Our Quiz Master John Chaneski has a game about aptronyms for famous folks, or shall we say folks who were Almost Amous. In this puzzle, you drop the first letter of a famous person’s last name in order to give them a fitting new occupation. For example, a legendary bank robber might become an archer by losing the first letter of his last name. See if you can come up with others! This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Almost “Amous” Word Game”
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 once again from New York City.
Who is that?
The quiz capital of America by John Chanesky, our quiz guy.
Hi, John.
Thank you.
Thank you, Grant and Martha.
Or should I say thank you, Barnette and Barrett, because our quiz today is about last names.
Okay.
Okay.
Ooh, okay.
This is like half trivia, right?
We’re going to have to know some last names.
A little bit, yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
That’s okay, though.
I’ll make it easy on you.
Okay.
Great.
I call this almost Amos, and you’ll find out why very soon.
Many last names are occupations or things related to occupations, as you know.
Suppose you could change what you are just by changing your name, even phonetically.
Okay.
Right.
Imagine a famous bank robber from the 1930s who got tired of robbing banks and instead became an expert at archery just by removing the first sound of his last name.
Who would that be?
Pretty Boy Lloyd?
No.
Who else robbed banks?
Archer?
Clyde?
Clyde Arrow instead of Clyde Barrow.
Right.
Formerly known as Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde fame.
He’s now Clyde Arrow.
Okay.
So there’s our theme.
There’s our premise.
Got it.
Okay, good.
For example, suppose a famous movie star, action movie star, recently divorced, instead wanted to become a con artist or a trickster just by removing the kuh sound from his last name.
Who would that be?
A recently divorced movie star?
I have not been keeping up on my National Enquirers.
Recently divorced.
Oh.
Yeah.
Tom Ruse.
Tom Ruse.
Tom Ruse.
Very good.
Nice.
And in that example, you see not necessarily just taking off the first letter because R-U-I-S-E would not be Ruse.
Okay.
It’s all about the sound.
Exactly.
Very good.
Suppose a former late-night TV host decided to give in to his pyromania just by removing the guh sound from his last name.
Who would that be?
Johnny Carson.
Here’s Johnny Arson.
Johnny Arson is right.
Suppose a former vice president decided to get out of politics and activism and just run canoe trips up the Mississippi by removing the guh from his last name.
Who would that be?
Al Orr.
There’d be Al.
Al Orr.
I thought you were saying that he was going to go run a brewer.
Mining Company, yeah.
Dan Ale.
Oh, that’s very good.
Very nice.
Two sounds, though.
Suppose a former secretary of state wanted to become an ornithologist with a specialty in nocturnal birds just by removing the P from his last name.
Who would that be?
Oh, colon owl.
That’s right.
Suppose a syndicated gossip columnist decided she could become a larger-than-life figure just by removing the S from her last name.
Who would that be?
This is hardly an occupation.
It’s more of a thing that can be.
Oh, Liz Myth.
Liz Myth.
Oh, nice.
Now, suppose this lethal weapon actor decided to become a gigolo just by removing the guh from his last name.
Who would that be?
Oh.
Oh, Danny.
Danny Lover.
Danny Lover.
Danny Lover.
Danny Glover.
Nice.
I was going to say, Ibsen what?
Suppose a successful horror novelist decided to work in the field of cryogenics just by removing the from her last name.
Who would that be?
Anne Ice.
Yes.
Anne Ice is right.
Very good.
This is the last one.
Suppose a famous detective novelist decided he’d rather hang out at the track and dispense advice just by removing the s from his last name.
Who would that be?
Oh, Rex Tout instead of Rex Tout.
Rex Tout is exactly correct.
Very good.
And that’s our quiz.
I’m not even going to mention Donald Trump at all.
So we’ll keep away from that.
And that’s it.
Thank you.
Thank you, guys.
Thanks, John.
Thanks, John.
Take care now.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
This is the show about words and language.
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