Etymoleon - Word History, the etymology podcast.

61. Contradicting Meanings II

Leon Bailey-Green Season 1 Episode 61

This episode is all about words that are their own opposites. Clip can mean both to trim and to attach, while refrain can mean to hold back or to repeat something endlessly. We also explore words that have flipped meanings over time; egregious once meant remarkably good, but now means shockingly bad, and villain has undergone a similar transformation. Plus, we explore the paradoxical phrase "I'm lying right now".