Join us on this episode to learn how those goth girls you were attracted to in high school are a commentary on the Roman Empire. Yeah, Abe's research is just that good. Efren brings a poem by Rickey Laurentiis and we choose a song from the Crow soundtrack.

Ep. 49: Gothic

Stop what you're listening to. Is it really yummy enough? If not, why not join us on a tasty adventure through the history of our week's word, delicious. Learn what types of food the Extreme Vocabulary gang likes to eat, how they make their syllabi, and what their rhymes taste like. Abe's research will get your tastebuds rocking, while Efren brings a delectable piece of literature from a little known author named Herman Melville. Put that low-calorie podcast down, and pick up the juiciest piece of podcast candy you have ever had, on today's episode.

Ep. 48: Delicious

We are here to convince, urge, strong-arm, and maybe just order at gunpoint you into appreciating the depths of today's word. Don't worry, when we're done, you will think it was your idea. If you can be persuaded to listen to this episode, you will hear all about the history of suasion, what words it is and isn't related to, as well as a conversation about the role of persuasion in today's bifurcated landscape. Dr. Efren P.H.D. brings a poem by Li-Young Lee, and we go out on a sixties classic.

Ep. 47: Persuasion

Have you ever wished that you could punish all those other podcasts who waste your time with pointless speculation? Welcome back to Extreme Vocabulary, where our success has caused such consternation among our peers that our very existence is vengeance itself. On today’s episode we take revenge out on all the other podcasts with Abe’s research on today’s word as well as a poetry reading by Efren of a work by Heid E. Erdrich titled Ghost Prisoner. And just in case you still demand satisfaction, we choose a Pearl Jam song to go out on. So don’t just wait for the scales of justice to weigh in your favor, take things into your own hands on today’s episode of Extreme Vocabulary!

Ep. 46: Revenge

You are at a crossroads. Should you listen to this podcast, where we take a deep-dive into our word of the day, which was created as a joke? Or should you watch another episode of Cobra Kai, where every time you try to do the right thing, things just get worse? Some might call this some kind of conundrum, and we hope that you choose to do the right thing, and listen to us as we answer some classic conundrums before  discussing the conundrums of our times. Abe does the research, and Efren brings a poem by George Bowering, and Aaron and Josh still don't know what to do all on this episode of Extreme Vocabulary.

EP. 45: Conundrum

Have you ever had a friend who seems to show up at all the most important moments of your life? If your name is Jesus, that friend is probably Mary Magdalene; or so the story goes. But what does Mary Magdalene have to do with today's word? Well, as it turns out, everything and almost nothing at all. Sometimes we give birth to things that have nothing to do with us. It's enough to make you cry, really. Efren brings a poem by Linda Gregerson. And we read a letter by Joshua Clover, whose poetry was featured on this very show. Our adventure keeps getting bigger, and our vocabulary keeps getting more extreme, but you don't have to take my word for it. Join us today.

EP. 44: Maudlin

What do John Wilkes Booth, Home Depot workers, and Pinterest Boards have in common? Mezzanine, of course. In the middle of our life's journey, we sometimes encounter fancy and laborious words like mezzanine. But we're here to help. In this episode, we talk about elevated floors and why upper-middle class people fantasize about them on Pinterest Boards, and why Home Depot workers fall from them, and why John Wilkes Booth had to traverse one to commit his horrible deed. Efren brings a poem about mezzanines and personal identity, and Aaron chooses today's song. So, come join us up here on the mezzanine called Extreme Vocabulary!

Ep. 43: Mezzanine

What if I told you that miracles happen everyday? What if Abe also told you that's really not a big deal because the etymology of the word reveals that miracles aren't about anything unusual anyways? In today's episode, we venture into discussions of consciousness, the Christmas story, and the power of movies. Efren brings a piece of literature from Jorge Luis Borges, and Aaron does the hosting. This was a liveshow so thanks go out to anybody who joined us on our Zoom call, especially Hugo, who helped us choose the song. Were the times good? Well, they were a miracle.

Ep. 42: Miracle

On today's episode we look at the history of this rich word. Aaron hosts the guys as they react to recent news events by looking up a word. Abraham has done the research revealing its various definitions over the years, and discovers that the Oxford English Dictionary has not updated its entry to show how the word is often used today. Efren brings us a great poem by Lenelle Moise, and Josh edits out a curseword, all on this episode of Extreme Vocabulary.

Ep. 41: Loot

On today's episode we ask you a sexy question: What are you wearing? As we talk about the word Sartorial, we discuss scientifically engineered clothes, TC Surf Designs, pretending to be upper class, comfortability, double-breasted suits, kimonos, hamstrings, the ridiculousness of rock star clothing, and the philosophy of clothes in general. We also discuss how COVID-19 has changed our clothing style. Efren brings a fashionable poem by Eileen R. Tabios about the white-collar working class. Josh chooses ZZ Top. And Abe and Aaron wear their hair big. So put on some pajamas and get comfy with Extreme Vocabulary!

Ep. 40: Sartorial

They started by trying to make a vocabulary podcast. They ended up saving the world.

Extreme Vocabulary

Hey smarty pants, everybody in class thinks your smart, but is it just because you're holding a book in your hands? Join us on a discovery and decide for yourself who is qualified to expound on the meaning of intelligence. Abe brings us the etymology of the word, as usual, but we also consider some topics like animals, culture, books, and... French? Efren brings a poem by Stanley Kunitz, and of course we choose a song as usual. Don't listen to us because it's cool, listen to us because it's the smart choice.

Ep. 24: Intelligence

Today we find ourselves at the precipice between what is symbol and what is phenomena, and we discuss how words and numbers help us crossover from our crude matter into our minds and back out into the cosmos. Art itself supports and is supported by today's word. We also discuss weighty philosophical matters such as, what is the best time to eat a banana? And what the definition of is is. Abe did the researdch, while Efren brings us a piece of literature from Hector Tobar, and we choose a piece of music too. In the end though, it's really hard to say how anything really ever happened.

Ep. 35: Abstract

The boy is back in town and ready for action! Welcome the return of Abe as he brings us on an adventure of the mind. How do you know if you're on an adventure? Does Zelda qualify? What about a trip to Vegas? Efren then brings one of the most classic classic pieces of literature for analysis. So, strap in and saddle out (is that a thing people say?) and push the accelerator on Episode 14 of EXTREME VOCABULARY!

Ep. 14: Adventure

I hope you don't mind if we accost your ears for another episode of Extreme Vocabulary.  We promise to return them to you unmolested and in the meantime, you'll learn about the history of this month's arresting word. Abe drops knowledge about Juno Diaz, Efren brings a piece of literature by Richard Wright, Aaron is his normal brilliant self, and Josh seems, well, a little confused. But don't worry, you'll get your ears right back and hopefully with something new in-between on this episode of EXTREME VOCABULARY.

Ep. 11: Accost

Psst! It's us. We're right behind you. And in front of you. And also in these tiny wafers. That's right we are using our godlike powers to reach you yet again for another episode of Extreme Vocabulary. On this episode, we study another word with its roots in religious history. Then, we take a listen to some wise words by Borges.

Ep. 33: Ubiquitous

On today's episode, we are missing Aaron so we lose our edge as we discuss today's not-so-sharp word, BLUNT. So join us as we consider the history of how warfare generates our metaphors, insults make us dance, and salsa inspires the salivary glands for us all. Abe takes us back in time through the origins of this word, while Efren brings a recent example from a work of literature by Justin Torres.

Ep. 36: Blunt

In this second of our two-part series, we think about communism's root word commune. We ask, what can humans commune with? What is left of the commons? Air? Water? Desert? And Efren offers Planet Fitness as a utopian model of communism. Wait! Hear us out! Efren brings a poem by Brian Komei Dempster, Abe tells us about the Paris commune, Josh tells us about the E.T. Atari games in the desert, and Aaron teaches us how to commune with each other here on Extreme Vocabulary!

Ep. 39: Commune

One day Josh crossed a bridge *watched a YouTube video* and decided to look under it *read the comments section*, and there he discovered an ugly troll *an insulting ranter*.  The troll threatened to eat him *engage him in a verbal rant about nothing*, but Josh was clever *trollish* and killed the troll with a kick *ignored him completely*. And Josh lived happily ever after *continued reading the comments section*.Troll is the word, and it seems there's a bit of troll in us all thanks to the Internet. Join our trollish mob as we try to answer the Troll's riddles: What is a troll? And who qualifies as a troll in our day? And does the troll have any politics? And is he funny or annoying?Abe brings the research, and Efren brings us The Three Billy Goats Gruff, while Aaron and Josh troll them with contradictions. It's time for Extreme Trollcabulary!!!

One day Josh crossed a bridge *watched a YouTube video* and decided to look under it *read the comments section*, and there he discovered an ugly troll *an insulting ranter*. The troll threatened to eat him *engage him in a verbal rant about nothing*, but Josh was clever *trollish* and killed the troll with a kick *ignored him completely*. And Josh lived happily ever after *continued reading the comments section*. Troll is the word, and it seems there's a bit of troll in us all thanks to the Internet. Join our trollish mob as we try to answer the Troll's riddles: What is a troll? And who qualifies as a troll in our day? And does the troll have any politics? And is he funny or annoying? Abe brings the research, and Efren brings us The Three Billy Goats Gruff, while Aaron and Josh troll them with contradictions. It's time for Extreme Trollcabulary!!!

Ep. 18: Troll

For our second year as a podcast, we thought we would try something a little different. Now, we're all involved in the conversation from front to back, except... Abe wasn't able to make this recording in person. Hopefully, you can feel his spirit, though as we discuss today's dizzying word, VERTIGO. Aaron does the research, Efren brings a piece of literature from Jorge Luis Borges.

Ep. 13: Vertigo

NNEEERRRRDDDSSS!!!In this episode of Extreme Vocabulary we nerd out on the word NERD. Who or what is a nerd? Is it now cool to be a nerd? And what credentials can you show to prove your nerdhood? Listen in as Efren challenges our nerdhood by siding with Pokémon the Trading Card Game, while Josh sides with Pokémon GO, and Abe stays conservative with the main series Pokémon games. But aren't  nerds really just social conformists intent on ruling the world? And aren't they the jerkiest gate keepers of their sphere of influence? Or are they genuine social outcasts, like the main character in Junot Diaz's novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao? Stay tuned as our inner nerd takes over this episode!!!

NNEEERRRRDDDSSS!!! In this episode of Extreme Vocabulary we nerd out on the word NERD. Who or what is a nerd? Is it now cool to be a nerd? And what credentials can you show to prove your nerdhood? Listen in as Efren challenges our nerdhood by siding with Pokémon the Trading Card Game, while Josh sides with Pokémon GO, and Abe stays conservative with the main series Pokémon games. But aren't nerds really just social conformists intent on ruling the world? And aren't they the jerkiest gate keepers of their sphere of influence? Or are they genuine social outcasts, like the main character in Junot Diaz's novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao? Stay tuned as our inner nerd takes over this episode!!!

Ep. 17: Nerd

Today we take a break from our normal format to reveal tiny slivers of our identities and lives. Also, some number of impressions are made. Don't get knocked down, get up again, and enjoy this episode.

Ep. 37: No Word

Today’s episode tells the story of how the King of England set in motion a series of events that would create what is arguably the longest word in the English language (even if it’s mostly suffixes and prefixes). Then, we pluck this word from its historical context and see if it holds any relevance for the hip kids of today. Efren brings us a short story by Gayle Pemberton, Aaron shows off his knowledge of history, Abe does the research, Josh does bad accents, and we all get together to tell the kids to get off our lawn on today’s episode of EXTREME VOCABULARY.

Ep. 27: Antidisestablishmentarianism

This is no act of deceit or treachery, this is a real episode of Extreme Vocabulary, where we define one of the least rooted words we've ever had. Join us to learn the tale of how a Scottish word came to be used to describe a sex crime in old catholic documents, only to be later used to describe financial crimes in our own century. Then join us for one two many impressions, a poem by Vachel Lindsay, and our most musical moment ever.

Ep. 34: Skulduggery

On this episode, The Extreme Vocabularians find a recently-coined word and critique its poetic, philosophical, and psychological possibilities. In other words, we hate it. But even though this word is new, it has a mysterious and disputed history that you may have insight into. And in the spirit of coining new words, Abe and Josh decide to coin their own with interesting results. Efren finds a tumblr blog, and Aaron wisely curates today's music selection. But don't just feel the depths of our reality, join it, by listening to today's episode of EXTREME VOCABULARY!

Ep. 32: Sonder

Cowabunga! We're here to PARTY and do our best to explore the mystery of words. Today's word has lots of definitions and tons of applications. So whether you are a member of a party, at a party, interested in hunting, or a just person who just likes, you may have enjoyed using today's very fun word. Efren is here once again with some poetry by William E. Stafford, and we answer emails. Don't worry if you didn't bring any snacks, we got everything you need on EXTREME VOCABULARY.

Ep. 28: Party

Oh, yeah... this again. So, Extreme Vocabulary does everything it can to stay, well, extreme, but sometimes they can't keep up that energy level. I'm not saying this episode is BORING, far from it. Abe tells Aaron about the Germanic origins of this week's word, deconstructs its usage among children, and even talks about watching ants crawl on his arm. Then Efren comes by with a bundle of joy from Raymond Carver's short story, FEATHERS But there's something (yawn) about this episode, that just... huh? Wait, what was I saying? Oh yeah! It's Extreme Vocabulary!

Ep. 10: Boring

You may have felt at a LOSS this past month without an episode of EXTREME VOCABULARY to keep you company, but don't worry, we are back with another fascinating etymological journey. Our captain is Abe, who, as usual, leads us through the historical and modern meanings of the word loss. He, along with Josh, Efren, and a remarkably off-mic Aaron, explore the loss of culture, loss of weight, and Alex Jones's cult of lost masculinity. Also, there's a lynx in here for some reason. Efren brings a passage from Helena Maria Villamontes's Their Dogs Came With Them, and as usual, we find a song to capture today's word. Where have you been all of our lives? We were lost without you, so click the link, or find us on iTunes.

Ep. 22: Loss

Hey it’s US again! But if we’re US, then who is everybody else? In our great tradition of defining words that we already know, we are going with a couple of the first words we learn. Are they also some of the first words humans conceptualized? If so, what does that mean for the way we build society around us? Efren brings a poem by David Tomas Martinez, and we choose a straight classic jam to go out with. To find out, don’t listen to THEM, listen to US!

Ep. 30: Us and Them

Extreme Vocabulary is not your typical word-of-the-day podcast. On Extreme Vocabulary, we hide behind our VEIL of secrecy. But just what are we hiding? And from whom are we hiding? Death, sex, marriage, religion, and more get teased through the mesh of our conversation but, one thing we don’t hide is our piece of literature, which Efren, as usual, brings. Today he brings a poem by Dennis Johnson, appropriately named VEIL. What will you see when you pierce this episode? The priest is waiting for your answer, and the flashbulbs are going off on today’s EXTREME VOCABULARY.

Ep. 21: Veil

Here at Extreme Vocabulary, we are tools of the devil because we ask for your CULTISH devotion, dear listener. Today's word, CULT, reminds us back when civilization was a mere gardening religion thankful to unknown gods for a full stomach. But how did we get from cult as gardening to cult as drinking the cyanide kool-aid? And was it even Kool-Aid? And did Nike sponsor the Heaven's Gate cult? We answer these and other questions because we are your sole authority. Pontiff Efren brings THE MORROW OF TRADITION, Deacon Josh brings his charming good looks, Lord Aaron brings his cult of personality, and Abe wears the ceremonial robes for the comet's arrival-- the comet called EXTREME VOCABULARY.

Ep. 25: Cult

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