What Do You Call A Tiny Octopus That’s Cute As A Button?

Science Diction

Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Friday, Society & Culture, Science, Origin, Culture, Words, History, Word, Language

4.8 • 610 Ratings

🗓️ 22 June 2021

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What pigment do we owe to the squid? And what do you name a teeny tiny octopus that’s cute as a button? In this episode of Diction Dash, we’re talking about those clever and often tentacled marine invertebrates: Cephalopods. Diana Montano, Science Friday’s resident trivia maestro, quizzes Johanna. But this time, Johanna calls in reinforcements—from Science Friday host Ira Flatow himself. If you want us to cover a word on the show, get in touch! Give us a call, leave a message, and we might play it on the show. The number is 929-499-WORD, or 929-499-9673. Or, you can always send an email to [email protected]. This episode is part of Science Friday's annual Cephalopod Week! Join the cephalo-bration. Guests: Diana Montano is the Outreach Manager at Science Friday. Ira Flatow is the Host of Science Friday. Footnotes & Further Reading: Join Science Friday’s annual Cephalopod Week celebration of our favorite, often tentacled, marine invertebrates. In the episode, we mention Science Friday’s video on the Adorabilis—check it out, and prepare to say “awww.” For a detailed explanation of how to pluralize “octopus,” Merriam-Webster has your back. Sponsor a cephalopod! With every donation of $8 made during Cephalopod Week, you’ll get a special Cephalopod Badge, featuring your choice of ceph, your first name and city. You’ll find it swimming in our very own Sea of Support. Credits: This episode of Science Diction was produced by Johanna Mayer with Diana Montano and Katie Feather. Elah Feder is our Senior Producer. Daniel Peterschmidt composed all our music and they mastered this episode. Nadja Oertelt is our Chief Content Officer.

Transcript

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0:00.0	We are back with another round of Diction Dash, where I try and usually fail to guess the origin
0:06.8	or true meaning of a word. This week, we're talking cephalopods. Octobuses, cuttlefish, squid,
0:13.6	all of those clever, often tentacled marine invertebrates. Quissing me today is Diana Montana,
0:19.9	trivia master at Science Friday. Hey, Diana. Hello. So if you have heard Diction Dash before, you know my track record leaves much to be desired. So this time I have called in reinforcements. Here to help me, maybe possibly, actually get a question correct for once, is Ira Flato,
0:40.2	host of Science Friday. Hello and thank you, Ira.
0:43.9	Oh, such a burden you have put on my shoulders, but happy to be of service.
0:49.6	All right, so I am going to read both of you a question and give you a few answer choices.
0:56.6	You two will put your heads together and give me your final answer.
1:00.3	If you get it right, you'll hear this sound.
1:04.4	And if you're wrong, I don't think it'll happen, but if you're wrong, you'll hear this sound.
1:13.1	All right, are you two ready?
1:14.5	Ready.
1:15.5	Okay, let's dive in.
1:17.9	Oh, Ira.
1:19.7	Sorry.
1:20.7	I'm Johanna Mayer, and this is Diction Dash.
1:25.1	All right, so here's question one.
1:27.4	What do you call a tiny octopus with big eyes, flappy little ear-like fins, and that's cute as a button?
1:34.6	In 2015, Stephanie Bush and her team at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute were tasked to classify and name this newly caught and previously undescribed deep
1:47.5	sea cephalopod. I need to know what named they end up naming the species. So remember,
1:53.0	this is a story from 2015, and it's either, A, Californiana for where it's collected and described.
2:02.1	B. Lascina, after the Latin word for flap.
	...

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