The Allusionist is simply a great podcast. I have learned so much about the use and evolution of language, and Helen always has the most interesting and enlightening guests. She’s also ridiculously entertaining—I always look forward to her special episodes like the quizzes and Tranquillusionists, where she reads words in a calming tone of voice so you can relax. Her husband Martin Austwick’s music is the delightful icing on the cake, and makes every episode richer. But fundamentally, what makes The Allusionist great is that Helen is a truly admirable human being. She regularly has episodes that explore the boundaries of inclusive language. In 2020, she struck out on her own from the Radiotopia podcast network because the network’s roster of shows was overwhelmingly white, and she decided to free up the money paid to her so it could be used to increase the diversity of voices on the network. She walks the talk. If you ever get the chance to see her live, jump at it. And if you support the podcast financially, you’ll get a ton of cool material in return. Helen Zaltzman is, indeed, a mensch.

Thanks for years of great listening, Helen! Love the show.

This podcast has made me smarter, and more aware of the world around me. Language is always a work in progress, moving and changing with the times. Finding out what shaped it in the past and what’s redefining it now is a blast.

What a joy to listen to. Surprising and interesting perspectives on so many new things.

Came to echo what others have said. It used to be a great show about words. Now its a social justice podcast. Love Helen, agree with her overall, but I’m not really in for what the show has become. Maybe branching them into two separate podcasts would be a good idea? Either way. The old episodes are great. I hope they get back to the words about words soon.

Well done, researched and entertaining as well.

I am writing this review based on the Gems and Patties episode. The audio quality is so bad that my spouse wanted to unsubscribe because of it. Helen, we have such great audio tools now—I am trying to get your attention because otherwise your podcast is a TEN in my book.

I heard this plugged on ologies and am so glad I gave it a listen. Helen is a wonderful host and I am always pleased with the insightful discussion on myriad topics.

Helen and her guests make the history of language interesting and inspire listeners to go out on their own to learn more! One of my favorites!

One of the best podcasts I have ever listened to. Helen is just hilarious.

I appreciate the production! The music is great. Helen’s calm voice is at the perfect distance and the content lulls my brain into a pleasant interested learning state. I also am down for the swears

I really listening to this pod! It’s funky, it’s cool! Honestly, I vibe with the fun song about Uranus( traditionally Uranous) and wish more people would listen to it! Keep in mind that politics and culture is woven into linguistics, and we don’t control what she puts out!✨✨

Love this pod so much. :)

This used to be a show about words and linguistics. I don’t even disagree with Helen’s take on more recent subjects; it’s just that I get enough of that elsewhere and there’s only so much I can take. This show used to be interesting and lighthearted. As a fat dude, two entire episodes dedicated to complaining about how fat people are treated is just 1.8 episodes too many for me. What was once an entertaining diversion while gardening is now just an extra side of depression with my tomatoes.

Cannot get enough episodes…love the in-depth look at language and the beautiful context Helen weaves in. Episode 178 Uranus made me literally LOL while walking down the street and I think I was actually saying it out loud too!

I’m a total nerd for language & linguistics & history so when I first found this podcast I was in love! I would’ve given it 5 stars, easy. Lately though it really seems to have shifted its focus to more timely issues, some political. Like a lot of the other reviewers who have mentioned this shift, I’m definitely progressive/left leaning, and I seek out political/ social justice/news pods when that’s what I want. Here it just feels….preachy? And definitely out of place in a language pod. Another thing I’ve noticed of late is that some of the episodes are a bit…weird? Just listened to the phone call bit on the Uranus ep & had to turn it off as it went on so long & ultimately annoyed me so much I couldn’t stand it anymore. And what on earth is this Tranquilusionist stuff??? Huh? I don’t get it, is this some kind of ASMR for folks who like that? Seems like it’s time for our lovely Helen to reassess her intentions for the pod, maybe put out something that’s a bit less scattered in its content.

…. best episode in quite a while, a great example of Helen’s dry, wry wit

Used to love this pod! But I clicked on multiple episodes and yup! It seems to have gone super political. (WAY to the left not that it matters… either way would have been annoying) I AM very much a liberal.. but I dont need to hear leftist political talking points on a podcast about words, vocabulary, language, etc… It’s like these people get popular doing something neutral and non political and then can’t help themselves when they have a platform and they start spewing their politics. (See Radio Lab and others) So disappointing.. I erased it off my feed now.

I’m always excited to hear what surprising, clever, funny and human language adventure Helen has in store for us.

The Allusionist was one of the first linguistics podcasts I ever listened to and it has led me down a rabbit hole of many others. I’ve learned so much. Really enjoyable.

I used to absolutely love this show. Helen’s wit and erudition made it a must-listen, and I dutifully delved through the whole history when I discovered the podcast in 2020. Lately though, I find that we seem to have veered away from a focus on fun and interesting linguistic stuff. The current direction, which seems heavily geared toward issues of marginalization and social justice/awareness has rendered the show a bit dreary and tedious. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for important and salient discussions - I just prefer pursuing them away from what used to be a rollicking good-time of a podcast. Now it feels a bit like taking my medicine. Quel dommage.

This pod is terrific so far. Just finished The Box and now listening to Actively Passive - I imagine after I’m finished with this ep, I’ll dive into another one. Smart and thoughtful.

Completely, totally brilliant!

Love Helen’s style since AMT. Always interesting, different.

I felt compelled to say after Helen Z mentioned at the start of the episode that someone rated that there were too many swears for their taste. I can respect that opinion while also being of the opinion that while there is some swearing in this show, none of it is gratuitous, and it is all appropriate use of the entire language. The fact that there aren’t airs put on to “clean up” the language is part of why I like this show so much. It’s a podcast about etymology and it’s NOT stuffy and overly snobby. It brings the fascination with words out of the proper classroom treatments and into the everyday living with language. So, to any of you out there who may have read the other review - yes there’s swears, but they’re infrequent and not even particularly rude uses of the no-no words, and she generally gives a heads up at the top of the episode about language and likely triggers. And to you Helen, thank you for being relaxed enough with us, your audience, to not feel the need to “clean up” before you show us around. Really.

I have just finished listening to 161 episode of The Allusionist. I don’t remember how I was first made aware of Helen Zaltzman and her etymological work on her podcast The Allusionist. It was probably from one of her many guest spots on Buffering the Vampire Slayer, Ologies, or Science Diction. But I do remember when I started listening to The Allusionist. It was this summer when I began a 45 minute to 1 hour and 30 minute train and walking commute. Since then, The Allusionist has also been my campaign for laundry folding, dish washing, and cross country road trips. I am excited to continue to get a biweekly dose of etymology, history, and philosophy now that I’ve caught up. TL;DR: It’s a great show and I’m hooked!

Helen brings such a thoughtful, well-informed perspective to important, interesting, and fun language topics. Have a listen!

A really excellent show—both interesting and witty. Love the intro and all the order little stuff Helen does like the opening language metaphor or the Randomly Selected Word From the Dictionary, but the frequency of swearing in the feed means considerably less episodes for us tender-eared listeners to enjoy.

A podcast that dives deep into language coupled with Helen Zaltzman’s delightfully dry wit is a no-brainer. Do yourself a favor and start listening now if you’re not already.

Helen is an absolute joy to listen to. I love her passion for language and for humanity, which she seems to hold in equal parts.

I can’t believe it but we’ve done it. We’ve found the best podcast.

Teachers of the language should pay attention to be reminded how vital intelligent, engaging communication is to instill a lifelong love of the subject. Far too few instructors are as engaging and able to hold interest by using insightful, often humorous, related tidbits that provide clarity and depth of understanding to the subject discussed. Each episode is fun and fast moving. I have no doubt anyone -from Jonathan Winters to George Carlin, Groucho Marx, and Steve Allen would have been huge fans of Helen Zaltsman if only they could have heard this podcast. I recommend it more than any other of the ones I know.

Clever, interesting and intelligent! My new favourite podcast!!

Helen’s adventures in language are joy.

I’ve been a huge fan of this podcast for quite a while. And just discovered Helen Z’s older podcast ‘Answer me this’. She is brilliant in each. I learn a ton from these - not anything that I needed to know - but things that I’m better for knowing. They are also endlessly entertaining and hilarious. Thank you Helen!

The topics of the Allusionist run the gamut from ludicrous and hilarious (old timey slang) to serous and important (oppression and discrimination) and I am always blown away by the thoughtful discussions and amazing guests, not to mention Helen Zaltzman’s brilliant wit.

This was one of my first podcasts to really listen to and as such I think how much I’ve grown with it. Always informative and fun.

my only complaints are that they are following the trend toward politically correct over sensitivity and that there aren’t enough episodes. otherwise the show is absolutely fantastic 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

It's a joy to welcome Helen's 3-dimensional personality into my ears. I enjoyed her wit on "Answer Me This", but in "The Allusionist" she has liberated her curiosity, deep concern for justice, and love of language from the former podcast's competitive snark. I eagerly look forward to each episode.

I love The Allusionist podcast. It is always interesting and illuminating about whatever subject the episode covers; whether it’s about bugs, gendered language, languages themselves, number words, or how donuts got to have “rude” names in South America, the show is always interesting and I always learn something when I listen. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s also very validating to have topics related to gender and sexuality covered so gracefully and with such care. You’ve got to subscribe!

I learn so much about language from this podcast. It’s somehow obvious, yet still surprising how much language and the words we choose to use reveal about us. Never is that more evident than in the negative reviews for this podcast. It’s truly astonishing how simply learning about A WORD, seems to upset some folks’ whole belief system. But I guess it has to be a pretty fragile system to be shaken by so little…

Fascinating material, excellent writing, and Helen Zaltzman's amazing speaking voice come together to make a show that I listen to day of every time it comes out. If you've ever learned the origin of a word and gone "huh" then you'll love this podcast

If you love humans, humor, stories, or specialized knowledge shared with enthusiasm, you will love this podcast.

This podcast used to be interesting. But It seems Helen Zaltzman has drank the victimization kool-aid, and as a male, (not “cisgendered” , but able to look between my legs , simply born male, I can’t except that my gender Is responsible for all the evils in the world. The patriarchy? The patriarchy as the problem? Might I remind ms. Zaltzman, that “the patriarchy “ has provided the comfortable world she lives in , and the radio waves that provide her living. In fact, if the progress of civilization was left to the female sex, we’d still be living in grass huts. I’m going to give this one a pass going forward, and besides , found a much better podcast that explores my interest in language =. Something rhymes with purple!!!! Check it out! Really delightful, and without the leftist propaganda!

Ironically, I cannot conjure the right words to express how much I enjoy this podcast. Helen Zalzman’s dulcet tone is so soothing she can read a phone book and I’ll be entranced! (Wait, was that episode 15?) Keep doing the great work!

I think they were high….hilarious!!!!

First of all this is an amazing show and I’ve loved almost every episode, partially because I almost always learn something and I do love to learn. My 80-year-old mother refers to me as dude and not because she’s being purposely playful, at least not anymore. She also usually refers to people as man when not using the word dude. Men and women. As did my father. He was four years older than her. I think this has a lot to do with working class versus educated culture. I am the youngest of five at the age of 50 and I feel as if from my generation up to my eldest brothers at the age of 60,Although dude has always had the possibility of referring to a bill and ted style loser, it has also simultaneously grown in the last 20-30 years in my personal life as a term of endearment with anyone I am close with. Somehow, although many years ago it had a similar connotation as guys or man — speaking as a generation X individual, who has worked many kitchen jobs, dude became a word that for the most part was not only excepted by women, but used woman to woman, in particular in the kitchen and working class group of friends I have usually kept. Terms like guys or girls immediately suggested male or female, whereas dude became a word that meant all of us. Although I have once or twice in my adult life encountered women who rejected the title of dude as feminine, and that’s it. However, Hellen‘s observation that it was originally a word referring to men, foppish or strong, and that no word referring exclusively to women seems to have made its way to refer to all people, certainly makes me wonder how many women who said nothing we’re nonetheless preferring not to be referred to as such. I firmly believe that in the last few decades, so much has changed as far as sexuality and attention to how we refer to one another and how that makes us feel, all the way up to today’s discussions on transgender and non-binary individuals leaves many people uncertain of what they’re supposed to call anyone. Even those of us with the best of intentions. For this reason, it is most important that we consciously think about who we are relating to, but it doesn’t surprise me that words like dude have become rather unisex. It feels safe, comfortable, friendly, and outside of all of the conversations on here and she and they and them. It may not be fully unisex, but in 2021 it’s about the closest we have

This show (in which Helen Zaltzman swishes language around in her mouth to see how it tastes) is amazing - a rare podcast combination of humorous, relevant, and rigorously researched.

Helen is not only pleasant-voiced, knowledgeable, and witty - she also hosts a fantastic series of guests and leads you on a journey through language that is as educational as it is enjoyable.

was pleasantly surprised to find a linguistic podcast that also focuses on the semiotics and social implications of language, instead of upholding it as a strict system of “rules” that can never change. love it! the guests are always a delight, too.