Whistle Pig (Rebroadcast) - 26 December 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

🗓️ 26 December 2016

⏱️ 52 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	We need your help. On one hand of the show is overflowing with emails and phone calls from listeners who have language questions. Lots of language questions. On the other hand, donations are softer than we expected. In other words, the ratios are all out of whack. If you give to support away with words now, you help answer all those interesting, funny, weird, thoughtful messages and calls. You help put the show out to hundreds of thousands of listeners each week, and you help bring everything back into balance. Go to waywardradio.org slash donate and make a gift today. Thank you. And now, here's the show. You're listening to Away With Words, the show about language and how we use it. I'm Grant Barrett.
0:37.8	And I'm Martha Barnett, and I have a riddle for you.
0:41.0	Okay, yeah, yeah.
0:42.4	I'm thinking of a five-letter word.
0:44.6	You take away the first letter, and the word still sounds the same.
0:49.9	You take away the last letter, and the word still sounds the same.
0:55.2	You can even take away the letter in the very middle, and it still sounds the same.
1:01.6	What in the world could that word be?
1:03.8	Well, it's not Q, because if you take off the Q at the beginning, it doesn't sound like Q anymore.
1:15.6	Let's see. Oh, I probably knew this at one time. I don't know. The word is empty. E-M-P-T-Y. You take away the first letter, you still have M-T-T.
1:23.6	You take away the last letter, you still have M-t, and you take away the letter in the middle,
1:30.0	you take away the P and you still have MT.
1:32.8	MT.
1:33.8	That's very clever.
1:35.3	Well, I have some more.
1:36.2	I'll share them later in the show.
1:38.0	This show is riddled with riddles.
1:41.4	877-929-9673.
1:44.0	Email words at wayward radio.org. Hit us up on Twitter at W-A-Y-W-O-R-D and talk to us on
1:50.4	Facebook and our Facebook group. Hello, you have a way with words. Hi, this is Willie, calling from
1:56.2	Indianapolis. Hey, Willie, welcome. How are you doing? I am doing fine. Thank you. What can we help you with today?
2:02.3	Well, my wife and I have a bet on if this word is a real word or not. She uses the word
	...

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