The Allusionist “is a podcast about language and etymology by Helen Zaltzman for Radiotopia from PRX.” And who is Helen Zaltzman? According to the About page: “Helen Zaltzman has a degree in Old and Middle English, but in 2003 was rejected for her dream job as an etymologist at the Oxford English Dictionary, so had to become a podcaster instead. She makes shows from her living room in Crystal Palace, London.” So she should know her language and etymology, and if you like podcasts, it’s probably a good one (me, I don’t do podcasts).
Helen Zaltzman is great….she also co-hosts a hilarious podcast called Answer Me This. And her brother hosts/hosted The Bugle with John Oliver.
I have listened to a couple of episodes. It’s quite obvious that it’s being run on a shoestring budget, and the quality is very varied.