Podcast Summary: The Gist

Episode: Mike Vuolo & Bob Garfield: "Life Is a Flat Pizza Bagel"
Date: November 24, 2025
Host: Mike Pesca (Peach Fish Productions)
Guests: Bob Garfield & Mike Vuolo (Lexicon Valley Podcast)

Episode Overview

In this lively and wide-ranging conversation, Mike Pesca reunites with long-time friends and colleagues Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo, the original and current co-hosts of the language podcast Lexicon Valley. Together, they explore the quirky intersections of language, culture, and food—anchored by the titular "pizza bagel" as a symbol of hybrid identity. The episode dives into the origin of meme-ified slang (especially the "6, 7" phenomenon), the process of naming Words of the Year, and the etymology and surprising developments of the word "gist." The exchange is warm, nostalgic, and often irreverent, full of gleeful tangents and pop-cultural digressions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reunion & Lexicon Valley Origins

Pesca welcomes Garfield and Vuolo, likening their return as co-hosts to Deep Purple reuniting (08:30).
Celebrates the fluid history of Lexicon Valley, referencing John McWhorter's time as host (08:45).

2. "Pizza Bagel": Ethnic Identity & Culinary Mashups

Origins: The guys debate the origins and social uses of the term "pizza bagel," noting it's a label given especially to people of mixed Italian/Jewish heritage, but also an actual food (09:11).
- Mike Vuolo: "I've been trying to trace the term pizza bagel... it's hard because a pizza bagel is an actual thing that predates the term" (09:11).
- Pesca: Cites being used as an example of the term in Tablet magazine (09:27).
Cultural Comedy: Pesca, Vuolo, and Garfield share regional anecdotes about Long Island malls, "Matzah Pizza," and Massapequa (10:51).
Culinary Opinions: Garfield and Vuolo offer strong (and humorous) opinions on bagel purity and distaste for sweet or pizza-topped bagels:
- Garfield: "I can tell you I don't think a bagel should have almost anything except maybe onion... Once you start putting cinnamon and red sauce on them, I'm out." (12:12)
- Vuolo: "It's a shonda." (12:37)

3. The "6, 7" Meme: Origins & Spread

A Deep Dive into Viral Slang

What is "6, 7"?
- Pesca cues up the topic: "The word of the year was 6, 7... do you feel obligated to get into if 67 is a word or why does it deserve to be word of the year?" (12:45)
Breaking Down the Meme:
- Mike Vuolo gives a thorough chronology:
  - Origins in "Doot Doot," a drill rap song by Philadelphia rapper Skrilla; "6, 7" is a cryptic line in the song (16:03).
  - Viral spread via NBA highlights of LaMelo Ball (who is 6'7"), social media videos by teen basketball player Taylon Kinney, and a middle school kid, Maverick Trevilian (19:15).
  - Vuolo: "People thought it must be about a basketball player... there were other theories—police codes, grave sizes—but nobody really knew" (21:04).
  - The real reference: Skrilla confirms "6, 7" refers to 67th Street in Philly, where his friends live (23:02).
- Why so viral?
  - The meme's meaning is functionally unmoored for most users; it primarily exists as a performative, absurd in-joke among middle schoolers—a "meme stock of language" (25:48).
  - Pesca: "It's the meme stock of language... The meaninglessness of it was central to its appeal" (26:00).
  - Garfield: "For most everybody who is memeifying it... it's a prolonged conceptual joke and the people who use it do it just to be subversive. It means nothing and everything at the same time." (24:59)
Comparison to Historical Slang:
- Extended riff on numbers in slang like "23 skidoo," diner-code "86," and the perils of retroactive etymology (26:00+).
- Garfield recounts the apocryphal explanations and "folk etymology" surrounding such slang (27:10).

4. Word of the Year: Process and Critique

Dictionaries vs. Societies:
- Discussion around how different bodies choose their "Word of the Year": Oxford's data-driven choices (e.g., "goblin mode," "brain rot") vs. the American Dialect Society's more performative or political selections (e.g., "ussy," "shitification") (34:50+).
  - Pesca: "Some people have suggested that dictionaries are just trying to be... political... but I really think... there's data behind all of these things." (37:13)
  - Vuolo: "For the American Dialect Society, though... it's a lot more about what these people... kind of want to vote for what they like." (38:48)
Data vs. Deliberation:
- Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com primarily analyze spikes in search data, while the American Dialect Society votes in a caucus-style setting among linguists and lexicographers (40:09).
- Humorous comparison to the Iowa Caucuses and Pat Buchanan ("Just a bunch of OCs, so we don't have to pay that much attention." - Garfield, 40:43).

5. Etymology: The Story Behind "Gist"

From Cemeteries to Courtrooms:
- Mike Vuolo launches into the etymology of "gist," beginning with its French roots in the phrase "ci git" ("here lies") on gravestones and its evolution through legal language ("cet action gist" = "this action lies") (42:05).
- Garfield playfully groans at the extended digression through French grammar and cemetery lore (46:23).
Modern Usage and Nigerian English:
- In Nigerian English, "gist" now means both gossip (noun) and to gossip/converse (verb):
  - "Let me gist you what happened at the event..." (49:07)
- Vuolo: "I think that the OED... needs to update that entry, because 'gist' is also a verb in Nigerian English, not just a noun." (49:10)
- Pesca shares how this variant of "gist" created confusion when Nigerian podcasts bearing the same name exploded onto search engines (50:00).

6. Listener Correspondence & Podcast Promotion (Final Section)

Listeners are encouraged to send any written or media references to "pizza bagel" to Booksmart Studios (52:59).
Garfield jokes he'd love to see the schematic drawing included in the original "pizza bagel" patent (52:48).
Pesca wraps up with thanks and plugs for both Lexicon Valley and his own show.

Notable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

On chasing the origins of “pizza bagel”:
- Mike Vuolo: “If your listeners can find an example from the 70s or 80s of somebody being called a pizza bagel... that would be amazing.” (09:39)
On meme culture and “6, 7”:
- Garfield: “For most everybody who is memeifying it... it means nothing and everything at the same time.” (24:59)
- Pesca: “It’s the meme stock of language. Right. And the reason that GameStop went to the moon was because it was random... the meaninglessness of it was central to its appeal.” (26:00)
On folk etymology:
- Garfield: “With 86, there was a story that couldn’t have been true, but, man, did people cite it to me...” (30:09)
On dictionary “Word of the Year” motivations:
- Pesca: “Some people have suggested that dictionaries are just trying to be... political and make political points... but I really think... there’s data behind all of these things.” (37:13)
On the etymology of "gist":
- Vuolo: “In Nigerian English... gist is also widely used and maybe even more so as a verb meaning... to converse or to talk in a fun or gossipy way.” (49:00)
- Pesca: “One day, 200 Nigerian shows came online, and they were all called The Gist of Things.” (50:00)
Classic Bob Garfield Retort:
- Garfield (on unnecessary digressions): “I believe... you could have started in the courtroom and left the cemetery out of it... but I feel like I was hanging around a cemetery for no reason.” (47:05)

Key Timestamps for Segment Reference

00:49 — Pesca begins the show and political commentary
09:10 — Introduction of Bob Garfield & Mike Vuolo
10:17–12:44 — Pizza bagel origins and opinions
13:16–15:28 — Word of the year: “6, 7” meme introduction
15:46–24:58 — Deep background and explanation of “6, 7” meme
25:48–27:56 — “6, 7” as absurd meme; linking to “meme stock” and other number slang
34:50–40:34 — Discussion of word of the year processes and critiques
41:12–49:42 — Etymology and cultural journey of “gist,” including its usage in Nigerian English
52:08–52:59 — Instructions for sending “pizza bagel” evidence; show wrap up

Episode Highlights & Tone

Warm, nostalgic, and quick-witted: The rapport between Pesca, Vuolo, and Garfield is full of affectionate ribbing, old in-jokes, and playful barbs.
Language as lived experience: The hosts blend rigorous language trivia with personal stories, bringing etymology and memetics down to earth and into today's pop and internet culture.
Meta-commentary: There's a recursive humor about podcasting, words, and the act of explaining (and over-explaining) language on air.

For More:

Find Lexicon Valley at Book Smart Studios
Send pizza bagel references to booksmartstudios@gmail.com
The Gist: Text MIKE to 233-777 for newsletter and paywall updates

Summary prepared for those who want both the gist and the origin story of the word.

Podcast Summary: The Gist

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reunion & Lexicon Valley Origins

Pesca welcomes Garfield and Vuolo, likening their return as co-hosts to Deep Purple reuniting (08:30).
Celebrates the fluid history of Lexicon Valley, referencing John McWhorter's time as host (08:45).

2. "Pizza Bagel": Ethnic Identity & Culinary Mashups

Origins: The guys debate the origins and social uses of the term "pizza bagel," noting it's a label given especially to people of mixed Italian/Jewish heritage, but also an actual food (09:11).
- Mike Vuolo: "I've been trying to trace the term pizza bagel... it's hard because a pizza bagel is an actual thing that predates the term" (09:11).
- Pesca: Cites being used as an example of the term in Tablet magazine (09:27).
Cultural Comedy: Pesca, Vuolo, and Garfield share regional anecdotes about Long Island malls, "Matzah Pizza," and Massapequa (10:51).
Culinary Opinions: Garfield and Vuolo offer strong (and humorous) opinions on bagel purity and distaste for sweet or pizza-topped bagels:
- Garfield: "I can tell you I don't think a bagel should have almost anything except maybe onion... Once you start putting cinnamon and red sauce on them, I'm out." (12:12)
- Vuolo: "It's a shonda." (12:37)

3. The "6, 7" Meme: Origins & Spread

A Deep Dive into Viral Slang

What is "6, 7"?
- Pesca cues up the topic: "The word of the year was 6, 7... do you feel obligated to get into if 67 is a word or why does it deserve to be word of the year?" (12:45)
Breaking Down the Meme:
- Mike Vuolo gives a thorough chronology:
  - Origins in "Doot Doot," a drill rap song by Philadelphia rapper Skrilla; "6, 7" is a cryptic line in the song (16:03).
  - Viral spread via NBA highlights of LaMelo Ball (who is 6'7"), social media videos by teen basketball player Taylon Kinney, and a middle school kid, Maverick Trevilian (19:15).
  - Vuolo: "People thought it must be about a basketball player... there were other theories—police codes, grave sizes—but nobody really knew" (21:04).
  - The real reference: Skrilla confirms "6, 7" refers to 67th Street in Philly, where his friends live (23:02).
- Why so viral?
  - The meme's meaning is functionally unmoored for most users; it primarily exists as a performative, absurd in-joke among middle schoolers—a "meme stock of language" (25:48).
  - Pesca: "It's the meme stock of language... The meaninglessness of it was central to its appeal" (26:00).
  - Garfield: "For most everybody who is memeifying it... it's a prolonged conceptual joke and the people who use it do it just to be subversive. It means nothing and everything at the same time." (24:59)
Comparison to Historical Slang:
- Extended riff on numbers in slang like "23 skidoo," diner-code "86," and the perils of retroactive etymology (26:00+).
- Garfield recounts the apocryphal explanations and "folk etymology" surrounding such slang (27:10).

4. Word of the Year: Process and Critique

Dictionaries vs. Societies:
- Discussion around how different bodies choose their "Word of the Year": Oxford's data-driven choices (e.g., "goblin mode," "brain rot") vs. the American Dialect Society's more performative or political selections (e.g., "ussy," "shitification") (34:50+).
  - Pesca: "Some people have suggested that dictionaries are just trying to be... political... but I really think... there's data behind all of these things." (37:13)
  - Vuolo: "For the American Dialect Society, though... it's a lot more about what these people... kind of want to vote for what they like." (38:48)
Data vs. Deliberation:
- Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com primarily analyze spikes in search data, while the American Dialect Society votes in a caucus-style setting among linguists and lexicographers (40:09).
- Humorous comparison to the Iowa Caucuses and Pat Buchanan ("Just a bunch of OCs, so we don't have to pay that much attention." - Garfield, 40:43).

5. Etymology: The Story Behind "Gist"

From Cemeteries to Courtrooms:
- Mike Vuolo launches into the etymology of "gist," beginning with its French roots in the phrase "ci git" ("here lies") on gravestones and its evolution through legal language ("cet action gist" = "this action lies") (42:05).
- Garfield playfully groans at the extended digression through French grammar and cemetery lore (46:23).
Modern Usage and Nigerian English:
- In Nigerian English, "gist" now means both gossip (noun) and to gossip/converse (verb):
  - "Let me gist you what happened at the event..." (49:07)
- Vuolo: "I think that the OED... needs to update that entry, because 'gist' is also a verb in Nigerian English, not just a noun." (49:10)
- Pesca shares how this variant of "gist" created confusion when Nigerian podcasts bearing the same name exploded onto search engines (50:00).

6. Listener Correspondence & Podcast Promotion (Final Section)

Listeners are encouraged to send any written or media references to "pizza bagel" to Booksmart Studios (52:59).
Garfield jokes he'd love to see the schematic drawing included in the original "pizza bagel" patent (52:48).
Pesca wraps up with thanks and plugs for both Lexicon Valley and his own show.

Notable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

On chasing the origins of “pizza bagel”:
- Mike Vuolo: “If your listeners can find an example from the 70s or 80s of somebody being called a pizza bagel... that would be amazing.” (09:39)
On meme culture and “6, 7”:
- Garfield: “For most everybody who is memeifying it... it means nothing and everything at the same time.” (24:59)
- Pesca: “It’s the meme stock of language. Right. And the reason that GameStop went to the moon was because it was random... the meaninglessness of it was central to its appeal.” (26:00)
On folk etymology:
- Garfield: “With 86, there was a story that couldn’t have been true, but, man, did people cite it to me...” (30:09)
On dictionary “Word of the Year” motivations:
- Pesca: “Some people have suggested that dictionaries are just trying to be... political and make political points... but I really think... there’s data behind all of these things.” (37:13)
On the etymology of "gist":
- Vuolo: “In Nigerian English... gist is also widely used and maybe even more so as a verb meaning... to converse or to talk in a fun or gossipy way.” (49:00)
- Pesca: “One day, 200 Nigerian shows came online, and they were all called The Gist of Things.” (50:00)
Classic Bob Garfield Retort:
- Garfield (on unnecessary digressions): “I believe... you could have started in the courtroom and left the cemetery out of it... but I feel like I was hanging around a cemetery for no reason.” (47:05)

Key Timestamps for Segment Reference

00:49 — Pesca begins the show and political commentary
09:10 — Introduction of Bob Garfield & Mike Vuolo
10:17–12:44 — Pizza bagel origins and opinions
13:16–15:28 — Word of the year: “6, 7” meme introduction
15:46–24:58 — Deep background and explanation of “6, 7” meme
25:48–27:56 — “6, 7” as absurd meme; linking to “meme stock” and other number slang
34:50–40:34 — Discussion of word of the year processes and critiques
41:12–49:42 — Etymology and cultural journey of “gist,” including its usage in Nigerian English
52:08–52:59 — Instructions for sending “pizza bagel” evidence; show wrap up

Episode Highlights & Tone

Warm, nostalgic, and quick-witted: The rapport between Pesca, Vuolo, and Garfield is full of affectionate ribbing, old in-jokes, and playful barbs.
Language as lived experience: The hosts blend rigorous language trivia with personal stories, bringing etymology and memetics down to earth and into today's pop and internet culture.
Meta-commentary: There's a recursive humor about podcasting, words, and the act of explaining (and over-explaining) language on air.

For More:

Find Lexicon Valley at Book Smart Studios
Send pizza bagel references to booksmartstudios@gmail.com
The Gist: Text MIKE to 233-777 for newsletter and paywall updates

Summary prepared for those who want both the gist and the origin story of the word.

wavePod

Mike Vuolo & Bob Garfield: "Life Is a Flat Pizza Bagel"

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Summary

Podcast Summary: The Gist

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reunion & Lexicon Valley Origins

2. "Pizza Bagel": Ethnic Identity & Culinary Mashups

3. The "6, 7" Meme: Origins & Spread

A Deep Dive into Viral Slang

4. Word of the Year: Process and Critique

5. Etymology: The Story Behind "Gist"

6. Listener Correspondence & Podcast Promotion (Final Section)

Notable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

Key Timestamps for Segment Reference

Episode Highlights & Tone

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Gist

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reunion & Lexicon Valley Origins

2. "Pizza Bagel": Ethnic Identity & Culinary Mashups

3. The "6, 7" Meme: Origins & Spread

A Deep Dive into Viral Slang

4. Word of the Year: Process and Critique

5. Etymology: The Story Behind "Gist"

6. Listener Correspondence & Podcast Promotion (Final Section)

Notable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

Key Timestamps for Segment Reference

Episode Highlights & Tone