Scary Words for a Scary World

Carrie and Megan talk about random words that are scary or scary-adjacent.

• facsism
• eldritch
• ghost
• vampire

Transcript

Carrie Gillon: Hi, and welcome to The Vocal Fries Podcast, the podcast about linguistic discrimination.

Megan Figueroa: I'm Megan Figueroa.

Carrie: And I'm Carrie Gillon.

Megan: I was just looking at your crows. I always see them, but I love them.

Carrie: I know. Aren't they great?

Megan: Yes. I mean, you call them crows, not ravens. 

Carrie: They are crows, yes. 

Megan: Okay. Got you. Because like their tail is a little…

Carrie: Yes.

Megan: Well, you can't really tell because it's like a silhouette of a crow. 

Carrie: Yes. I mean, I would say the beak is not big enough to be a raven. 

Megan: That's true.

Carrie: Yes.

Megan: I've been thinking a lot about crows and ravens because there was just a silly thing on, I think on Bluesky or Instagram where people were like, “You better know your Halloween decor”. So, it was like a crow versus raven. So, like, you can tell the difference. 

Carrie: That's very cute. 

Megan: It is.

Carrie: Yes. There's a, I think she's a crow expert. She's a PhD in crows, I'm pretty sure. And she always talks about the differences between crows and ravens and shows you the sizes.

Megan: Well, their calls are so different. It's pretty obvious when you hear them side by side. 

Carrie: Yes. For like the ones that are in North America, but I don't know if it holds up with other crows, right?

Megan: Oh, that's true. Yes. 

Carrie: Also, ravens can sound like crows if they want. 

Megan: Of course, they can because they're perfect. We only have ravens in Tucson. We don't have crows. 

Carrie: Yes.

Megan: So, we don't have the problem where everyone is trying to get crows to stop eating their garbage. 

Carrie: That's interesting. That's not a thing that I worry about here, even though there's tons of crows. 

Megan: Really?

Carrie: Yes, no. If I'm going to worry about anything, it's going to be the trash pandas.

Megan: Fair. Yes. That's funny, because I was like Googling crows as I do. And like in Japan in 2019 or 2021, something like that, they actually created this pro controller thing, or I don't know what they called it, but it made aggressive crow sounds every time they would come near like the dumpsters to make them fly away because they became such a problem. 

Carrie: Oh, okay. Interesting.

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: Yes. Like the only thing that I can think of that's even close to equivalent is in Toronto, they keep trying to design better garbage cans for households for putting up into the streets because of, again, the raccoons, the trash pandas. 

Megan: Because they knock them over getting into them?

Carrie: Yes.

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: Yes, they're the problem. I mean, I'm sure crows can be a problem. Just, I have not encountered this. 

Megan: Yes. Maybe it's those non-North American crows.

Carrie: Yes. Interesting. I mean, speaking of crows, tis the season, spooky season.

Megan: Tis the season. It's their season.

Carrie: And I thought we'd do something a little bit sillier tis time and just talk about scary words.

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: So, for some people, the crows are scary. 

Megan: I know. But well, trickster, right? Like trickster stories?

Carrie: Trickster is raven. Raven is a trickster. 

Megan: Oh, okay. So, it's raven. Totally.

Carrie: Yes.

Megan: Okay. 

Carrie: But crows are kind of trickster-y.

Megan: Yes. They're at least related to ravens, right?

Carrie: Oh yes. They're all corvids, right? Them and magpies and blue jays. Speaking of blue jays. 

Megan: Oh? [inaudible]?

Carrie: I saw a bunch of Blue-

Megan: Oh, I thought you were talking about the baseball team. 

Carrie: I'm talking about the baseball team. I've seen way more Blue Jays paraphernalia around than I have in a long time. It's the only Canadian team left. And so, the fact that they're getting close to me, I mean, I know they probably won't win, but that they made it this far...

Megan: Right.

Carrie: ...is incredible.

Megan: Yes, I know.

Carrie: And it's very exciting. 

Megan: I did see a fun thing where they asked people to pronounce Toronto because apparently you can tell when someone's not from Toronto if they pronounce the second T.

Carrie: Yes. That's pretty much true. 

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: It was even a plot point in Argo. 

Megan: Oh, because they could tell like they were not they said they were?

Carrie: They had to teach them how to say it correctly because they're supposed to be pretending to be Canadians, the Americans. 

Megan: Oh. 

Carrie: Yes. 

Megan: So, any Canadian would know that, not just people from Toronto?

Carrie: Oh yes. Well, we know. I mean, maybe not every single person, but I feel like it's pretty widely known that Toronto is pronounced Toronto. 

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: Except if you're like on the radio, then people will say Toronto sometimes. 

Megan: Like your dad? Like a radio broadcaster?

Carrie: Yes. Definitely on CBC, people say Toronto, but I'm like, "It's Toronto. Everyone knows it's Toronto."

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: Anyway, so scary words. Do you have a scary word or two?

Megan: I do.

Carrie: Okay. 

Megan: I do. 

Carrie: Tell me your first one.

Megan: The one that I have, like I have the etymology of it? 

Carrie: Cool.

Megan: Yes? Okay.

Carrie: Sure.

Megan: And then I also have a couple that Shakespeare created that we use all the time that are related to Halloween... 

Carrie: Nice. Okay.

Megan: ...that I thought was interesting. Okay. So, I was actually surprised by this, and I'll thank NPR for it. The word ghost actually doesn't have a spooky origin. 

Carrie: Mm-hmm.

Megan: Did you know that? 

Carrie: No.

Megan: Okay. So, ghost can be traced back to the old English root ghast, but back then it didn't carry the same connotation it does today. So, all of its meaning centered on breath, life and the human spirit. 

Carrie: Oh.

Megan: And it was also used in Christian context, like the notion of the Holy Ghost. So, although I find the Holy Ghost creepiest...

Carrie: That's interesting.

Megan: ...like this stuff is kind of creepy in its own way to me.

Carrie: Well, yes. There's a bunch of weird stuff with the... yes.

Megan: The Christian context?

Carrie: Yes, the Christian context. But that makes sense that Holy Ghost is not supposed to be ghost. It's supposed to be something.

Megan: Yes. Like spirit? 

Carrie: It doesn't really make sense to me. But if I thought about it, and I wouldn't think about it that much, but like, a ghost?

Megan: Right. Yes. Like why? 

Carrie: But now I know.

Megan: No, it's true. I always thought, okay, the, what is it? The three.

Carrie: The trinity?

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: And the Holy Ghost?

Megan: I've always just assumed, yes, I was imagining like a specter, like Casper or something. 

Carrie: Yes.

Megan: Yes, absolutely. That's really funny. So yes, these broad spiritual concepts predate the narrow idea of a ghost as a spooky creature or an apparition of a deceased person says Jess Zafarris, who wrote Useless Etymology. 

Carrie: Oh, nice. 

Megan: Yes. So over time it shifts as words do, and it changes how it's spelled and how and what it means. Because it was spelled G-A-S-T.

Carrie: Like as in ghastly?

Megan: Yes. And in the Middle Age, in Middle English, it was G-O-S-T. And then eventually picked up a silent H thanks to the influence of Flemish typesetters.

Carrie: Yes.

Megan: They were like, "Let's just throw an H there." So that's why you get a ghast and ghastly with the H too. 

Carrie: Right. Okay. 

Megan: Okay. And then the 19th century ushered in a cultural obsession with spiritualism, yes. 

Carrie: Mm-hmm. 

Megan: Victorian literature, seances, [inaudible] and popularity, supernatural rituals. And so suddenly came along this notion that any group of people who could sit down around a table and call it spirits. So, I've seen this. Okay, so suddenly you're like imagining what those spirits might look like if you're suddenly doing this kind of activity.

Carrie: Right. So, is that when ghosts started to take on like more of a human flavor? Like their clothing and things like that, rather than just a presence?

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: Oh my God. 

Megan: Yes. Okay, ready? So, the physical appearance of ghosts also have fluctuated. So, a ghost might appear in such a way that is almost impossible to distinguish from a living person. 

Carrie: Mm-hmm. 

Megan: And the idea though of the transformation to this wispy, translucent thing is Western and very modern.

Carrie: Mm-hmm. The western part makes sense to me, but I guess I hadn't considered the modern part, but that also makes sense.

Megan: Yes, so it's very cool. And then the word was used as a verb as early as the beginning of the 20th century, described when someone secretly did work on someone else's behalf, such as ghostwriting. 

Carrie: Oh.

Megan: And then more recently we have ghosting.

Carrie: Yes. 

Megan: So, in 2017. 

Carrie: That's when it entered the dictionary in 2017.

Megan: Okay. Yes.

Carrie: Yes. It's definitely older than that. 

Megan: I was going to say, yes, I definitely ghosted someone like in 2012. 

Carrie: Well, I know we were using the term back then. We were.

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: So...

Megan: So, yes. 

Carrie: That's cool.

Megan: I just like had absolutely no idea. Thank you, NPR. I was like, "Okay, it's related to ghast. That makes sense." And I was like, "This is not surprising or inspiring." And then they're like, "Oh, human spirit and life and breath." I was like, "I don't think of ghosts as breath or life, really, in that way."

Carrie: Right.

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: And it's really interesting, because yes, if we think about it as life and breath, that's life, right?

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: We can't live without breath, right? And so, it was interesting that it went from that to something, the exact opposite. 

Megan: Yes, exactly. So, I thought it was just an interesting word. I was like looking at Mental Floss and it was like a list of words that have kind of weird or spooky origins that aren't actually associated with spooky words.

Carrie: Okay, cool.

Megan: Now the word terabyte is actually derived from the word for monster. 

Carrie: What?

Megan: Yes. So, it's the same root as words like teratism, meaning a monstrosity and Teratology, the study of biological abnormalities. 

Carrie: What?

Megan: So, I thought that was super strange that a tera was named after a monster. 

Carrie: Yes. It's so big that it's monstrous. Okay.

Megan: Oh, okay. I see it now. 

Carrie: I just never knew that that route was anything like that. I just didn't know. I've never heard of these other words. 

Megan: Yes. Oh, and one more that's fun. Mascot was actually originally like a talisman or charm that protected you from harm.

Carrie: Oh, that makes sense...

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: ...that it became what it became. 

Megan: Exactly.

Carrie: Okay. Well, you're bringing up ghost and made me think of a word that sometimes inspires fear, but sometimes it's just kind of silly, but whatever. A vampire. 

Megan: Totally. 

Carrie: And we don't really know like the etymology apparently. 

Megan: Oh.

Carrie: Yes. So, it might come maybe via French from German, but before that Serbian. 

Megan: Okay. 

Carrie: But yes, and it's vampir. So, in Serbian, or at least that's what it looks like to me. 

Megan: Vampir?

Carrie: Yes. But some people are like, "Actually, no, we've got an even older thing in old Russian from the 11th to 13th century that looks..." Well, maybe I could get to vampire from there with some major sound changes. I don't know. I don't dare try to pronounce it. Some say, "No, it's actually Lithuanian." Some say, "No, it's Turkish, coming from uber meaning witch." Yes, maybe.

Megan: Hmm? Yes. In all of these languages, it basically means the same thing though. 

Carrie: I think so. Obviously, there are different conceptions of what a vampire is, but I think more or less similar type of creature.

Megan: Okay. 

Carrie: Yes.

Megan: All right. The witch thing is interesting. I'm just like, they don't have a word for something, and they are like grabbing at whatever's the closest. 

Carrie: Could be.

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: Could be. And especially if you are borrowing from another language, like let's say the Slavic language is borrowed from Turkish, you would potentially use it for something different because you already have a word for which, right? So, like, "Oh, what's this kind of creature then? It must have a special property." So apparently the word vampire written with a Y rather than an I, first appeared in English in 1732, when news reports were talking about vampire "epidemics" in Eastern Europe.

Megan: Okay. So, this idea that vampires were like roaming around...

Carrie: Romania, Transylvania. 

Megan: I am right that it was Eastern Europe that the idea was that's where they were kind of their homeland.

Carrie: Yes. So, at least linguistically, potentially we're getting it from, well, English at least indirectly did get it from Eastern Europe, right? But also, yes, the stories at the time, the news reports at the time were coming from that region. So, it totally makes sense that we like fixated on that region as that's where vampires come from, that's where Dracula is from, right? There's a whole story around Dracula too, but yes, it's 100% Dracula.

Megan: I mean, we are taught that pretty young. I'm just thinking of all the cartoons that have some reference to Dracula. 

Carrie: Have Dracula?

Megan: Yes. Serial. Totally. Which is funny because it's supposed to be this very... But here in North America, we get kids into Halloween really young. 

Carrie: Oh yes, of course.

Megan: So, it's not like we're trying to protect them from spooky things.

Carrie: No.

Megan: Like you said at the beginning, it's kind of like silly too, right? Was there ever anything that really scared you? Like any kind of that thing?

Carrie: Oh okay, two things. And it was around the same time. So, I was 11 years old. My sister who is younger than me but is braver than me wanted to watch a horror. So, my parents thought, "You know what, Alien, it's a scary movie, but it's a good movie. Let's let them watch this." That movie scared the shit out of me. My sister and brother, I think my brother, who's even younger, I'm pretty sure that both of them continued watching the whole movie. When the creature burst out of the guy's chest, I was like, "I'm out."

Megan: Really? 

Carrie: Uh-huh. 

Megan: Do you think it's because it was that human person that was like, it felt then like it could happen to any human or is that the connection...

Carrie: I don't know. It was just scary.

Megan: ...that made it super scary?

Carrie: I mean, anxious people, I think, have a harder time with horror. Like some people use it as a way to get less anxious, but that just never works for me. 

Megan: I do. Yes.

Carrie: It never works for me. 

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: I don't know. It just terrified me. And then I had nightmares about it for months. And I also simultaneously had this weird ear thing where I had too much wax in my ear. So, like there was some sloshing going on and I was convinced it was the alien sloshing across the floor to get to me.

Megan: Oh, no. That is so sad. 

Carrie: And then the second thing, which is around the same time, there was a new The Blob movie and they had the ads for The Blob on TV, and those ads scared the shit out of me.

Megan: Yes. Like, you weren't like, "I gave you permission to show me this." You were just like assaulted with them on the TV.

Carrie: Yes. Horror has always been a little bit hard for me. I can watch some horror, but I don't know. And some of it, just I can't do. And I hate jump scares. I think the creature coming out of his chest is kind of a jump scare. 

Megan: Oh yes.

Carrie: How about you? What was your scariest?

Megan: The chupacabra. 

Carrie: Oh yes. Of course.

Megan: Hands down. It was third grade when it really hit me. So, what is that? Like seven? My school, there were fields surrounding it, so I was convinced it was like tracking me and it was in these fields of high grass. It's like the chupacabras could come. And the funny thing is, is that my dad never told me that story to scare me. It was just like from cousins. So, my dad didn't mean for me to be scared. That wasn't really our relationship. But yes, I know. Of course, it's going to come up in like Mexican culture. 

Carrie: Yes, of course.

Megan: So that was terrifying. Otherwise, I really wasn't afraid of like Western type horror things. I really like as a teenager watched a ton of horror and read a bunch of horror. I think it's like, "Okay, this makes me feel a little bit calmer," because I'm like in control and I'm exposing myself to something that it's my intent to do this or whatever instead of like being assaulted by the world which is so anxiety inducing. 

Carrie: So, one other word that I was thinking of which I had no idea where it came from. I just associate this word with Lovecraft, eldritch. 

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: So according to Merriam-Webster anyway, it is strange or natural, especially in a way that inspires fear. 

Megan: Oh, okay. 

Carrie: So, here's an example of a pre-Lovecraft from Robert Louis Stevenson and the woman whose voice had risen to a kind of eldritch sing song turned with a skip and was gone.

Megan: Why does that sound creepy to me?

Carrie: Right. Because of the original meaning is probably something more like fairyland. Elfritch, not eldritch. It was elfritch originally, supposedly. Elves are supposed to be kind of scary. Elves and fairies are basically the same thing. They're supposed to be a little bit scary, right? They can do mischievous things. They can do really harmful things, but also sometimes they're helpful. So, it's like they're a bit of a mixed bag, but their fairyland is also supposed to be very pretty, I think, like people dancing and things. I think it's kind of on the edge of like whimsical and scary. And so, when Lovecraft took it, he was like, "No, I just mean this only in the scary way."

Megan: That's funny because when I read books and they describe fairyland, it's always as if a human gets to fairyland, like the dancing and stuff, you're hypnotized or you can't control yourself. 

Carrie: Right.

Megan: So, there's always this like evil element to anything that happens to a human. 

Carrie: It's definitely a double-edged sword at best for a human.

Megan: Yes. Right. 

Carrie: Yes. By the way, as I was looking at things, the Merriam-Webster has like a top lookups, which I'd never seen before. Some of them are the same as they were when I looked up a few hours ago. For example, fascism.

Megan: Yes. I'm glad. Good job, everyone, for wanting to learn more.

Carrie: But some of them are very different from like when I was looking. So, one of them is try, one of them is hmm. Oh, invagination is back. That was a pie when I first looked and I was like, "Invagination."

Megan: What?

Carrie: Yes. Invagination is an act or process of invaginating, specifically the formation of a gastrula by an infolding of part of the wall of the blastula. What?

Megan: What? And why is that trending or being looked up?

Carrie: I don't know. And like, there's an example from the web. I guess they have these automatically, like they compile. When things come up, they're like, "Oh, take that." And then it's from the Arizona Republic about an ASU student, a former student. Like I love this. I absolutely love this. I did not know. So, kudos, Merriam-Webster, for adding this because I'm like learning some things. It's the third look up right now. Determiner is number 4.

Megan: Really? That's so interesting. And it like tells you about what's going on in the world. 

Carrie: Yes. So, speaking of, since it is scary words, I do think we should talk a little bit about fascism...

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: ...the word.

Megan: I mean, my assumption is that like the early 20th century that it came around or is it earlier than that?

Carrie: Oh, okay. I associate fascism with Mussolini like as the first person to be in power, right? Who is a fascist. But apparently, he's not the first person to introduce the fascista, the Italian word. A lot of people already know this, but the word fascio literally means bundle or group, like figuratively means group.

Megan: Oh, like fascia? Is the word fascia related to it?

Carrie: Oh, my goodness. You're making me look up stuff. I feel like no because it doesn't have the a... well, maybe it does. No, let me see. Oh, yes, it does. Okay. No.

Megan: Okay. 

Carrie: It is from Italian, but it means a band or bandage. 

Megan: Okay. 

Carrie: So, it's just, I guess just accidentally looks the same.

Megan: Yes, it does.

Carrie: Oh, it looks almost the same. I guess it's just the feminine version. Yes, anyway, whatever. Apparently, they're different. People can tell us otherwise if they wish.

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: But at least since 1872, fascio has been used or was used for labor and agrarian unions. 

Megan: Okay. 

Carrie: And a political coalition in 1914 was formed called Fascio Rivoluzionario d'Azione Internazionalista, apologies for my terrible Italian, revolutionary group for international action. And they wanted to be on the side of the allies. Well, I guess in 1914, World War I was a little bit murkier. Everyone was bad. 

Megan: Right. 

Carrie: But they weren't obviously like fascists, I would say, right? But anyway, Mussolini was involved in that. So maybe that's where he got the word and he was like, "Let's call us fascists." Right? And it's interesting because you think of like a bundle of sticks, like you think of a union, you think of people coming together. 

Megan: Absolutely.

Carrie: So, you think, "Oh, strength and numbers or whatever," but instead, fascism is... 

Megan: Yes, I know. Okay. Do you think that people are looking it up now because they maybe had an understanding of the word from like history class, and now, they're like, "What does it really mean?" or is it just like a complete lack of knowledge of the word fascism?

Carrie: It could be a bunch of things. I'm sure some people had never really thought about it or heard about it before, because not everyone gets a very good education, right? 

Megan: Right.

Carrie: Some people have heard about it, but they're probably like, "Wait, what does it really mean? Am I a fascist? Am I not a fascist? Where am I?" And I think some people are like, "Okay, I know what it is, but I want like a much more precise definition that I can talk about or refer to."

Megan: Yes, absolutely. I mean, it's a domestic terrorist designation now, thanks to an executive order, to be an anti-fascist.

Carrie: You mean anti-fascist?

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: Yes, well, to be Antifa or whatever. Have they said all anti-fascist yet, or is it still just Antifa? Which is not really a...

Megan: They say anti-fascist, I believe...

Carrie: Oh, do they? Okay.

Megan: ...in the executive order. Yes. 

Carrie: Okay. 

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: So yes, that's really saying something, right? Like, "We're fascists. Shut the fuck up."

Megan: It's terrifying. 

Carrie: I just got a little glimmer of hope because I see ailing is the top look up right now. I'm like, "Hmm, is something going on?"

Megan: Oh.

Carrie: Yes. Is there any sort of like non-spooky words that scare you?

Megan: Is there any word for having like an aversion to a certain word?

Carrie: You mean like the moist effect?

Megan: Yes. Is there an actual word for it?

Carrie: Probably. It's like the opposite of ASMR.

Megan: Yes. And there's a word for it if you don't like, the misophony?

Carrie: Yes. Misophony? I'm not sure how you pronounce that word actually. 

Megan: Misophony, yes.

Carrie: Let's look it up. 

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: Misophonia. 

Megan: Misophonia? Okay. 

Carrie: Yes. Misophonia. That's it. 

Megan: Why? Do you have one that comes to mind?

Carrie: No, I don't. I feel like there is something, but I cannot put my finger on anything. There are definitely words that trigger a rant out of me, a rant trigger. 

Megan: A rant trigger? But like what?

Carrie: Well, yes, people start talking about AI in ways that I'm like, "No."

Megan: So, is it like artificial general intelligence? Does that make you...

Carrie: Yes. First of all, what does that even mean? Secondly, no. Oh, I am by no means a Neil deGrasse Tyson fan, right?

Megan: Right. 

Carrie: So, I saw this TikTok where someone asks him, "Are we even going to space in my lifetime?" Basically, meaning like, "Are we really going to be spending time in space," right? Not just like a few people going to the moon or whatever. And Neil deGrasse Tyson says, "No, absolutely not." His reasoning had more to do with the cost of it and just like, "No one is willing to pay this much money just because." Like, it would have to be for geopolitical reasons that it would actually happen. But I was surprised he didn't bring up the... it's really like, we can't live in space. Living on Mars would be basically impossible. Just the levels of radiation, you would have to live underground, anyway, whatever. I was surprised he didn't bring any of the technicalities up, but he is, I think, correct that no one's going to spend that money. There's no reason to. 

Megan: Right. Yes. Speaking of which, have you ever found space to be scary? Like in science fiction?

Carrie: Mm-hmm.

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: Space terrifies me. I can't think about it too carefully or too much because yes, like the void. It's not even a void, but it just feels like a void, and it freaks me out. 

Megan: When I learned about what a black hole was, I was like, "No."

Carrie: You don't want to be spaghettified?

Megan: No. It's horrible.

Carrie: Yes, no. But still, I like science fiction. The Expanse, I love it. 

Megan: It's fine. If I'm watching a show, normally, it doesn't really bother me. But if I start to think about it, I'm just like, "No, thank you." There's like this one episode of Firefly where Mal almost dies because of lack of oxygen and that one freaks me out.

Carrie: Yes.

Megan: Oh, I said that it was a compound word that Shakespeare introduced in 1591, I believe, bloodstained.

Carrie: Oh?

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: That just seems like so obvious. How did he have the chance to come up with it?

Megan: I know. I mean, we had both of those words, right?

Carrie: Of course.

Megan: But yes, he was the first one to compound them.

Carrie: Yes. Any other ones that Shakespeare came up with?

Megan: Cold-blooded. 

Carrie: Oh.

Megan: And that might be a compound again.

Carrie: Well, yes, but still. 

Megan: A hunchback?

Carrie: Oh yes. 

Megan: Possibly, fortune teller. I'd want to look that up, but I mean, I could maybe see that fortune teller being...

Carrie: Yes, I don't know. I mean, we had other word for it.

Megan: Remorseless.

Carrie: Oh?

Megan: Shipwrecked. 

Carrie: Huh?

Megan: Yes. Quarrelsome. I believe that 100%. That feels very Shakespeare.

Carrie: Also, when we have this quarrelsome priest. Yes.

Megan: Yes. Foul mouthed. 

Carrie: Huh? 

Megan: An archvillain. Baddie. Calling someone baddie.

Carrie: Are we the baddies? Wow. 

Megan: Yes. It's a pretty big number of the words that he either coined or compounded anew or... 

Carrie: Yes, I have no idea. I know it's a lot that he is credited with, but I don't know. There's also a couple of other like more uncommon words that I don't hear that much that when I was just like looking for scary words, charnel. 

Megan: Okay. I've definitely heard it, but I don't think I know what it means. 

Carrie: It's a repository for the bones or bodies of the dead. Also sometimes called a charnel house, which I think that's probably how I've heard it. It's like the compound there. It also could mean a grave or a cemetery, but I think it's usually referring to the place that you keep bones. 

Megan: Is that something that still exists?

Carrie: Yes. I mean, I don't know if people are actively using it or not, but they certainly exist. Somewhat famously in Cambodia, you can go maybe multiple places and see like stacks and stacks and stacks of skulls. 

Megan: Oh wow. 

Carrie: Yes.

Megan: Do they not bury their dead?

Carrie: I think? My understanding is this is like, "Hey, this horrible genocide happened. Do not forget."

Megan: Okay. It's kind of like the pile of shoes at the Holocaust Museum?

Carrie: Right. Yes.

Megan: Yes.

Carrie: That's my understanding, but I've never been to Cambodia. I don't know what their death rituals are either.

Megan: Oh, I do have a word that like you said that I don't like to hear, or it doesn't sound good to me is a legal alien. 

Carrie: Right. 

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: Oh, I know. Females.

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: It's not always the case, but it's mostly the case that when you use an adjective as a noun in English, it's somehow offensive. Not always.

Megan: Yes, right.

Carrie: Not always but often. 

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: Females just like fingernails on a chalkboard. 

Megan: Yes, definitely.

Carrie: Yes. Anyway, I don't know. I just thought it'd be fun just to talk about words and not like too much about...

Megan: Fascio?

Carrie: ...[inaudible] but the politics of such words even though obviously it's still related but just to give you a little bit of a break.

Megan: Yes. I mean, etymologies...

Carrie: It's fun.

Megan: They can be really like shocking and that's fun to be surprised at something in this world. To be awe, like awesome. For something to be awesome. Really cool.

Carrie: Yes, it's true. I enjoy it.

Megan: Yes, me too. 

Carrie: And if anyone wants to send us words that are scary or interesting, feel free. 

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: I'd love to learn more about anything. Even if it's in another language or especially if it's another language.

Megan: Exactly. 

Carrie: Yes.

Megan: Anything related to language, happy to learn. Also, like signs. It's very interesting to see how signs, like at least I've known some American sign language signs, they're tracking how they've become what they are over time. It's really interesting too. If anyone has any knowledge of that.

Carrie: Well, that made me look up. 

Megan: Oh.

Carrie: That made me look up the ASL sign for vampire. 

Megan: Oh, that's so good.

Carrie: So, what I did was I put my like first two fingers on one of my hands up towards my neck and like kind of tapped my neck. At least that's what it looked like she was doing. 

Megan: It's amazing. 

Carrie: Oh my God. Yes. So yes, signs are very cool too, obviously. 

Megan: Yes. 

Carrie: Okay. I think that's everything for today. So, I hope everyone's having a spooky October.

Megan: Yes, and Happy Halloween. 

Carrie: Happy Halloween. 

Carrie: The Vocal Fries Podcast is produced by me, Carrie Gillon, theme music by Nick Granum. You can find us on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @vocalfriespod. You can email us at vocalfriespod@gmail.com and our website is vocalfriespod.com.

[END]