Align Your Quiz Qi

You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.

I’m Martha Barnette.

And I’m Grant Barrett, and we’re joined—who is that guy?

He’s got shades, a hat, a trench coat.

He’s passing secret information.

Oh, it’s John Chaneski with the week’s quiz.

I’m so glad you recognized me after all these years because I have this puzzle,

And I have no other place to do it but here.

So here we go.

Now, I know that in the social media spaces of A Way with Words,

Such as our very lively Facebook group, peeves are frowned upon, but I want to discuss something

That annoys me. It has to do with alliteration. Now, Webster’s defines alliteration as the

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in two or more words, such as wild and woolly or threatening

Throngs. But sometimes people consider alliteration to be any two words that begin with the same

Letter, no matter how they sound. I call this illiteration. Two words that are illiterative

If they begin with the same letter, but not the same sound. For example, there’s a certain kind

Of furniture. It’s a seat with vertical spindles in the back, and apparently it was often used by

The guy in charge of a ship. It’s a captain’s chair. They begin with the same letter, but that’s

Not alliteration. It’s illiteration. Now I’m going to give you guys clues to a two-word phrase that

Is not alliterative, but is illiterative. Ready to go? Yes. Ready. All right, let’s try it.

Here’s the first one. It’s an establishment where they will sell you a PB&J or a BLT or a nice

Pastrami on rye. It is a sandwich shop. Yes, sandwich shop. It’s close. It’s close to alliteration,

But it’s not. Now, my family had one of these. It’s a storage box lined with aromatic wood that’s

Supposed to discourage moths and other pests. Ooh, a cedar chest. Cedar chest, yeah, CC,

But not alliteration. You’ve spent years studying mental health issues. You’ve graduated college

And are ready to hang out your shingle. All you need now are patients. Best of luck, doctor,

In your new…

Psychology practice.

Psychiatry.

Just about any combination of that works.

Yes.

Psychiatry practice is just fine for PP.

Oh, I see.

I was going to say professional psychiatrist,

But you can say 73 in a row.

Again, that’s perfectly fine by me.

Sure.

Sokatoa for the trigonometric functions

Or PEMDAS for the order of operations, for example.

Mnemonic numbers?

What kind of mnemonics?

Mnemonic memories are…

What specific area are we talking about?

Mathematical.

Mathematical mnemonics, yes.

There we go.

MMs.

Now, Abe Lincoln had a reputation for telling the truth,

But right behind him in second place is President Truman,

Who just barely got edged out for what nickname?

Honest Harry.

That’s it.

That’s it.

You got it.

Honest Harry.

Two H’s.

They don’t sound the same.

Honest Harry.

Now,

Four times a year,

My mom changes the decoration on her front door.

Now,

Once autumn is over,

She places a leafy circle made of boughs of holly on it.

What does she call it?

A winter wreath.

Yes.

Her winter wreath.

Two W’s,

Two different sounds.

That’s all about alliteration.

John, that was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

You guys did great.

All right.

Take care.

Give our best to the family.

You too.

Bye-bye.

All right.

Bye-bye.

Well, all you listening language lovers, we’d love to hear from you.

So give us a call, 877-929-9673, or send your alliterative emails to words@waywordradio.org.