Lexicon Valley: Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie help popularize the word hootenanny.

Woody Guthrie’s Folk Etymology. It’s a Hootenanny!

Woody Guthrie’s Folk Etymology. It’s a Hootenanny!

A show about the mysteries of English.
Nov. 16 2015 12:05 PM

Woody Guthrie’s Folk Etymology. It’s a Hootenanny!

Bob Garfield and Mike Vuolo discuss a word that was popularized during the 1940s folk movement with lexicographer Ben Zimmer.

Lexicon Valley has moved! Find new episodes here.

1400x1400_PodCastArt_LexiconValley_slateplus

Listen to Lexicon Valley Episode No. 73:

Advertisement

Slate Plus members: Get your ad-free podcast feed.

Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield discuss the etymology and history of the word hootenanny with Wall Street Journal language columnist Ben Zimmer. For more on the word, visit Zimmer’s Word Routes column on Vocabulary.com.

Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus.

Lexicon Valley is brought to you by The Message, a new podcast series from GE Podcast Theater.

And by Texture, the mobile app that lets you tap directly into the world’s most popular magazines, anywhere, using your phone or tablet. Dive deeper into Vogue, People, Esquire, Time, and more, with interactive content for a richer reading experience. Right now, try Texture for free at Texture.com/lexicon.

You’ll find every Lexicon Valley episode at slate.com/lexiconvalley or in the player below:

Send your thoughts about the show to lexiconvalley@slate.com.