Mischief Night - 20 July 2026
Summary
Hosts Grant Barrett and Martha Barnett explore the origins of book titles like *The Great Gatsby* and *Gone with the Wind*. They discuss linguistic variations such as "jolly on the spot" versus "Johnny on the spot," the history of "catsup," and the term "brownie points," and the etymology of "default." The episode also covers the long S in historical documents, the phrase "a couple three," and the Spanish expression *la verdad de la milanesa*.
Topics discussed
Introduction and book title origins
Johnny on the spot vs. Jolly on the spot
Tornado of a room aphorism
Origin of Brownie Points
TLDR and internet acronyms
Long S and visual word puzzles
Ketchup vs. Catsup pronunciation
Willie the Worm working title
Etymology of the word default
Meaning of couple three
Creative phone greetings
Book review: How to Kill a Language
La verdad de la milanesa
Jane Austen and heat waves
Doctor of Humane Letters
Cabbage Night and Mischief Night
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