Beach Boys Game

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

And I’m Martha Barnette. And joining us now from New York City is our quiz guy, John Chaneski. Hiya, John.

Hi, Martha. Hi, Grant.

What’s up, buddy?

It’s good to be back.

Well, you know, I was just thinking lately, when I’m in a conversation with people, this is something pretty much only my wife knows up till now.

I have this go-to question that I use when I’m really bored.

It said, if I’m really bored with our conversation, I’ll ask you what your first concert was.

Oh, really?

My first concert was the Beach Boys, Eternal Summer.

And that figures into this quiz because this is a quiz about the word summer.

Okay?

This is Eternal Summer.

Eternal Summer.

Okay, great.

Good.

I’m going to give you some clues to words that contain either the letters sum or the letters mer.

So S-U-R-M or M-E-R.

Okay.

The letters can appear anywhere in the word, but they will always be in order.

Okay, great.

For example, if I said this is a piece of paper that means you have to go to court,

You’d say…

It’s a summons.

Summons, yes.

Or if I said a citizen of the United States, you’d say…

An American.

American, that’s right.

So this is our eternal summer.

Summer all the time.

Here we go.

All right.

A slang term for this is a crumb catcher,

And it’s usually worn with the pleats facing up.

I was going to say a moustache, but that’s…

A crumb catcher.

Usually worn with the pleats facing up.

Yes.

Cumberbund.

Yes, cummerbund.

Yeah, there’s your mer.

There’s nothing funny about this bone except its name.

Humerus.

Humerus.

H-U-M-E-R-U-S.

Humerus.

Everest’s is 8,848 meters above sea level.

Summit.

Summit.

Yeah, there’s your sum.

You need two hammers to play this stringed instrument.

Dulcimer.

Dulcimer.

Very good.

On a roll.

On a roll.

Here’s an example.

Dorothy goes to Oz.

She meets the scarecrow, tin man, and lion.

They defeat the witch.

She goes home.

Summary.

Yes, a summary.

A rather short summary at that.

On August 15, Catholics celebrate this event in which Mary was taken up bodily into heaven.

The assumption.

Yes, the assumption.

According to the book The Once and Future King, this person experiences time backwards,

Though he does not seem to grow older or younger.

Merlin.

Yes, Merlin.

Good.

Good trivia there, too.

This is a German word meaning a sadness upon thinking about the discrepancy between an ideal world and the real world.

Weltschmerz.

Weltschmerz.

That word is up there with pickle as far as automatically funny. I’m sorry.

Yes, Weltschmerz.

I think it’s sad.

This adjective means impressive, expensive, and of high quality, like a grand feast.

Ooh, sumptuous.

Sumptuous. There’s your sum.

This is a plan or course of action that is not possible to achieve.

Or a Frankenstein-like mythological creature with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, etc.

Chimera.

Chimera.

There’s your M-E-R.

Chimera.

Very good.

Finally, this is the belief that it benefits a country if its people buy and use many goods and services.

This one contains both S-U-M and M-E-R.

Oh.

Consumerism.

Yes, consumerism.

Oh, good one.

Nicely done, Grant.

Okay, you guys did fantastic.

Now go out and grab a Frisbee and head to the beach.

We are in San Diego.

It is sometimes an endless summer.

I was going to say.

Thank you, John.

Another great quiz as always.

We will talk to you again next week.

Thanks, guys.

Looking forward to it.

Bye-bye.

And if you’d like to talk about any aspect of language, you know what to do.

Call us 877-929-9673 or send them an email to words@waywordradio.org

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