I've ruled out uni because I want to live at home.

I've ruled out uni because I want to earn money.

I've ruled out uni because of my grades.

Study with the Open University and there's no need to rule out anything.

With our respected degrees, you can learn from home and work alongside study.

We're open to all. Plus, you'll have the support of expert tutors. So rethink your

future with the degree you didn't think was possible. The Open University. The future is open.

You're listening to Away with Words, the show about language and how we use it. I'm Grant Barrett.

And I'm Martha Barnett. I learned a handy new term the other day,

the Abilene Paradox. As an Abilene, Texas? As an Abilene, Texas. There's a story behind it.

It really happens. So picture this. It's a hot, dusty summer day in small town, West Texas.

And there's a married couple and their in-laws and they're sitting out on a porch and they're

running a fan and sipping lemonade just trying to keep cool.

And there's nothing really much to do except sit there and play a lazy game of dominoes,

just wiping the sweat from your brow.

And at some point, the father-in-law pipes up with,

let's get in the car and go to Abilene and have dinner in the cafeteria. So it's 53 miles away.

It's this hot, dusty afternoon in a car with no air conditioning. And the daughter chimes in,

oh, it sounds like a great idea. She asks her husband what he thinks.

Husband says, sounds good. I just hope your mother wants to go. The mother-in-law says, of course I want to go. I haven't been to Abilene in a long time. So they all pile into the car and it's miserable. It's just awful. the whole trip they're sweating the cafeteria food is just dreadful there's a thin film of dust over

everything and four hours later they're back on the trip. They're sweating. The cafeteria food is just dreadful. There's a thin film of dust over

everything. And four hours later, they're back on that porch. They're hot and exhausted, sitting in front

...