Quiz Guy John Chaneski wasn’t savvy enough way back when to snag an email address like john@aol.com, but he was clever enough to come up with a game about apt email addresses that serve as a pun on the word at. For example, a prescient lawyer might have claimed attorney@law.com. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Apt Email Address 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 on the line is the magical man from New York City, our quiz guy, John Chaneski.
Hello, John.
Hi, Grant.
Hi, Martha.
How are you guys today?
You do do magic, right?
A couple tricks, cards, things?
I do.
I have a couple of things in my pocket that I keep around just in case.
Like a quiz, maybe?
Like a quiz.
Like this quiz could be magic.
Who knows?
Let’s find out.
Sure it will be.
Yeah.
Segway.
This is called Best Emails.
Now, my email is chinesky at AOL.com.
Anyway, it’s served me well for many, many years, obviously, as an AOL address.
But I’ve always wondered who owns john at AOL.com.
You know, it seems to me that that guy, he got in right at the gate.
He probably works for AOL or something, I guess.
Now, it occurred to me that there are lots of savvy people out there, and I bet lots of them have some really apt emails.
For example, I’m sure there’s a short-order cook out there who snagged the email, Eat at joes.com.
Oh.
That would be pretty good, right?
So I’ll give you a clue to a person and their email.
Basically, we’re looking for a phrase that contains at.
In fact, if you write down blank, at blank, that might help you in solving this.
All right.
All right.
Here we go.
I’d feel pretty good about my legal representation if he or she was savvy enough to snag this email.
Attorney at law.com.
Yes, attorney at law.com.
Very good.
Probably somebody has it. You never know. These people will be getting emails probably.
Sorry. Perhaps you work in video editing for a television news show.
This would be a very cool email for you. Live at five dot com.
Oh, that’s good. Film at film at 11 dot com.
Film at 11 dot com is what I was going for. But live at five is perfectly fine. Yeah.
Now, famous people, they’re sharp. They probably acquired or would have acquired some perfect emails.
Isaac Newton would have picked an email that illustrates the subject of his first law of motion.
Objects at rest?
Yeah, objects at rest.
Yes.
Nice.
Objects at rest.com.
Johnny Mathis, the great singer of standards, was quick enough to grab an email that echoes the first line of his most famous hit.
Oh, Lord.
Poor chances are my composions.
Oh, one of his most famous hits.
This is, if you’re as helpless as a kitten up a tree, you might, if you don’t know it.
Look at me?
Look at me.com.
Yeah, of course, that’s an Apple address.
Yeah.
If Martin Luther King were alive today, he might reserve this email that calls forth the ending of his famous I Have a Dream speech.
Don’t I?
Contents of the character.
The ending?
Right.
Oh, hello.
Free at last.
Oh, free at last.
Lord, I’m mercy.
Free at last.com, of course.
Dot com.
Last.com, yeah.
Truman Capote would probably have to clear this email, inspired by one of his novels with a famous jewelry store.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Dot com.
Dot com.
Oh, I totally have to go email that one.
That one seems like it’s really likely that it exists already, right?
Somebody’s got that?
Yeah.
Somebody inside of Tiffany’s just has a little autoresponder that says, you know, sends back a little coupon or something.
We’re glad you like the book.
We’re glad you like the movie.
Come visit the store sometime.
Finally, President Andrew Jackson was so dual crazy, he participated in anywhere from 13 to hundreds of them, depending on what source you check with.
He probably would have wanted an email reflecting that.
Don at 20paces.com?
No.
The Don part.
I like to have the Don part in here.
Handbags at Don.
Handbags?
Have you heard that expression?
Handbags at Don?
No.
What do people usually use at a duel instead of handbags?
Pistols.
Pistols.
Yes.
Pistols at Dawn?
Pistols at Dawn.
Pistols at Dawn.com.
Very good.
I don’t know.
Ooh.
So, now how can we reach you guys?
What’s your email?
Night at the opera.com.
That’s how you can reach Grant.
Night at the museum.
That’s the one you need to remember.
That’s the one I’m going to write to and tell you guys how great you did at this quiz.
John, thank you so much.
Thanks, buddy.
Appreciate it.
Thank you, Grant.
This is a show about words and language and how we use them.
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