What are the best episodes of America's Secret Slang?

The best rated episodes of America's Secret Slang are: Coming to America - S1E5 rated 8.3, Them's Fighting Words - S1E2 rated 8.3, Cut to the Chase - S2E5 rated 8.0, Lower the Boom - S2E3 rated 8.0

What are the worst episodes of America's Secret Slang?

The lowest rated episodes of America's Secret Slang are: Guns, Booze, and Politics - S1E1 rated 6.1, Bite the Bullet - S2E6 rated 7.0, Go for Broke - S2E7 rated 7.0, Y'all Speak Country - S1E3 rated 7.4

America's Secret Slang Episode Rating Graph

Apr 2013 - Aug 2014

6.2

America's Secret Slang Episode Rating Graph poster

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Browse episode ratings trends for America's Secret Slang. Simply click on the interactive rating graph to explore the best and worst of America's Secret Slang's 14 episodes.

Best Episodes of America's Secret Slang

Coming to America
S1 Ep5
8.3
5th May 2013
Ever wonder why American cowboys say "'git along little doggies" when they're talking about herding cattle? Or why a losing wrestler "cries uncle?" And why do we say "ouch" when we stub a toe?
Them's Fighting Words
S1 Ep2
8.3
14th Apr 2013
Have you ever wondered why someone who can't get it together is called a "basket case"? Or where the term "Yankee" came from? And why do we say someone "bought the farm" when they die?
Cut to the Chase
S2 Ep5
8.0
28th Jun 2014
How entertainment influenced common words and phrases.
Lower the Boom
S2 Ep3
8.0
14th Jun 2014
How American English was influenced by the seas, the ancient world, big business and the news industry.

Worst Episodes of America's Secret Slang

Guns, Booze, and Politics
S1 Ep1
6.1
14th Apr 2013
Politics is full of odd phrases like "pork barrel projects," "slush funds," and "lame ducks" -- all of which had practical origins and morphed to mean what they do today.
Bite the Bullet
S2 Ep6
7.0
19th Jul 2014
Words that originated in the military, police, aviation and baseball; a "last ditch effort"; freelance workers; pushing the envelope.
Go for Broke
S2 Ep7
7.0
26th Jul 2014
Exploring the ways the language has been shaped by Vikings, the Cold War, computers, music and gambling; the meanings behind the colors of the rainbow.
Y'all Speak Country
S1 Ep3
7.4
21st Apr 2013
The American South has given us words like "y'all" and "rednecks" as well as dozens of colorful phrases like "fly off the handle," "having an axe to grind," and "barking up the wrong tree." But what are the origins of these expressions and why has one group of people contributed so much to the American language?

America's Secret Slang Episode Guide

Guns, Booze, and Politics
S1 Ep1
6.1
14th Apr 2013
Politics is full of odd phrases like "pork barrel projects," "slush funds," and "lame ducks" -- all of which had practical origins and morphed to mean what they do today.
Them's Fighting Words
S1 Ep2
8.3
14th Apr 2013
Have you ever wondered why someone who can't get it together is called a "basket case"? Or where the term "Yankee" came from? And why do we say someone "bought the farm" when they die?
Y'all Speak Country
S1 Ep3
7.4
21st Apr 2013
The American South has given us words like "y'all" and "rednecks" as well as dozens of colorful phrases like "fly off the handle," "having an axe to grind," and "barking up the wrong tree." But what are the origins of these expressions and why has one group of people contributed so much to the American language?
West Word, Ho!
S1 Ep4
7.8
28th Apr 2013
Expressions from "riffraff" to "betting your bottom dollar", "passing the buck," "acid test" and even "heard it through the grapevine" all come from America's frontier days. But have you ever wondered why these phrases were first used and what they mean today?
Coming to America
S1 Ep5
8.3
5th May 2013
Ever wonder why American cowboys say "'git along little doggies" when they're talking about herding cattle? Or why a losing wrestler "cries uncle?" And why do we say "ouch" when we stub a toe?
Talking Turkey
S1 Ep6
8.0
12th May 2013
Americans have always loved to eat and expressions relating to food--from New York's "big apple" to "wake up and smell the coffee" --pepper our everyday speech. But where did they all come from?

Host Zach Selwyn hits the streets to ask everyday people what they know about the origins and meaning of American slang, and then he reveals the true etymology and hidden history of common phrases and words that are unique to the United States. In each 30-minute episode, Selwyn focuses on a specific period in American history, revealing words that originated during that era or had significance for the geographic region.

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