80. Accismus

This week, Emily and Kyle discuss the meaning and origin of the word accismus. They’re too polite to say it themselves, but really they’d love for you to listen.

Our hosts dive into the Ancient Greek arts of speech and rhetoric. They look at the origin of irony, and a classic comedic scene between Hercules and one of the Greek gods. And they look at that most polite form of irony, saying ‘no thank you’ when you really want to give an emphatic ‘yes please.’

They also bring you a host of examples through history, literature, and myth. They talk about a possible tradition upon being named bishop in the Churck of England, a Shakespeare quote about Caesar nearly taking modesty too far, and even an Aesop fable about sour grapes.