What if your weirdest habits aren’t your fault—but your great-great-great-great-grandfather’s?
You’ve got two dinner rolls in each pocket and a dinosaur model shoved into your hoodie. That’s not theft—it’s your atavism acting up again. In this episode of Nerd Word, Jay and Elle explore the word atavistic, tracing its roots to ancient ancestry, outdated behaviors, and whether you can blame bad decisions on prehistoric DNA.
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What does 'miser' mean?
Miser(noun):
From Scrooge McDuck to Mr. Burns, the miser is a character trope that blends comedy, cruelty, and critique. It’s a classic word for writers crafting greedy villains, comedians looking for punchlines, and test-takers flexing high-level vocabulary.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Skit Highlights
Listener Challenge
Writers: Create a character whose stinginess affects more than just money.
Comedians: Write a bit where being a miser pays off—and then doesn’t.
Students: Use miser in your GRE or SAT prep, and try to sneak in tightwad or skinflint too.
Share it with #NerdWordThePodcast and show us what you got.
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Tags
🎧 Subscribe to Nerd Word and stockpile words like a true miser—just don't hoard them. Use 'em.
Atavistic (adj.) – relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral.
In short, it means acting like your long-forgotten great-great-great-grandparents… for better or worse.
The hosts debated the nuances between “miser” and “miserly,” highlighting how the word paints a vivid picture of someone like Ebenezer Scrooge or Scrooge McDuck—characters famously tight with their coins.
The word atavistic comes from the Latin atavus, meaning “ancestor.” It’s built from avus (grandfather) and the prefix at- (great-great, essentially). Originally used in biology to describe traits that reappear after skipping generations, atavistic now describes any regression to primitive behavior—genetic or not.
Jay, the museum director, hoards cafeteria rolls and smuggles dinosaur models out of the gift shop, claiming “my pockets are full” like a seasoned raccoon. Elle isn’t buying it—but she is the one who points out he might just be showing signs of an atavistic impulse. It’s hard to rise above the caveman in us all, especially when carbs are involved.
He pockets a fossil, he hoards the bread,
“Don’t blame me,” he shrugs, “blame the long-dead.”
His genes cry out for ancient ways,
Though modern times find no such praise.
A gift shop thief, a primal man,
Living proof of Darwin’s plan.
Synonyms: primitive, ancestral, throwback, retrogressive, instinctual
Antonyms: modern, evolved, progressive, contemporary, forward-thinking
(But let’s be real—atavistic just sounds cooler.)
That guy who insists on hunting his dinner with a homemade spear? Atavistic.
Your uncle who builds fires without matches and distrusts microwaves? Yep.
Anyone who reverts to caveman logic in a group chat? Absolutely.
That friend who’s always talking about their Viking heritage? Bonus points if they steal rolls.
What does ‘miser’ mean?
Miser (noun):
From Scrooge McDuck to Mr. Burns, the miser is a character trope that blends comedy, cruelty, and critique. It’s a classic word for writers crafting greedy villains, comedians looking for punchlines, and test-takers flexing high-level vocabulary.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Skit Highlights
Listener Challenge
Writers: Create a character whose stinginess affects more than just money. Comedians: Write a bit where being a miser pays off—and then doesn’t. Students: Use miser in your GRE or SAT prep, and try to sneak in tightwad or skinflint too.
Share it with #NerdWordThePodcast and show us what you got.
Links and Resources
Tags
🎧 Subscribe to Nerd Word and stockpile words like a true miser—just don’t hoard them. Use ’em.
INT. MUSEUM – EVENING
The museum is quiet. Lights dim. A disembodied voice speaks over the intercom.
COMPUTER
The museum closes in 15 minutes.
JAY
(whispers, hurried)
Here, put this in your pocket. Mine are already full.
ELLE
(deadpan)
I can’t steal from my own gift shop. You’re the museum director. Why are you stealing?
JAY
(defensive, whispering)
I’ve been collecting these model dinosaurs now for 12 years. Every few months, they come out with a new one.
ELLE
(sarcastic)
They’re only 25.
JAY
Exactly. That’s about 20 more than they’re worth.
ELLE
Then why can’t you take it?
JAY
(patting his jacket)
Like I said, my pockets are full. I can’t get enough of these cafeteria dinner rolls. I take three or four every night.
ELLE
(deadpan)
I guess it’s hard to escape your atavistic ways if you’re constantly telling stories about your primitive ancestors.
Cue theme music.
