The Idiom

The Idiom is a podcast that explores weird and wonderful idioms from Australia and around the world. Join host Rune Pedersen on a journey of cultural discovery through the quirky little phrases that pepper our everyday speech. We’ll chat with language professionals, cultural experts, and self-professed language nerds to find out how our words shape the world around us. So sit tight, bite the bullet, and jump on the bandwagon with The Idiom, produced by Think HQ CultureVerse and SBS Audio.

Episodes

Introducing The Idiom: How do words shape our world?

May 25, 2023 • 1 min

Can understanding different cultures' idioms help us see eye to eye? The Idiom is a new SBS podcast that explores weird and wonderful idioms from Australia and around the world.

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It's Raining Cats and Dogs

June 14, 2023 • 22 mins

Danish import Rune Pedersen has a theory... Idioms hold the key to truly understanding other cultures. Can understanding more about idioms help him break the ice with anyone and their dog at the local pub? In this first episode of The Idiom, Rune sets out to discover what common idioms about the weather can tell us about each other.

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The Elephant in the Room

June 21, 2023 • 18 mins

Rune Pedersen just wants to talk about something he’s not supposed to talk about. Taboos! Idioms are a great way to approach taboos. They allow us to talk about something without saying it directly, but what and who gets cut out of the conversation when we beat around the bush?

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Donkey Work

June 28, 2023 • 15 mins

Ever noticed how many idioms there are about animals? They seem to breed like rabbits! And interestingly, different animals tend to have the same reputation across cultures. Lions are brave. Snakes are sneaky. And donkeys? Oh, poor donkeys.

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Spinning a yarn

July 5, 2023 • 32 mins

We know that language shapes how we see the world, and storytelling has the power to preserve cultural knowledge from one generation to the next. Storytelling and yarning is at the heart of First Nations cultures and communities in Australia. Stories have been passed down for thousands of years, connecting Indigenous peoples with their culture and land. So how does language - including stories, slang and idioms - preserve First Nat...

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How ya goin'?

July 12, 2023 • 19 mins

Do idioms and language get in the way when you’re trying to participate in a new culture? Idioms add spice to the meal of conversation and Australians use them a lot in daily conversation, but they depend on a shared cultural understanding. In a society as multicultural as Australia, is that a problem?

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Saving for a rainy day

July 19, 2023 • 20 mins

We’re not comfortable talking about money in Australia. You don’t go to a dinner party and ask people their salary. But why not? Money is something we all need and want. We've all got money on our minds, so why not share? Rune goes in search of answers, and the idioms we use to skirt around money talk.

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A weight off my shoulders

July 26, 2023 • 20 mins

Here in Australia, we’ve been slowly getting better at talking about mental health. But it’s not the same story across all cultures. For many, discussion of mental fitness remains cloaked in idioms, or worse, silence.

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Kick the Bucket

August 2, 2023 • 20 mins

Well, this is it. The last episode of The Idiom. It feels like we should talk about the biggest topic of all, the one we put off until the end (the real end). Death! There are oodles of idioms about death. From pushing up daisies to hitting a deadline, it seems our language is peppered with them. Which makes sense, death is one of the few truly universal experiences across all cultures.

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Introducing 'How Humans Talk'

May 14, 2025 • 2 mins

Host Rune Pedersen dives into the fascinating world of everyday language in How Humans Talk—a series about how we connect, persuade, and make sense of each other through conversation. From subtle word choices to cultural quirks, each episode explores how language shapes who we are, how we relate, and the world we live in. Hear from communication pros, cultural observers, and wonderfully curious guests as they unpack the hidden laye...

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