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

Life of Riley (Rebroadcast) - 1 March 2021

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

A Way with Words

Language Learning, Society & Culture, Education

4.62.3K Ratings

🗓️ 1 March 2021

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Unwrap the name of a candy bar, and you just might find a story inside. For instance, one chewy treat found in many a checkout lane is named after a family's beloved horse. And: 50 years ago in the United States, some Latino elementary students were made to adopt English versions of their own names and forbidden to speak Spanish. The idea was to help them assimilate, but that practice came with a price. Plus, who is Riley, and why is their life a luxurious one? Also: a brain-busting quiz about synonyms, salary, dingle-dousie, strong work, a leg up, it must have been a lie, don't get into any jackpots, and lots more. 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/. Email words@waywordradio.org. Twitter @wayword. Our listener phone line 1 (877) 929-9673 is toll-free in the United States and Canada. Elsewhere in the world, call +1 (619) 800-4443; charges may apply. From anywhere, text/SMS +1 (619) 567-9673. Copyright Wayword, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to a way with words the show about language and how we use it. I'm Grant Barrett and I'm Martha Barnett

0:05.8

Grant, do you know what well-known candy bar is named after a horse?

0:10.8

Well-known candy bar named after a horse

0:16.0

The stallion I don't the marshmallion stallion. I don't know

0:21.6

Well, no, I imagine you're standing in the checkout line and there's all this candy in

0:26.2

$100,000 dollar bar

0:28.3

Right, cuz that's like price money. Well, it could it maybe it is

0:31.6

Baby roost. No, that's baseball player

0:34.9

Mars bar

0:36.9

I have no idea

0:38.9

Snickers. Oh, is it really named after a horse is snicker?

0:43.8

Well after after a horse that was named snickers. Oh, I see Franklin Mars the founder of the Mars candy Empire had a farm in

0:52.2

Tennessee was called Milky Way Farm because he had made a bunch of money off of Milky Way candy bars

0:57.2

and he had a favorite horse there and the horse was named Snickers and so when it came time to name his new candy bar

1:04.0

He named the candy bar

1:05.4

Snickers. Oh, that's nice. Yeah, for a second there my mind went to different direction. I'm saying like moon pies horse pies

1:12.1

Maybe there's a connection. What? No, that's wrong

1:16.8

So anyway, I learned this the other day and ever since of course I've been having a blast looking up the stories of how

1:24.2

Candy bars got their names or different candies. I'll give you one more. This is also from the Mars family

1:30.6

Franklin Mars's son was forest Mars and he got this idea to make a particular candy that was chocolate with a hard shell

1:39.1

And then he approached Bruce Murray

1:41.8

Murray was the son of Hershey Company president William Murray and said hey, do you want to stake in my company?

...

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