Everybody has a nickname, and there's usually a story to go with it. Martha and Grant reveal their own nicknames and the stories behind them. Also, is the expression “heebie-jeebies” anti-Semitic? And is there a better word than “retiree” for someone who moves on from a job late in life?
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Speaking of nicknames, the word “nickname” has an interesting etymology. It's an example of a word formed by what linguists call “misdivision.” More here. If you have a nickname you'd like to share (and hey, let's keep it clean, folks!), tell us about it in our discussion forum!
On to our callers:
A cantor from a synagogue in Nyack, New York, says she's fond of the expression “the heebie-jeebies” but recently began worrying that it might be anti-Semitic. Did the term “heebie-jeebies” originate as a slur against Jews? By the way, the hosts mention a cartoon with the earliest known use of the term. You can see it here.
An adult caller from Phoenix is stung by the memory of losing an elementary school spelling bee when he misspelled the word “dilemma.” He insists that his teachers taught him that the word contains a silent “n.” After all these years, he's still trying to find out whether “dilemna” is an acceptable spelling.
Recently we discussed the lack of a word in English for the act of trying to do in your offline life something you can only do on a computer, like expecting spellcheck to kick in if you're scribbling a grocery list, for example. The hosts share suggestions emailed by listeners. How about “e-flex”? Or might “déjà undo” do?
Quiz Guy John Chaneski presents a puzzle about homophones, in this case, words that sound just like participles that have lost their final “g,” like “button” and “buttin'.” The first clue: “Picture Vladimir Putin trying to catch a departing bus.”
A woman and her boss want to resolve a dispute over the words “reoccuring” and “recurring.” Which is correct if you're talking about something that happens again and again? Grant explains that there is indeed a difference between the two words—and that one of them is almost always the right choice, particularly in the world of business.
When a proper Southern lady fans herself and exclaims, “I do believe I have the vapors,” what vapors is she talking about, exactly? A caller from Austin, Texas wants to know the origin of this term. Just how did it come to apply to a whole range of things, from being flustered all the way to more serious maladies such as depression and hypochondria?
A former sociology professor shares a peeve about the language of political pundits: He's irked when they say a candidate wants to “replicate” or “duplicate” his win. The professor explains why he thinks they should eschew those words and instead opt for “repeat.”
Cities have nicknames as well, including “Sacratomato” and “Lousyville.” Do you have a better city nickname? Let's hear it.
This week's “Slang This!” contestant is from Esquimalt, British Columbia. She tries to guess the meaning of the slang terms “white hat” and “necklace light.” And no, the latter has nothing to do with a “Frankenstein flash.”
A husband and wife are retiring after many years on the job. But they're keeping their options open for future employment, and don't want to be called “retirees.” The word “retirees” isn't enough to connote the more “dynamic and open-ended” way of living they're anticipating, nor does it take into account the possibility that they might continue to do some kind of paying work. How about “rehirees”? Or . . . ?
What's the nickname for your hometown newspaper? Do share by emailing us.
A Kentucky listener and her husband wonder about the proper meaning of the word “everloving.” Sometimes they hear it used to express frustration, as in, “Why won't he pass the everloving basketball?”, but other times they hear it used more positively, as in, “I just want to get in my everloving bed and sleep!” Grant answers her everloving question.
For the question on air this week about an alternate word for the younger retired folks.
Benemployment - bene; as in good
Re employment
De-employment
Career deployment/ careedeployment
Carefree employment, carefree deployment
Life alignment, lifeoyment, lifenjoyment
Life designment
Several small towns in southwest Missouri have nicknames. In the text below, the official name will be in parenthesis.
My brother lives in Pin Hook (Pleasant Hope).
I bought my gas heating stove in Dogtown (March).
Highway 32 goes through Pig Eye (Long Lane).
My wife's childhood friend lives in Hog Eye (Charity).
I cannot think of any others right now, but a Professor at my alma mater, Dr. Jerry (Gerald Leonard) Cohen has written books about Missouri Place Names. He may have some nicknames in there as well.
Emmett Redd
"Dilemna" is a Latin word which came up frequently in my Latin readings in high
school. That is the best explanation have for my lifelong belief that the
English word dilemma is a misspelling. My wife feels that same way, and she is
a meticulous speller. Perhaps this is a generational quirk peculiar to those
of us who long ago loved or labored through our required Latin classes.
I was very excited to hear the discussion on the spelling of dilemma. I, too, was eliminated from a 1970s spelling bee after spelling dilemma as dilemna. I accepted the correction, but I've always wondered why I had been so sure of the way I spelled it. I must have seen it in print that way somewhere. When I told a neighbor, who had won the bee the previous year and represented our region in the national bee, what word I missed, he correctly guessed how I had misspelled it. That made me feel better, and hearing on your show that I have company also makes me feel better even now!