Fifty Words For Snow

Fifty Words For Snow

A linguistic expedition into brave new words. Maggie Rowe and Emily John Garcés hunt for words that lack an English equivalent. They like to think of themselves as Dora the Explorers of language, with their rucksacks and hats and notebooks and magnifying glasses, embarking on a cultural adventure, hunting and gathering useful new word specimens from far flung continents, and holding them up to see what new light they shine on old ideas.

Episodes

March 26, 2026 32 mins
Maggie and Emily learn the words khomar and melamastia from native speaker Sanjar Qiam. They speak with Italian actress Laura James about the Italian word pantofoliao and observe the French word flaneur in action with Jim Vallely. Poem by Maggie: It Happens Sometimes. 
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily speak with Chris Reuland about the French words flaneur and dépaysement and learn a very particular use of the word “scripted” from John Ekezian. Poem by Emily: Dépaysement.
Listen
Mark as Played
 Maggie and Emily learn the words pomalo and fjaka from native Croatian speaker Saskia Neal. They discover the word hustletivity with Bonnie Harvey and Michael Houlihan. Poem by Maggie: It is Time.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily talk to Majken Nillson about the Swedish words slutspurt and lagom. They explore a "Word in Action" with Nerys Miller-Baynham and the word "woolfthdt." Poem by Emily: Lagom.
Listen
Mark as Played
A linguistc expedition into brave new words. Maggie and Emily learn the Farsi words taarof and khaste nabashid with native speaker Navid Naderi Alizadeh and put the term “happy birthday” on linguistic trial. Poem by Emily: Taarof.
Listen
Mark as Played
A linguistic exploration into brave new words. In this rerun of episode 11, Maggie and Emily learn the Farsi words taarof and khaste nabashid with native speaker Navid Naderi Alizadeh and put the term “happy birthday” on linguistic trial. Poem by Emily: Taarof.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily revisit the Sanskrit word mudita with Katherine Senshin Griffith and the Chinese word guimi 閨蜜 with Shen Zhong. Then, they put the word "love" on trial with judge Matthew Laura Aitken. Poem by Maggie: The First Year Without Love.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily learn the ancient Greek words kyklos and epistrophe from psychologist Chet Sunde and try to coin a word for "nostalgia for the present" with Arlo Miller-Baynham. Poem by Emily: I Had An Epistrophe.
Listen
Mark as Played
January 29, 2026 30 mins
Maggie and Emily learn the Ancient Greek word "ekgona" from psychologist Chet Sunde and put the word "legacy" on trial with judge Matthew Laura Aitken. Poem by Maggie: ekgona.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily explore the Hebrew word tohu va vohu with retired Yeshiva principal Seth Taylor and philospher Peter Rollins. Poem by Maggie: Tohu wa-bohu.
Listen
Mark as Played
January 15, 2026 29 mins
Maggie and Emily discuss the Portuguese word saudade with Lucas Gomes and Peter Rollins. Poem by Emily: Saudade.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily learn the Puerto Rican Spanish words gufear and chinchorrear and speak to Nerys Miller-Baynham about the fictional Welsh saint, Saint Toiletai. Poem by Maggie: One Day.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily learn the German word umvelt from philosopher/Biblical scholar Jared Byas. Poem by Emily: The Umvelt of the Human Animal.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily learn the Portuguese word muvuca from Kika Mousse and put the term "safe space" on trial with judge Matthew Laura Aitken. Poem by Maggie: Muvuca.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily learn the French words spleen and yaourter from Luc Lewitanski and the AI term hopium from C. Brian Smith. Poem by Emily: Spleen.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily learn the French words rretrouvailles and l'esprit d'escalier from Parisian English and French teacher Luc Lewitanski. Then they put the word "banter" on trial. Poem by Maggie: L'esprit d'escalier.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily learn the Portugese words cafofo and cafuné from Kika Mousse and put the word "self-made" on trial with judge Matthew Laura Aitken. Poem by Emily: Cafofo.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily learn the word "biophilia" from Globe Aware founder Kimbery Haley-Coleman and discuss two words coined by poet Norm Milstein: hapitat and ebullhumblexuberance. Poem by Maggie: Heavier Things Than Me.
Listen
Mark as Played
November 20, 2025 28 mins
Maggie and Emily learn the word tachles (German/Hebrew/Yiddish) from retired Yeshiva principal and educator Seth Taylor and put the word “utilize” on trial with Judge Matthew Laura Aitken. Poem by Emily: Tachles.
Listen
Mark as Played
Maggie and Emily learn two words dealing with illusion, the French word chimère from Ralph Levinson and Luc Lewitanski and the Hindi word mrigtrishna from Vikas and Shashi Bandhu. Poem by Maggie: Condemned to Hope
Listen
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Betrayal Season 5

    Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices