Pants in the Boot

A buttermilk biscuit is one of humanity’s greatest inventions. But it is somehow different from an English or Scottish (or New Zealand) scone, whether you pronounce it skown or skon. In this episode, we tear biscuits apart, peer inside sausages, and swim in gravy. Glenn Fleishman with Chris Phin, Erika Ensign, James Thomson, Jean MacDonald and Sarah Hendrica Bickerton.

We wade into the contentious debate of what constitutes a sandwich in this episode, but fortunately get sidetracked into whether a chicken patty is a burger or a sandwich, and then start remembering chip butties fondly, we discuss “the bits” of fries/chips, and Chris informs us about “a fly cuppie and a fine piece.” We avoid getting into a jam about jelly (reserving it for a future episode). Glenn Fleishman with Chris Phin, Erika Ensign, James Thomson, Jean MacDonald and Sarah Hendrica Bickerton.

Welcome to tea or not! A podcast in which we…never mind. This episode, we discuss a cuppa, a fly cup, broken orange pekoe, tea bags, tea with toasted brown rice, and what is absolutely not tea. Bonus content at the end. Glenn Fleishman with Chris Phin, Erika Ensign, James Thomson, Jean MacDonald and Sarah Hendrica Bickerton.

A flat white isn’t just a boring person who frequents Starbucks, but a drink invented in New Zealand. Fortunately, we have a Kiwi on this episode to talk about that and other coffee we drink out in the best of times (and, in New Zealand, right now) and we make at home. We add sugar and milk to flat white, americano, mocha (pronounced both ways), Nespresso, and cowboy coffee, among other caffeinated topics. Glenn Fleishman with Chris Phin, Erika Ensign, James Thomson, Jean MacDonald and Sarah Hendrica Bickerton.

Broil, broil, toil, and trouble, cooktop flame and grill bubble! On this episode, panelists talk around the hob about knobs, grill each other over flames, and do not, I repeat, do not put another shrimp on the barbie. Barbecue is meat. Unless it’s a kind of cookout. We mention our episode on vans, caravans, and RVs, and Chris enlightens us about two UK brands: Aga, a popular kind of fancy grill, and Baby Belling, a popular model of electric cooker. Glenn Fleishman with Chris Phin, Erika Ensign, James Thomson, Jean MacDonald and Sarah Hendrica Bickerton.

In this first episode of the fifth series of Pants in the Boot, our panelists turn on the tap and fill their kettle—or is it a pot, pan, or jug?—with cold, clear water, before boiling it. We debate voltage. Also, Jean reveals her regifting habit. Glenn Fleishman with Chris Phin, Erika Ensign, James Thomson, Jean MacDonald and Sarah Hendrica Bickerton.

Dining out on dining in - Oof, it’s been a long day of eating, but it’s finally time for dinner, whether we consume it at 5:30 p.m. with children or midnight in Barcelona. Panelists discuss what they eat on what surface and when, and discover all of them grew up eating their evening meal together with their family. This is the last episode in this meals series. Join us again soon for a new series with new set of culture and words. Host Glenn Fleishman with Annette Wierstra, Antony Johnston, Chris Phin, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign and James Thomson.

Never mind the hobnobs - Here’s one in which our British compadres have Americans (and most Canadians) beat hands down: tea! While our feckless host admits he thought high tea was an invention, English and Scottish panelist explain tea, afternoon tea, and high tea, and ask the butler to bring more scones. Host Glenn Fleishman with Annette Wierstra, Antony Johnston, Chris Phin, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign and James Thomson.

A little peckish already - We’ve finished off a mid-morning snack and elevenses, and it appears to be time for lunch. Our UK, Canadian, and American panelists talk about the sandwich as holy center of lunch, but wouldn’t something deep fried be nice, too? Or a burrito? “The Holy Lunching Friars of Voondon claimed that just as lunch was at the center of a man’s temporal day, and man’s temporal day could be seen as an analogy for his spiritual life, so lunch should be seen as the centre of a man’s spiritual life, and be held in jolly nice restaurants.”—Douglas Adams, Host Glenn Fleishman with Annette Wierstra, Antony Johnston, Chris Phin, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign and James Thomson.

Mimosa Es Su Mosa - The most important meal of the day is breakfast. And we seem to agree on that. We might call it “brekkie,” though we usually do not, but it is the least contentiously named meal. Panelists discuss cereal, stacks of things, the breakfast burrito, the American diner, and stay through to brunch, a no longer uniquely American invention. As mentioned on this episode, you can find Antony “Anthony Johnson” Johnston’s Joe Shelter series here. Host Glenn Fleishman with Annette Wierstra, Antony Johnston, Chris Phin, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign and James Thomson.

Seven Meals a Day - In this first episode of Pants in the Boot Series 4, we talk about how we identify different times of the day during which we eat named meals. Is it elevenses, dinner, supper, tea, or something altogether different? At least we agree on breakfast. I think. Host Glenn Fleishman with Annette Wierstra, Antony Johnston, Chris Phin, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign and James Thomson.

An Accredited Podcast - Primary school, grammar school, magnet school, comprehensive, college, university, faculty, and more. Our global English-speaking brains are abuzz as we try to comprehend exactly how each part of the world describes (and charges for) the institutions that educate children and young adults. Host Glenn Fleishman with Alice Fraser, Chris Phin, James Thomson and Kathy Campbell.

Codswallop - In an inevitable episode in this series, we talk obscenity. Those of faint constitutions should avoid getting their knickers in a twist as panelists from Scotland, Australia, and the U.S. of A. discuss varying attitudes about the f word, the c word, the t word, and a lot of other words we can’t readily list in this description. We dive deep into what constitutes offensive words, too. Host Glenn Fleishman with Alice Fraser, Chris Phin, James Thomson and Kathy Campbell.

Look behind you! - Usually, we’re explaining English to each other. This time, US panelists are desperate to understand the largely UK art of panto, a kind of stylized broad style of show, popular around Christmas, full of stereotypes and archetypes, risqué and beloved by children and adults. Host Glenn Fleishman with Kathy Campbell, Alice Fraser, Chris Phin and James Thomson.

Don’t be half a horse’s ass - If you wear fancy dress in the US or the UK, you might show up in tails. However, in the former, that would be a tuxedo and the latter, potentially the back half of a horse costume. Our panelists for this and the next stretch of episodes dig into what to wear and what not to wear, including the lack of a modern code for mourning dress. Host Glenn Fleishman with Kathy Campbell, Alice Fraser, Chris Phin and James Thomson.

It aunt necessary so - American panelists finally hear the difference between ma’am and mum when referring to, for instance, the bloody Queen of England! Yes, we talk mom, mom, and mum; aunt and aunt; and the names we call our grandparents in various regions. Host Glenn Fleishman with Antony Johnston, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign and James Thomson.

What’s up, BRU? - The North Americans challenge their UK panelists to please, please, please explain what lemonade means, since it’s not “lemons, sugar, and water.” The answer will surprise you. But then we discover ginger as a generic. It’s all sweet fizzy water with fake lemon (or Lymon) in the end. Host Glenn Fleishman with Antony Johnston, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign and James Thomson.

Brace yourself - We’re all lumberjacks and we’re okay, we chop down words, and we read dictionar—ies! Panelists get to the bottom of suspenders and braces, and James explains how he used to visualize Wall Street financial wizards. All we can say is, honi soit qui mal y pants. Host Glenn Fleishman with Antony Johnston, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign and James Thomson.

Keep on truckin’ - We thought the difference between a truck and a lorry wouldn’t be a bumpy road. But when we get into it, we find a trash fire, Dumpster trademarks, and a confusion over caravans, and ultimately articulate the differences. Host Glenn Fleishman with Antony Johnston, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign and James Thomson.

Fanny Anny Foh Fanny - Panelists try to avoid getting their knickers in a twist while discussing the disparate—sometimes obscene—meanings of words that address the back of our front: fanny, butt, bum, ass, and arse. Host Glenn Fleishman with Antony Johnston, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign and James Thomson.