Whistle Pig - 28 March 2016

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

🗓️ 28 March 2016

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The dated term “jingoism” denotes a kind of belligerent nationalism but the word’s roots lie in an old English drinking-house song that was popular during wartime. Speaking of fightin’ words, the expression “out the side of your neck” came up in a feud between Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa—and let’s just say the phrase is hardly complimentary. Also, a German publishing company has declared that the top slang term among that country’s youth is a name for someone who’s completely absorbed in his cell phone. That word is…smombie! And if you’re guessing that smombie comes from “zombie,” you’re right. Plus, thaw vs. unthaw, dinner vs. supper, groundhog vs. whistle pig, riddles galore, speed bumps and sleeping policemen, pirooting around, and kick into touch. Hear hundreds of free episodes and learn more on the A Way with Words website: ⁠https://waywordradio.org⁠. Be a part of the show: call or text ⁠1 (877) 929-9673⁠ toll-free in the United States and Canada; elsewhere in the world, call or text ⁠+1 619 800 4443⁠. Send voice notes or messages via ⁠WhatsApp 16198004443.⁠ Email ⁠words@waywordradio.org⁠. 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 Away With Words, a show about language and how we use it.
0:03.2	I'm Grant Barrett.
0:04.2	And I'm Martha Barnett, and I have a riddle for you.
0:07.4	Okay, yeah, yeah.
0:08.7	I'm thinking of a five-letter word.
0:11.0	You take away the first letter, and the word still sounds the same.
0:16.3	You take away the last letter, and the word still sounds the same. You can even take away the letter letter and the word still sounds the same you can even take away the
0:23.8	letter in the very middle and it still sounds the same what in the world could that word be well it's not
0:30.7	cue because if you take off the cue at the beginning it doesn't sound like cue anymore let Let me have you. Let's see.
0:39.3	Oh, I probably knew this at one time.
0:41.3	I don't know.
0:42.3	The word is empty.
0:45.3	E-M-P-T-Y.
0:47.3	You take away the first letter, you still have M-T.
0:50.3	You take away the last letter, you still have M-T. And you take away the letter in the middle, you take away the P letter, you still have M-T,
0:56.3	and you take away the letter in the middle,
0:59.0	you take away the P and you still have M-T.
0:59.6	M-T.
1:01.1	That's very clever.
1:02.5	Well, I have some more.
1:04.1	I'll share them later in the show.
1:06.8	This show is riddled with riddles.
	...

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