By a Landslide - 13 March 2023

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over

A Way with Words

Language Learning, Society & Culture, Education

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 13 March 2023

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How do you transform ancient Chinese script for use in the modern age? English uses a keyboard with just 26 letters, but the first Chinese typewriter looked like a small table under a huge disk with more than 4,000 characters. A new book chronicles the innovators who adapted the Chinese writing for use with modern technology. Plus, in poker, why is a pair of aces and a pair of eights known as a dead man’s hand? And some people credit Winston Churchill with the phrase Never pass up the chance to sit down or go to the bathroom. There’s no evidence he ever said that, but a similar bit of advice once circulated among British royalty. Plus, getting pipped, puzzling over proverbs, vittles vs. victuals, do the messages vs. do the errands, sakura-fubuki, a friendly word for your ex’s new sweetie, and the German word that translates as “mouse cinema.” Read full show notes, hear hundreds of free episodes, send your thoughts and questions, and learn more on the A Way with Words website: https://waywordradio.org/contact. Be a part of the show: call 1 (877) 929-9673 toll-free in the United States and Canada; worldwide, call or text/SMS +1 (619) 800-4443. Email words@waywordradio.org. Twitter @wayword. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You're listening to Away With Words, the show about language and how we use it.
0:04.0	I'm Grant Barrett.
0:05.3	And I'm Martha Barnett.
0:07.1	I was charmed this week to learn that there is a German word for the electronic dashboard display
0:13.9	on your car. You know all those little flashing lights and different colors.
0:18.7	It's Moizakino. And Moizakino translates as mouse cinema.
0:26.2	You can just imagine a little furry guy sitting up there watching the show.
0:30.4	No, no, these are light.
0:31.7	So there goes the speedometer and there's the mouse cinema.
0:38.0	That's really good.
0:39.2	How do you spell that Moizakino?
0:42.5	M-A-U-M-L-O-T-U-S-E-K-I-N-O Moizakino.
0:47.6	Moizakino.
0:48.2	I just thought that was charming.
0:50.4	And actually there's a Hungarian word Agermozzi, which also means mouse cinema.
0:55.3	And people are using it to describe any device that has an electronic display like your mobile phone.
1:02.4	So you can, you know, take your little mouse cinema and curl up with it and watch a movie.
1:06.3	Right. Yeah, you're in bad.
1:07.6	Cut the blankets.
1:08.5	You know, in grub of mode.
1:10.8	Curled up blankets wrapped around you.
1:12.9	Warm and cozy with your mouse cinema going.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from A Way with Words, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of A Way with Words and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.