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Happy tenth birthday to this show! To celebrate, here's every randomly selected word from the dictionary from the first decade of the show.
There are several more episodes in the Tranquillusionist style, gathered at theallusionist.org/tranquillusionist. And relevant otherlusionists include The Authority, about how dictionary-making really works, Trammels, about making stories from the example sentences in dictionaries, and Word of the Day.
Join me for a free livestream at 18 January 1pm PT/4pm ET/21:00 UTC at youtube.com/allusionistshow.
And the show’s taking a break! It’ll be back with renewed vigour in early May 2025, but in the meantime the Allusioverse will continue to be in full swing: become a member at theallusionist.org/donate. You get regular livestreams with me reading from my ever-expanding collection of dictionaries, inside scoops into the making of this show, and watchalong parties - such as Great Pottery Throwdown (2025), and Cold Comfort Farm (1995). And best of all, you get the company of your fellow Allusionauts in our delightful Discord community.
YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
pricket, noun:
1. a male fallow deer in its second year, with straight, unbranched horns.
2. historical: a spike for holding a candle.
Origin Middle English: from PRICK + -ET.
CREDITS:
This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
The original music is composed by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.
Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social… Essentially: if I’m there, I’m there as @allusionistshow.
We’ll reunite in early May with a new episode. Any topics you want me to revisit from the first ten years of the podcast? Let me know! - HZ.
Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:
• Rosetta Stone, language-learning programs available for 25 different languages. Allusionist listeners get 50% off lifetime memberships at rosettastone.com/allusionist.
• Understance: comfortable, stylish, size-inclusive bras and undies. Shop the range and learn about your own branatomy at understance.com.
• Curiosity Weekly from Discovery, the podcast that brings us the latest and greatest scientific discoveries, and explains them even for those of us who don’t have a science PhD. Listen to Curiosity Weekly in the places you get your podcasts.
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