213. Four Letter Words: Dino
The Allusionist
Helen Zaltzman
4.7 • 3.8K Ratings
🗓️ 21 July 2025
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The latest four letter word of Four Letter Word season is dino. 'Dinosaur' is derived from Greek 'terrible lizard', and they could have called it 'whopping great lizard' or 'sublime lizard' or 'hey cool lizard', but no. TERRIBLE. Professor Hannah McGregor of Material Girls podcast and author of the book Clever Girl: Jurassic Park explains humans' relationship with language for dinosaurs, and why 'terrible' might be a perfect choice.
Visit theallusionist.org/dino for more information about dinos, links to Hannah and her work, pics of the Crystal Palace Park dinosaurs, and the transcript of the episode.
TOMORROW, ie 22 July, at 4pm UK time, BBC Radio 4 is broadcasting (and internetting) our piece Souvenirs, a sort of tragicomic essay/documentary/musical? about the two friends who around 1900 founded the groundbreaking Doves Press then almost immediately had a big falling out and spent more than a decade fighting over their in-house typeface. And THEN things got weird. If you like stories about history and/or petty revenge, this is for you.
It’s some of my best work - I give it 7.8 out of 10 - and I’d love for you to listen to it, via radio or BBC website or BBC Sounds (it’ll be on there for a while after, I’m not sure how long). We're also having a live listening party during the broadcast in the Allusioverse Discord, so what a great time to join: theallusionist.org/donate You also get behind the scenes scoops about the making of every episode, livestreams with me and my collection of dictionaries, perks at live shows, the company of your fellows in the Allusioverse Discord, and watchalongs eg currently the new season of Great British Sewing Bee. And, you're keeping this independent podcast going, what great outcomes for your money.
This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Martin Austwick provided music and editorial assistance. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.
Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social… If I’m there, I’m there as @allusionistshow.
Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:
• Understance, a growing Vancouver BC company making thoughtfully designed, pretty and comfy bras, undies and sleepwear. They’re having a sale on June 26-July 1 so get over there and stock up at understance.com or at their stores in Vancouver, Burnaby, Calgary and Toronto.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is the illusionist, in which I, Helen Zaltzman, use DNA technology to bring to life some long extinct language and let it roam in a big safari-esque park on an island of Costa Rica and invite some experts, including paleontologist Dr Alan Grant and paleobanist Dr. Ellie Sattler, to take a look at it |
| 0:22.5 | and confirm to the park's investors that everything is fine and it is definitely not dangerous. |
| 0:27.9 | This language is definitely not going to run a mark and definitely not going to eviscerate some humans |
| 0:32.4 | with its jaws and claws. Replace language with dinosaurs and me with a rich business dude named John Hammond, |
| 0:39.9 | and you've got the information you need about Jurassic Park, specifically the 1993 movie |
| 0:44.8 | adaptation of Michael Crichton's 1990 novel, to comprehend today's fall-out-a-word episode, |
| 0:50.7 | which is about the word dino, and features the beloved Alumptionist returning. |
| 0:57.5 | Before we begin, I made a piece called souvenirs with house band Martin Austwick, |
| 1:02.8 | and it is being broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, 22nd of July, at 4pm UK time, |
| 1:09.7 | with a rerun at quarter-bast midnight on Saturday night or Sunday morning. |
| 1:13.6 | And souvenirs will be available on the BBC website and BBC Sounds for online listening as well. |
| 1:19.8 | Not sure how long for, but definitely for a bit. I would love for you to listen to it. It is the story of |
| 1:25.6 | a friendship that imploded over the dove's typeface, |
| 1:29.4 | and it's maybe the best, most poignant and funny thing I've managed to write. Plus, Martin |
| 1:34.5 | composed some absolutely beautiful music for it, and there's a running Spice Girls theme. |
| 1:40.1 | If you enjoy it, you could send feedback to the BBC. Here's a template. |
| 1:45.9 | Dear BBC, while I was chopping cauliflower the other day, I was pleasantly surprised by that |
| 1:51.4 | thing souvenirs you put on. Was it a documentary? An essay? A tone poem but funny? A comedy |
| 1:58.6 | sketch but sad? A musical with a very small cast? Anyway, whatever it was, |
| 2:04.2 | it sent me into some kind of reverie, and when a rousing ad for Gardner's question time |
| 2:08.9 | summoned me back from my emotional cocoon, my tears perfectly seasoned the cauliflower. |
| 2:14.7 | Cheers for that, yours, etc. Just a suggestion. Also, if you'd like to listen to |
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