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Ben Bolan
Fellow ridiculous historians, we're back with another classic episode. This is a follow up to our legendary idiomatic for the People 2 Part 1. This is idiomatic for the People 2 Part 2, which we thought was just an amazing inside joke.
Noel Brown
We did. And it was. We stand by it. If anyone's not familiar with the incredible Athens, Georgia based indie well, they became huge mega rock stars, but they originally were kind of like heroes of the early indie rock kind of scene. REM Automatic for the People was the name of one of their biggest albums and is named after a really amazing soul food restaurant in Athens, Georgia called Weaver D's. And their slogan was Whatever it means Automatic for the People. Sadly, that spot recently closed and as long as I've been going to Athens and even living there, I'd never been until very recently. And then they closed and it was awesome. Had a squash casserole. Delicious.
Ben Bolan
And speaking of awesome, we have a lot of fun with this one, Max. I think it was a little bit before your time maybe so we had talked previously when we aired Part two Part one. Still hilarious. We had talked about resurrecting this series with more idioms and things for the etymology nerds. Max, would you be on board to hop on mic with us for for a gritty reboot?
Rowan Newby
You know I would.
Ben Bolan
All right, good, because it'd be awkward if you said no. Anyway, let's roll the tape.
Noel Brown
This is an iHeart podcast.
Ryan Seacrest
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Ben Bolan
is a production of iHeartRadio. And we've returned. In an earlier episode, we launched our continuing exploration into idioms. This is the next episode of Idiomatic for the people.
Noel Brown
Come on, knock on my door Come on, knock on my door Idiomatic for you. Something. Something about people and phrases and dun, dun, dun. You gotta workshop that.
Ben Bolan
Yeah.
Noel Brown
No, Ben. You pointed out, though, that the Three's Company theme, kind of dirty, clearly not
Ben Bolan
as innocent as the melody would imply. And this is something that we should look back into because I know that you and I and our super produce, Casey Pegram, had a fantastic time tripping the light of music history in our Louie Louie episode. So maybe we can look at sitcom theme songs one day.
Noel Brown
Are you trying to make Trip the Light happen, Ben?
Ben Bolan
No, but I was thinking about making Cast the Pod Fantastic.
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Gretchen.
Frank Mulheron
Gretchen's never gonna happen.
Noel Brown
That could be a whole nother thing. We hear voices here. Who are these voices, man? We've got voices.
Ben Bolan
That's right.
Noel Brown
They're not just the ones in our heads.
Ryan Seacrest
No.
Ben Bolan
No. It's not just you and Casey and myself. Today we are rejoined by our good friends Rowan Newby and Frank Mulher.
Noel Brown
Hey, mahalo, guys.
Ben Bolan
Thanks for having me.
Noel Brown
Was that a well, hello or a mahalo?
Frank Mulheron
Both.
Noel Brown
Okay, I'm fine with that.
Ben Bolan
Multifunctional. So we're really glad that you guys didn't give up the ghost. That's another idiom. Didn't give up the ghost at intermission and came back. So thanks so much for giving us a second date. We've established the rules. Videomatic for the people Already?
Noel Brown
I almost tapped out myself, Ben. Yeah, yeah.
Ben Bolan
You've had a long day, my friend.
Noel Brown
It's been a long journey. I was telling super producer Casey Peckham that I did get good sleep last night. I went to bed like a good boy at around 9. Woke up at 4:30. But it's not about the lack of sleep. It's just about the length of the day. You're up at 4. It feels like an eternity. But I'm kind of liking this punchy vibe that I'm riding now. I'm hoping that it'll lend itself to some fun idiomatic dissection.
Ben Bolan
I am 100% agreed with you. And I've just been struck by inspiration. Noel, will you be the first brave soul to explore an idiom with us today?
Noel Brown
I would love to, Benjamin. My idiom is the name of a Spice Girl. Can you guess which one it is?
Ben Bolan
Is it scary?
Noel Brown
The story is a little bit scary. It does involve some sport. Some potential sports. Some sports. Sporty individuals.
Frank Mulheron
That's not a baby.
Noel Brown
What are the other ones? There's baby. Baby. There may be some Babies in the story here.
Ben Bolan
Baby spice. Ginger.
Noel Brown
I think I know.
Ben Bolan
Ginger spice.
Noel Brown
Was she ginger spice or was she? Was, wasn't she?
Ben Bolan
There was ginger spice.
Noel Brown
Yeah. I don't know.
Frank Mulheron
Ginger is a spice, I think, is what you mean.
Noel Brown
Ginger is a spice.
Ben Bolan
Multiple levels.
Frank Mulheron
Yeah, so many levels.
Noel Brown
The story of the Spice Girl in question, or at least her namesake, does involve some spices, potentially turmeric. Yeah, exactly. It involves a journey to India, to the land of Asia, the land of exotic spices. My favorite, like turmeric. Like, know, peppercorns, also. Peppercorns. That's right. That's right. But it's not just any journey, my friend. It is the journey of the wealthy via steamship. You see, in the late 19th and early 20th century, it was the thing to do for the. Well, to do the wealthy, the upper crust of England, to go to India for what they call in, in England, holiday, which means vacation.
Frank Mulheron
Right.
Noel Brown
Oh, or it's also a fabulous Madonna song. Wouldn't that be funny? There's a Go Go song called Vacation, and then there's a Madonna song called Holiday. And they're both. You know, Madonna's song about holiday is about taking a holiday. If we took a holiday, just some time to celebrate. No, I think she's more talking about, like a Christmas type experience. Sure, she's talking about celebrating.
Frank Mulheron
Well, as long as you wake me up before you go.
Rowan Newby
Go.
Noel Brown
Oh, you know I will. Rowan Newby. You know I will. Listen here.
Rowan Newby
That.
Noel Brown
Listen here, my friend. So they have to take this journey on steam. And here's the thing. In those days, it was not a good look for the wealthy to have a tan, because the tan was not what it is today, where people, you know, get literally spray painted on their body so they look. They have that, like, glow. Uh, no, that was the look that was reserved for, like, a field hand. That was considered, like, what we would call, like a redneck or something like that. Someone that's like the lowest of the low. And these. These wealthy types wanted to maintain their ghostly complexion. So here's the thing. The story of the word posh. That is my word. That was a long preamble to get there. I know, but, Ben, you know I love a good acronym.
Ben Bolan
That's true.
Noel Brown
You know, I. You know this about me, Frank. You know this about me. I'm always talking about acronyms. The house.
Frank Mulheron
It's like the.
Noel Brown
I won't shut up. I'm like, acronym, acronym, acronym. Yet I can't seem to think of one.
Frank Mulheron
Get it?
Ben Bolan
Yeah.
Noel Brown
So let's name some radar Race car. It's a palindrome. It's not an acronym.
Ben Bolan
Just want to chime in here. One of my favorite palindromes. Dr. Awkward. Really?
Public Investing Announcer
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Frank Mulheron
Beautiful.
Noel Brown
Also one of my favorite Spider man villains.
Frank Mulheron
No, wait a second.
Noel Brown
I know.
Frank Mulheron
My favorite is Lonely Tylenol.
Ben Bolan
Wow, that's a good one.
Noel Brown
Yeah.
Ben Bolan
But palindromes may be something for a different tale, right?
Noel Brown
Did you know that the word palindrome is itself a palindrome?
Ben Bolan
I'm pretty sure it might be in some other language.
Noel Brown
Okay, okay, that's fair. So I'll tell you. The story of the word posh is really fascinating because there is a popularly circulated, let's call it, I don't know, rumored origin of this word, that these mucky muck English types that were going on their holiday to India via steamship required a very particular type of seat. So they would not get that tan. So they wanted to sit in the part of the ship that would shield them from the afternoon sun, which is the hottest of the hot during the day, when you're out on the open sea, which would, according to this version of events, be the right or the starboard side. And then when you came back, they wanted it to be on the left or the port side. So therein you have the acronym P O, S H, Port side out, starboard home, meaning on the voyage there, you'd sit on the port side. On the voyage back, you'd sit on the starboard side. And supposedly, according to this tale, these tickets would be stamped with posh. And it got so popular that people just started asking for the posh ticket. We want the posh ticket. How posh turns out. This is garbage. This story is not true at all. And there's great reason. It's so garbage and so questionable that Snopes has a fantastic article dissecting all of these various versions of the story. And they have a couple of reasons that this does not make sense. First of all, the way the sun would move in a journey like this would be different depending on the day.
Ben Bolan
Right.
Noel Brown
This is a very long and arduous journey. And they, you know, you couldn't really bank on where the sun would be. Exactly.
Frank Mulheron
Yeah.
Ben Bolan
It makes its own rules.
Noel Brown
It does make its own rules. And that's the thing. The winds, there were monsoon winds that would be in play, and they would change from season to season. So it would change seasonally. You know, like, maybe not day to day, but certainly seasonally. And there's. Here's the other part. Here's the other rub as they say, which is another idiom we should explore. There it is. Yeah, there it is right there. They these trips were so long and difficult that they wouldn't book a round trip. They would be staying in India for a long time to make it worth their while. They might stay months, some might even stay for like a year or so. They would not book that return trip until they knew damn well they were ready to come home.
Frank Mulheron
It's very posh of them.
Noel Brown
It's so posh. And so the real origin of the word posh came around in 1830. And the thing about posh, too, is the reason stories like this can take hold is because its origins are a little bit murky. But there are some origins in the Romani language of the early 17th century where it was a term that meant money. The term was posh huri, which was their version of a half pence. So then the word posh kind of stuck around and started to mean money. Money equals. You are so money. You are so well to do. You are so posh. That makes a lot of sense to me. And now we use that term to mean anyone that moneyed or looking fancy or looking like whatever their getup is would have cost a good bit, you know.
Ben Bolan
That's amazing. I have to admit, it was a little bit of an emotional roller coaster for me, Noel, because I got quite into the idea of Posh Spice's full name being Port side Out Starboard Home Spice.
Noel Brown
That would be good. That would be good. And a point that I love the Snopes article makes, is that the Brits of this period, and honestly, humans in general, big fans of scrapbooking. Scrapbooking is a. It was a super fashionable thing to do and not a single one of these posh stamped tickets exists in the world.
Ben Bolan
Ah, busted. It's debunked.
Noel Brown
Yeah, so, yeah, totally debunked.
Frank Mulheron
But the Brits love to say posh. That's probably where I know the term from.
Noel Brown
Of course, you're a posh dandy. You know, you're like a posh dandy tripping the light fantastic.
Ben Bolan
There we go.
Frank Mulherron
I like that line from Peep show where it's like he calls him a posh spaz. You probably iron your socks.
Ben Bolan
That's right, exactly. Also, also, I propose that we take it upon ourselves to bring back posh as a slang term for money. There's always. There's so many. I think you can pull it off and no one will bust you. You know what I mean? Like, if you say how much posh is that they'll just say it's 4.35.
Noel Brown
I think that works totally. There's some like. You ever heard of like scratch? You ever heard of someone calling money scratch?
Ben Bolan
Sure. Cheddar.
Noel Brown
Posh is way cooler.
Ben Bolan
Yeah, posh is way cooler.
Noel Brown
You got the posh.
Frank Mulheron
Definitely more fashionable.
Noel Brown
Sounds like something Ali G would say.
Frank Mulheron
You would say booyakasha.
Noel Brown
Exactly.
Frank Mulheron
Booyah. Pasha.
Ben Bolan
Oh my gosh.
Noel Brown
Oh, boy.
Frank Mulheron
All right, come on.
Ryan Seacrest
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Ryan Seacrest
It.
Frank Mulherron
Good.
Ben Bolan
Now we now we turn to let's see what what? You got something Frank? You got one for us?
Frank Mulherron
Sure. I Was looking at what's cracking in. What's cracking in on tonight. Do y' all have what's cracking. Do y' all have any idea of what's going on?
Noel Brown
Like some. Some.
Ben Bolan
What's the haps?
Frank Mulherron
Yeah, what's the haps? What's the buzz? What's the cracking? You know, what's the new gossip?
Ben Bolan
What's the four one. One.
Noel Brown
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Frank Mulherron
And so I was looking into this and, you know, it's not something that's native to America.
Frank Mulheron
It's.
Frank Mulherron
But it's been around in England for a while. And specifically it comes from the Ulster area and the Scots Irish area of the British Isles. And originally it was spelled, you know, like the way we spell it now, like C R A, C K. So
Noel Brown
that was American then? It was an Americanized version or.
Frank Mulherron
No, well, no, no, no. It was originally in. As Middle English and it was just like. In it, you know, it was related to the sound. But it. But in this particular usage of it, it pertained to, like, a lot of chatter, basically. Like people, you know, you go into a loud bar, restaurant, you hear just, you know, white noise.
Ben Bolan
Yeah, yeah.
Noel Brown
I believe they call them pubs over there.
Ben Bolan
Yeah, yeah. So a Mary cacophony.
Frank Mulherron
Yes, exactly. Exactly. And so very nice.
Frank Mulheron
I spent.
Frank Mulherron
What I found really interesting about this was that it's an example of a reborrowing. So it was primarily used in Scotland, Northern England, and in Northern Ireland. It really wasn't used in Ireland. Even though we associate, you know, when people say, where's the crack? Or what's the crack?
Noel Brown
That is not what I think of when people say where's the crack? I'm thinking of something completely different.
Frank Mulherron
Oh, yeah, yeah, totally. But, yeah, but say if you were in Ireland and somebody asked you that, you know, they would just take you to a cool bar, you know, a restaurant or whatever, and then sell you some crack. Sell you some crack and then you'd continue about your night. So cracks use in mainland Ireland or the non Northern Ireland part really is more of a recent thing and kind of started in the late 60s. And what happened was they took crack and galicized it and started to spell it C R, A, I, C. You know, so they don't have a K in Gaelic. And I don't know why they chose to put an I in front of.
Noel Brown
That's what I'm saying. It looks like a more Middle English version. Like, I would think of it like, you know, the crake was in the whiskey and the leapy deeps and all that kind of stuff.
Ben Bolan
Yes, exactly. It's got a Jabberwocky vibe to it as well.
Noel Brown
Really? In the sleety toots?
Ben Bolan
Yes, yes, the guy. So I wonder if it's related to archaic in any way just because of that. AI.
Frank Mulherron
It's just an example of the Irish taking this word and giving it a more Gaelic sort of rebranding. And that's really kind of like what it turns into, because it turns into this Gaelic spelling of it, and it becomes associated with Irish nightlife culture and just going out and having fun and raising hell and all that kind of stuff. And then it ends up coming back into English by way of Ireland. And it kind of now means, like, fun nightlife, gossip, and all this kind of stuff, but with the kind of Irish flavor to it.
Ben Bolan
So are we. Are we having crack now? Is that. Is this what we're doing?
Frank Mulherron
I'd like to hope so. I hope so.
Ben Bolan
For real. Okay.
Frank Mulheron
All right. Is that how you would say it, too, or having cracked?
Noel Brown
Yeah, yeah.
Frank Mulherron
We're having a crack.
Frank Mulheron
And having a crack.
Ben Bolan
I feel very strange, very fake. Say, like, if you're having a good crack.
Frank Mulheron
Yeah.
Ben Bolan
I went to Dublin last year, and what surprised me is I had heard people use this phrase, but I had no idea what it meant. And I was never in a situation where I wanted to stop someone and be like, pardon me, fellow Irish person, you know what I mean? What. What is this crack of which you speak?
Frank Mulheron
Take a crack.
Noel Brown
And where can I get some? I'm sorry, I keep leaning on that, but it's. I can't. I can't unhear that. So to me, what. What occurred? What. What comes to mind is what's cracking.
Ben Bolan
Yes, sure.
Noel Brown
And I also. Another popular British expression is a cracking good time.
Ben Bolan
Exactly.
Noel Brown
So if you're saying that's cracking good, you know, that just. I think it just means that it's super exciting and fun and upbeat. High energy.
Frank Mulherron
Yeah, totally. And one interesting thing I came across with this is that it's kind of of now that it's become readopted by English speakers, it's now kind of, like, seen as kind of like, emblematic of the Disney ification of Irish culture. You saw, like, the proliferation of, like, Irish pubs in the 90s, you know,
Noel Brown
and that tipsy McStumbles.
Frank Mulherron
Exactly.
Noel Brown
I didn't make that up. And Frank and I's hometown of Augusta, Georgia, which she mentioned last episode, there is an Irish bar that's sort of like an Irish bar, hooters, called Tipsy McStumbles.
Ryan Seacrest
Wow.
Noel Brown
If that's not the most offensive cultural appropriation that I can think of off the top of my head, I don't know what it is.
Frank Mulherron
You know, there are a lot of really cool examples of reborrowing that I thought were really interesting. You know, like, you know how like animation in English and then in Japan there's anime and then now in English animation that has this from Japan or Japanimation Japan.
Noel Brown
Nobody says that. Nobody says you're not supposed to say that. That will get you punched by fans of the medium.
Frank Mulheron
Yeah, yeah.
Frank Mulherron
So it's come full circle back to anime.
Ben Bolan
So I have a question. Can we as Americans use this phrase or are we being jerks?
Frank Mulherron
I would, if I was going over there, I would be like, listen, I don't want, I don't want, I don't want this Mickey Mouse don't. Donald Duck crack. You know, I'm looking for the real thing. You know, don't send me to where the tourists are.
Noel Brown
Okay.
Frank Mulheron
I feel like I'm not into Donald Duck crack either, personally.
Noel Brown
Oh my goodness. Last thing, real quick. I keep seeing this on the Internet. When I'm looking at this. The crack was 90. Why isn't it 100? Yes. Why is it only 90?
Frank Mulherron
That is the highest gradation of cracking.
Noel Brown
Bad level crack.
Frank Mulherron
If you go back past crack 90, then you've entered into minus crack where you've had too good of a time and you know, you said some terrible things and gotten into a fight and bloody minus crack.
Frank Mulheron
I can't even do it.
Public Investing Announcer
Cancel.
Ben Bolan
You.
Noel Brown
You were canceled this season, right?
Frank Mulheron
You were so minus crack.
Noel Brown
That was fantastic. I first of all, when you texted the group saying that, I thought you were misspelling a word and I was like, I don't know what this is, but I am, I am delighted. This I literally learned.
Ben Bolan
Yeah, I didn't want to, I didn't want to mention it in our off air talks because I thought you would like have more fun.
Noel Brown
So you knew about it? You knew what it was?
Ben Bolan
Yeah, because people talk about it. I actually, when we were there, we ended up entirely through accident staying next to the most notorious club in Dublin, which is a place called Copper Faced Jacks. I don't want to go too far into detail on it, but if you are buy a computer that is not associated with your work, feel free to Google it and check out what happens at Copperface Jacks. I hear it's ragin crack. It's at 90. Am I doing that right? Yeah. Oh, crack 90 crack 90 we should do. We should do. There's some T shirt ideas here, guys. These are T shirt ideas right in.
Noel Brown
Let us know.
Frank Mulherron
Yeah, I'll wear any shirt with crack on it.
Ben Bolan
That's what people say about you.
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest For Albertsons and Safeway it is. Stock up savings time now through March 31st. Spring in for storewide deals and earn four times at points. Look for in store tax to earn on eligible items from Smart Water, Healthy Choice, Continental, arrowhead, Red Bull, St James, Tillamook and Special K. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more. Enjoy savings on top of savings. When you shop in store or online for easy drive up and go, pickup or delivery restrictions apply. See website for full terms and conditions.
Bethenny Frankel
We're lost. It feels like we're going round in circles. I'm gonna ask that man for directions. Hi there. We're trying to get to the state fairgrounds.
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Noel Brown
Nah, I'm just kidding. Let me get my phone out.
Bethenny Frankel
How is there signal out here?
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And there's a five year price guarantee too. Okay, here's the turn.
Bethenny Frankel
Actually, can you pull up the way to a T mobile store?
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Bethenny Frankel
is Bethenny Frankel from Just Be with Bethany Frankel. Let me be blunt. Most dog food is junk. It just is. And I'm not feeding junk to Biggie and Smalls. That is why they eat just food for dogs.
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Ben Bolan
I have one you guys. It might surprise you. Have you ever felt that you were doing Something or involved in some kind of project that felt too improvised, somewhat haphazard.
Noel Brown
Like this podcast.
Ben Bolan
No, we had a. Hey, we had a plan.
Noel Brown
We had a text. We had a text.
Ben Bolan
We had a text threat.
Frank Mulheron
So irreverence is the name of the game.
Noel Brown
Yeah. More loosey goosey than this, is what you're saying.
Ben Bolan
And not loose secrecy, but that's a great one, too.
Frank Mulheron
It's true.
Ben Bolan
The phrase willy nilly, which is for older generations.
Noel Brown
No, I'm sorry. Just willy nilly, loosey goosey. They're both kind of similar. Sing songy.
Ben Bolan
They've got some whimsy to them.
Frank Mulheron
Right.
Ben Bolan
They're a bit je. June, but willy nilly. Now, it's something you would associate with. Let's be honest. Maybe a child, a teacher, or an older person. Say, in a way like if you've ever seen a very wholesome person get angry, they would use a phrase like willy nilly. Like, you cannot be out all hours of the night driving willy nilly. Hither and yon.
Noel Brown
Hither and thither, even.
Ben Bolan
Yes, yes.
Noel Brown
Pall Mall.
Ben Bolan
So nowadays, in 2019, we associate this with the definition that I think we all recognized instantly. Doing something without a good set of directions, lackluster planning, somewhat haphazardly. Which reminds us. I feel terrible. Super producer Casey Pegram. We went willy nilly into the beginning of this podcast.
Noel Brown
We ran roughshod over our normal top of the show. Shout out to Casey.
Ben Bolan
Yes, please give us this. Yes, we are penitent.
Noel Brown
I blame you, Rowan.
Frank Mulheron
What? Come on.
Ben Bolan
We blame Rowan.
Frank Mulheron
Oh, look, I'm sorry, Casey. Do you forgive me?
Ben Bolan
I forgive you.
Frank Mulheron
Oh, listen to that, huh?
Noel Brown
Casey on the case.
Frank Mulheron
Yeah, and it sounded very sincere. So why don't you guys need to take a deep breath? All right, we're good.
Ben Bolan
So Willy Nilly is much older than you might originally suspect. The phrase that survives now. W I L L Y N I L L Y is the winner of a long battle between various different spellings. And it's even become a great fake name if you guys are into those. William Niliam. Who's gonna use that at the airport next?
Frank Mulheron
Every hotel.
Ben Bolan
I stay at every hotel. So the early meaning of the word nil is key to the understanding. It used to mean originally with or your will. So come hell or high water is closer to the original version of willy nilly. Because the early meaning of the word nil, it was the opposite of will, a contraction of nay. Will. So.
Noel Brown
Oh, my gosh.
Ben Bolan
So I blow my mind. So I nil. Do That I will not do that.
Frank Mulheron
Yeah.
Noel Brown
Webster's defines it as whether you like it or not.
Ben Bolan
Yep. And so I've always wanted to say
Noel Brown
Webster's defines it as sorry, Perfect.
Frank Mulheron
Shout out to Webster's.
Ben Bolan
So will I nil. I can be expanded into be I willing, be I unwilling. Combining the two sentiments with the implication that it doesn't matter how you feel about it, you are stuck doing this thing. I got a lot of this information from one of my favorite word websites, which is world wide words. It is a treasure trove, a cavalcade of very, very strange phrases and interest
Noel Brown
backstory of the guy that maintained it.
Ben Bolan
Right? Yeah. Yeah. He is no longer actively updating the site, but Michael Quinion has spent his entire life studying this. He's a one man army and it's fascinating just the sheer bulk of stuff he described. So shout out to you, Mike. And thanks for putting this together. So the phrase itself dates back at least a thousand years. The earliest known version was in an old English text called Lives of Saints. The line is, for in thee we sing, Saint, fool and skolen bone ID mode. Will we nill we. I don't know what he's talking about, but willy nilly.
Noel Brown
Willy nilly. I did. And something about skating and bone.
Frank Mulheron
What was it?
Noel Brown
Skanks and bones.
Ben Bolan
Sin. Sinful and stolen Bone. Edmod.
Noel Brown
Ed mode.
Ben Bolan
Ed mode.
Noel Brown
I'm in Ed mode.
Frank Mulheron
I'm in edmod.
Ben Bolan
Bro, you're so Ed mode right now.
Noel Brown
That's like when you like actively are sort of like a dweeb. Like I'm in full Ed mode.
Ben Bolan
And then it kind of.
Noel Brown
I don't know why. Sorry to all that.
Ben Bolan
No, this is great. These are going to be T shirts. And then it occurs in the Taming the Shrew in 1596 with its original meaning. Petruchio, speaking to Katharina, says, thus in plain terms, your father hath consented that you shall be my wife. Your dowry, greed. On. And will you Nil you. I will marry you. Super creepy dude.
Frank Mulherron
Wow.
Noel Brown
Yeah. Yeah. That's not a good look for Petruchio. What's his name?
Ben Bolan
That's right.
Noel Brown
Oh, I got it.
Ben Bolan
You nailed it, man. And this is just a. I think a great example of how previously, maybe not sinister, but previously more combative or less innocuous terms become these fun things that we throw around now. You know what I mean? You're not. You're like the odds of you being in an altercation and someone saying, will you or nil you in a Threatening manner. That's just safely not going to happen.
Noel Brown
Yeah, no, I totally agree. I do have to say, Ben, I use this one quite a lot.
Ben Bolan
Ah, yeah.
Frank Mulheron
You use it Willy Nilly.
Noel Brown
I use it Willy Nilly.
Ben Bolan
Just.
Noel Brown
Just every which way. Yeah, I really do. I really, really like Willy Nilly.
Frank Mulheron
Oh, come on.
Ben Bolan
I keep thinking of. What's that song?
Frank Mulheron
Willy Bully.
Ben Bolan
I keep thinking of the song Wooly Bully, but just with the lyrics replaced. Willy Nilly.
Noel Brown
I like it.
Ben Bolan
Which actually works.
Noel Brown
I do. But honestly, though, when I use it, though, I use it in kind of a Larry David kind of like, grumpy old man way where I'm like, you can't just go doing this stuff willy nilly, you know, like, you know, it's this idea of there's got to be a little order involved.
Ben Bolan
Yeah.
Noel Brown
You can't just go.
Frank Mulheron
You can't just be going out, you
Noel Brown
know, doing whatever it is you're doing. Whatever the case might be.
Frank Mulheron
Who knows?
Frank Mulherron
Can't be haphazard or pell mel.
Ben Bolan
Pall Mall.
Frank Mulheron
Yes.
Noel Brown
Which is so funny because they're cigarettes. I was about to say Paul or Grandpa. Cigarettes. Who also say Willy Nilly, probably. But Grandpa's pronounce it Pall Mall. And if you look at the. The pack, it's clearly Pall Mall.
Ben Bolan
Yeah.
Noel Brown
And they're still around, but apparently they're like that. That's one of these examples of willful disagreement of an obvious pronunciation. You know, like, I love that.
Frank Mulherron
Maybe they're just like, I'm gonna smoke this as fast as possible, and I
Frank Mulheron
don't have time to read the box.
Ben Bolan
A person with things to do. So that's the story. So we have posh. We have crack. We took a crack at crack. And then we have Willy Nilly. But we weren't quite Willy nilly with this episode because we did have a plan. We did promise everyone in the beginning that we would each present an idiom. And Rowan, since you are an alumni. Alumnus.
Frank Mulheron
Alumnar. Alum.
Noel Brown
Aluminium.
Frank Mulheron
Aluminium.
Ben Bolan
Since you are in fact built largely from aluminium. No, that is correct.
Frank Mulheron
I am a tin man.
Ben Bolan
We would like to give the honor to you. You have the last idiom. Now, this means that if the three of us have really dropped the ball here, I don't know where that one comes from, then it's no pressure on you to save the show.
Frank Mulheron
Yeah, I don't feel pressured by that statement at all.
Ben Bolan
Good. Because Nolan Fr gave you some serious nods and want you to know that we're not joking.
Frank Mulheron
Okay. They all just Crack their knuckles. And they're looking at me very sternly. Want everyone to know. Can you hear those knuckles cracking?
Ben Bolan
Yeah.
Frank Mulheron
K you.
Noel Brown
That is not Foley. That is. That is in the room.
Frank Mulheron
Wow. Okay, well, I'm triggered by that. Sweating bullets right now. Put that on your list, by the
Noel Brown
way, because I'm tripping balls right now.
Frank Mulheron
Tripping the balls. Fantastic.
Noel Brown
Got it.
Frank Mulheron
Yeah. There's actually a dry erase board behind Ben. Or he puts a tally of every accidental idiom we utter.
Noel Brown
Ben literally keeps score in all things.
Frank Mulheron
In all things podcast related.
Ben Bolan
I'm super petty.
Frank Mulheron
I'm kidding, but sure. Yeah. Here we go. Let's jump in. This is a lesser known idiom for the people out there harboxing the Runway. If you're not familiar with this, it refers to someone who's maybe showboating or peacocking a bit, you know, maybe accidentally alienating a crowd, as opposed to enlightening with their flair and mild superiority. But, like, big personality mostly.
Ben Bolan
I've heard this, but I have no idea where it comes from. Is it like a. Is like a European thing or is it.
Frank Mulheron
You know, I think its origins are English, but. But I think English. So, yeah, European. Okay, wait a minute, wait a minute.
Noel Brown
Think. Did you do the homework?
Frank Mulheron
I did the homework. Come on.
Ben Bolan
We were really picking on rowing today.
Frank Mulheron
Well, it is one of those expressions that feels fake, but I promise it's not. So.
Ben Bolan
What? Okay, so. So lay it on us, man. Sure. What's the etymology? Is there a story behind this?
Frank Mulheron
Well, there's a man by the name of Alexander Benson. Okay. Who was the great grandfather of somebody who I know. And Admiral Nicholas von Benson, who has shared this wisdom with. It evidently stems from old brigantine ships. And there was something called a. Like, you know, the front of the ship is the bow and the back is the port. Correct or. No, the port is the stern.
Bethenny Frankel
Thank you.
Frank Mulheron
And so in the back of the ship's where you steer the ship. And if somebody was steering the ship, they would have this semblance of, you know, kind of arrogance. They'd be taking up a lot of, you know, they're like, oh, I'm in control of this ship. So they were often known as the Harbucks. They were Harbucksing. Oh, okay. And the Runway being like. They're the passageway from the port or the starboard.
Ben Bolan
Oh, okay.
Frank Mulheron
All right. The stern is in the back, I'm saying. But when you look forward.
Noel Brown
Ah, yes.
Frank Mulheron
Because they get this whole, like, vista of the entire ship and the sea because they're steering the ship.
Noel Brown
So they're sort of like hogging the. The spotlight a little bit.
Frank Mulheron
Exactly. Yeah. And they can be a little braggadocious, but they're doing the job. You know, I think it's kind of a unintentional type of par.
Frank Mulherron
Box, like flexing on the gram or something.
Frank Mulheron
Sure, yeah.
Ben Bolan
A more archaic version, perhaps.
Frank Mulheron
Yes. Why not very archaic?
Ben Bolan
Because I haven't. I gotta be honest. Like, I haven't. I'm familiar with it. I'm sure a lot of us listening are, but I haven't heard it in the modern day. You know what I mean?
Frank Mulheron
Yeah. Well, you know, much like willy nilly, people aren't or will to the nil or whatever it was, folks aren't using this as a as often as they should. You know, frankly, I'm a little upset that people often try to call me on this, but it is real as the table we're in front of.
Ben Bolan
Right. We are not sitting down. We're standing at the table in a line.
Frank Mulheron
Real as the table in front of us. You can put that on the tally board.
Ben Bolan
All right. Do you think people should bring this back? Back?
Frank Mulheron
I. I strongly suggest it would be for the. The benefit of all if we. Because you got to call people on their. On their BS.
Noel Brown
Oh.
Frank Mulheron
Often. You know what I'm saying?
Noel Brown
Oh. So. Okay. So I'm gonna. Okay. Is, is, Is any of this true?
Frank Mulheron
Yeah. All right. What?
Noel Brown
I don't know, man.
Frank Mulheron
I wrote a bunch of other fake things if you want me to read. Yes, yes. I mean real things.
Ben Bolan
Oh, okay. Yeah.
Frank Mulheron
Because I did actually Google the word hard. Harbuck. Because, you know, this is what the Internet's for, Right? Sure. Okay. Harbuck could have ties to a Gaelic expression. Harbuck, which was a surname or habitational name taken from Arbuckle, a parish of air dry Lancashire. I think I'm pronouncing that incorrectly, but it's Gaelic. Yes, fine.
Ben Bolan
Wow. Really? That's Gaelic?
Frank Mulheron
It's Gaelic.
Ben Bolan
So we've got crack and we came back around.
Frank Mulheron
Exactly. We're back. And he was talking about ships at the beginning of the. The show.
Noel Brown
Wow.
Ben Bolan
Yeah.
Frank Mulheron
Think about that. It's almost as though I'm definitely usual suspecting.
Noel Brown
Almost as though you invented or. I'm sorry, discovered the perfect crystallization of everything that we did in this episode. Summed up in a completely believable and meticulously researched idiom.
Ryan Seacrest
I.
Frank Mulheron
You know, I couldn't have said it better myself. I. I'm patting myself on the back. However, Nicholas Von Vince. Admiral deserves a large amount of the credit as well, I must say.
Noel Brown
Was he the harb. Was he the original Harbucks?
Frank Mulheron
He was the original person to Harbucks the Runway.
Noel Brown
I should say this wouldn't an admiral. He would just be commanding. He wouldn't be steering.
Frank Mulheron
He was kind of a dick about it.
Noel Brown
Okay, that's.
Ben Bolan
Some people are really hands on, you know?
Noel Brown
Yeah.
Frank Mulheron
So people. Yeah, exactly. Because, you know, it's. You know, there are shifts.
Ben Bolan
It's also a power move.
Frank Mulheron
Exactly.
Ben Bolan
You know, like, you're an admiral, you want people to know you still got it.
Frank Mulheron
Yeah, he would often just, like, shift. Hey, guys, look at me. Hey, check out the. The steering on this guy, huh?
Noel Brown
Got really good handling. Really good handling.
Frank Mulheron
Yeah. And then people would be swabbing the poop deck like, that's nice, sir. That's great.
Ben Bolan
Well, you know what? I say we take this to our favorite court, because if anyone can get to the bottom of the veracity of this figure of speech, it will be our super producer, Casey Pegram. Casey, question for you. When was the last time you heard Harboxing the Runway?
Frank Mulheron
I would estimate about an hour ago when we were talking about it outside before recording.
Ben Bolan
This is new to you?
Frank Mulheron
It's a new one to me. But, you know, it feels like it should be real, so it has that going for it.
Ben Bolan
What are you saying?
Frank Mulheron
Should be real, Casey? I thought we were. I mean, you know, all language is constructed, so, I mean, really, what is real. Yeah. Versus fake. Yeah. Thank you. And that's actually something I texted Noel earlier.
Noel Brown
That's very true.
Ryan Seacrest
You did.
Noel Brown
So be it true. Will he nil.
Frank Mulheron
He.
Noel Brown
You know, I. I think it demonstrates the malleability of language and the power of belief, which is what we're all about here on ridiculous History.
Frank Mulheron
That is correct.
Ben Bolan
It's like our main thing. It's our malleability.
Frank Mulheron
It's our main thing.
Ben Bolan
It's one of our main things. So, guys, again, thank you so much for dropping by and helping shed some light on the mysteries of etymology. For those of us listening, we want to thank you for all the responses we received to our previous idiomatic for the people write in. Let us know some of your favorite figures of speech, turns of phrase, idioms. Also, if you speak languages other than English, what's something that you think sounds really strange in English but is very common in some other language? That's an episode all its own.
Frank Mulherron
There are some great ones.
Noel Brown
Thanks to you, my dear friend. My dear old friend, Frank Mulherron. Coiner of idiomatic for the people, ephemeral friend of the show. And now what's the opposite of ephemeral, Concrete, lasting, corporeal. Friend of the show.
Ben Bolan
Part of the.
Noel Brown
It's been a long time coming. Thanks for being here, man.
Frank Mulherron
Thanks for having me.
Noel Brown
I know you had to rush over here from, from work and it means the world. Rowan Newby.
Ben Bolan
Yeah, thanks so much, Rowan. You can find, you can find Mr. Newby on his own show Pitches, which is a comedy podcast about the evaluation of ideas.
Frank Mulheron
Correct.
Ben Bolan
A panoply of ideas. Right?
Frank Mulheron
That is correct. Very good word. Yeah, you know, it's like Shark Tank, minus all the stress and money and plus all the chatter and fun and irreverence and so, yeah, it's pretty off the cuff. I got Ben Bolan here, actually coming up on an episode and I got Noel Brown here on one that's airing today. How do you like them apples?
Ben Bolan
So you can check it out now wherever you find your favorite podcast.
Frank Mulheron
That's correct. Apple podcast, Spotify. All the things you get on there, baby. It's podcast. Get it?
Ben Bolan
You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Meet one of our favorite parts of the show, your fellow listeners on our Facebook ridiculous historians.
Noel Brown
Big thanks to super producer Casey Pegram. Big thanks to our research associate Gabe Luzier. And thanks to Alex Williams who composed our ever so ear wormy theme and
Ben Bolan
as we said in previous episode, write it. And let us know if there were any figures of speech or turns of phrase that we used unconsciously. I'm sure they were in there. You can find my personal Instagram, Benbolan and hey, Noel, you're on the Internet.
Noel Brown
Yeah, I'm on the Internet at Embryonic Insider double ats. It's the only way you can find it. I'm kidding. Just a single app.
Ben Bolan
Willy nilly. Great crack, folks. Stay tuned for our next episode when we do something that we guarantee will be ridiculous.
Noel Brown
Yeah, that's the least we can guarantee. We'll see you next time. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Ryan Seacrest
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Chelsea Handler
This is Chelsea Handler from Dear Chelsea after the Big Game like most people, I kept thinking about the commercials and there was one that stayed with me. It was from the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, and it wasn't loud or flashy. It showed a Jewish kid being targeted at school and another student who chose not to ignore it. As someone who was Jewish, that moment felt very real to me. Not dramatic, just familiar. And what struck me was how clearly it showed that hate doesn't always announce itself, but the impact is still huge. If you saw the Blue Square spot during the Big Game, it's worth thinking about. And if you want to show support, sharing the Blue Square is one small way to do that.
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Bethenny Frankel
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Date: March 14, 2026
Hosts: Ben Bowlin, Noel Brown
Guests: Rowan Newby, Frank Mulheron
This episode is the second half of "Idiomatic for the People II," where the Ridiculous History team continues their rollicking, joke-laden exploration of the curious origins and tales behind English idioms. Packed with etymological nerdiness, digressions, and playful banter, hosts Ben and Noel — joined by returning guests Rowan Newby and Frank Mulheron — each present and dissect a favorite idiom, revealing both truths and myths from language history. Jokes about sitcom themes, palindromes, and meta-podcasting abound.
Presenter: Noel Brown
Presenter: Frank Mulheron
Presenter: Ben Bowlin
Presenter: Rowan Newby
Noel Brown, on myth origins:
“Turns out. This is garbage. This story is not true at all.” (10:49)
Ben Bowlin, in praise of archival websites:
“World Wide Words...is a treasure trove, a cavalcade of very, very strange phrases and...” (35:54)
Frank Mulheron (on language borrowing):
“It’s an example of a reborrowing...it becomes associated with Irish nightlife culture...and then it ends up coming back into English by way of Ireland.” (23:06)
On "crack was 90":
“That is the highest gradation of cracking. If you go back past crack 90, then you’ve entered into minus crack.” (26:36)
Rowan Newby, satirizing his own etymology:
“Is any of this true?...I wrote a bunch of other fake things if you want me to read...I mean real things.” (44:31–44:34)
Meta-Reflection:
“All language is constructed, so, I mean, really, what is real? Versus fake?” (46:57)
This episode offers both laughs and legitimate linguistic history, exploring the real and fantastical stories behind colorful idioms. From debunking travel myths about "posh," to unraveling the cross-cultural journey of "craic," to the age-old roots of "willy nilly," and finally, inventing (or possibly inventing) new idioms altogether — the Ridiculous History team once again makes language fun, approachable, and just a little bit ridiculous.
Stay tuned for more episodes that are guaranteed, if nothing else, to be absolutely ridiculous!