammarist.com/idiom/country-mile/

    "A Country Mile - What's the meaning of the phrase 'A country mile'?". Phrase Finder. Link: https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/a-country-mile.html#google_vignette
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    Host: Stephen Carter - Website: https://StressReliefRadio.com - Email: CarterMethod@gmail.com.
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    Technical information: Recording and initial edits with Twisted Wave. Additional edits with Audacity, Soften, Amadeus Pro, Hush, and Audyllic. Final edits and rendering with Hindenburg Pro. Microphone: Earthworks Ethos.
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    14 mins
  • Origin and Meaning of "Under My Thumb" Plus Words of the Year

    Origin and Meaning of "Under My Thumb" Plus Words of the Year
    Jan 3 2026
    In 1966, the Rolling Stones recorded "Under My Thumb". What is the centuries-old origin of the phrase "Under The Thumb," and why do so many supposed experts get the origin wrong?

    In addition to the "Under My Thumb" and "Under The Thumb" phrases, you'll discover the Words of the Year from Merriam-Webster and the Oxford English Dictionaries.
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    Resources:

    "Under the Thumb". "Phrase Finder" - Phrases.org.UK. Link: https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/under-the-thumb.html

    "Under someone's thumb". "The Free Dictionary". Link: https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/under+someone%27s+thumb

    "Under one's thumb". "LanGeek English". Link: https://dictionary.langeek.co/en/word/214361?entry=under%20thumb

    "2025 Word of the Year: Slop" - Merriam-Webster.com. Link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-of-the-year

    "Oxford Word of the Year 2025". "Oxford University Press". Link: https://corp.oup.com/word-of-the-year/
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    Host:

    Stephen Carter - Website: https://StressReliefRadio.com.. Email: CarterMethod@gmail.com.
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    Technical information:

    Recording and initial edits with Twisted Wave. Additional edits with Soften, Amadeus Pro, and Levelator. Final edits and rendering with Hindenburg Pro. Microphone: Earthworks Ethos.
    Show More Show Less
    15 mins
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