Curtailments Game

You’re listening to A Way with Words.

I’m Martha Barnette.

And I’m Grant Barrett, and we’re joined now by our quiz guide, John Chaneski.

John, have a seat.

Oh, should I take this one right here?

Yeah, no, that’s mine.

Oh, that’s the ornately carved one with all the velvet.

That’s yours?

No, that’s Martha’s.

Mine’s the one that’s about four inches lower to the left there.

I’m just going to sit right here on this folding chair, if that’s okay.

Well, John, what did you bring for us?

Well, I have brought you a showwarming present called curtailments.

You brought a shawarma?

Showwarming present.

Yum.

Programwarming present.

It’s going to warm the cockles of your heart, I hope.

It’s called curtailments.

The following clues are based on a type of wordplay called a curtailment.

A curtailment is when you remove the last letter of a word and get a new word.

For example, if you take the word punt and remove the last letter, you get the word pun.

Pun, right.

I thought a curtailment was like a cease and desist order.

There does exist that.

I’m sure you’re familiar with that.

But I’ll read you a sentence with two blanks.

The longer word is appropriate in one blank.

The shorter word fits in the other.

Remember, one word is a curtailment of the other.

Oh.

The first one’s pretty easy.

Let’s start off with that as an example.

I could tell my pigeon had flown the blank when I could no longer hear it blank.

Gotcha.

Coop and coo.

Coop and coo.

I could tell my pigeon had flown the coop when I could no longer hear it coo.

There you go.

Okay.

Here’s the next.

The contract read, this constitutes an agreement between John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, hereafter referred to as the blank of the first blank, and Vandelay Industries.

Okay. Party of the first part.

Party and part. Very simple curtailment.

Here’s the next.

Do you think bees blank their stingers to a point in order to better defend their blank?

Oh, phew.

Oh, hone and honey.

Hone and honey, right.

There we go.

Oh, yeah.

Sometimes a longer word is first.

Yeah, that was a little tricky.

They hone their stingers to defend their honey.

Very good.

Okay.

Hone and honey.

Here’s the next.

My boss tried to blank the blank into having an affair with her, but I returned from my vacation early and he moved on to his next job.

Secretary and…

No.

Blank to blank?

My boss tried to blank the blank into having an affair with her, but I returned from my vacation early and he moved on to his next job.

Oh, you have it?

Temp the temp.

Temp the temp is very good, yes.

Nicely done there.

That’s a scandalous clue.

I loved it.

Yeah.

Here’s the next.

Not quite as scandalous.

After…

I take that back.

It’s sort of scandalous.

After the opera, we snuck backstage to find the temperamental blank passed out on a large cushiony blank.

The diva on the divan.

On the divan.

Or divan.

How do you say that?

I say divan.

But then again, you know, I’m probably wrong.

I say couch.

That’s not a word I’ve ever said out loud.

Probably not.

It’s one of those words, no one ever says it.

You’re right.

You find it in like 1800s novels.

Have you been reading Anthony Trollope or something recently?

I read some, what do they call them again?

Corset bodice rippers.

Been reading those bodice rippers.

Diva and Devan, yes.

Now this last one has three blanks.

It’s what we call a progressive curtailment.

I think you’ll get it pretty easily.

Oh man, that scene in A Christmas Carol where Scrooge sees Tiny Tim’s crutch leaning on the blank.

You could blank my blank beating a mile a minute.

You could hear my heart.

So hearth.

Hearth.

That’s it.

Hear my heart.

Oh, hear my heart.

Exactly.

Hearth, heart, and hear.

Progressive curtailment.

Well, is that the last one?

That was like the fireworks at the end of the fireworks display where everything’s going off.

Boom, boom, boom, boom.

Yeah, that’s right.

They just throw everything in.

I just threw everything in there.

Thanks very much.

I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you.

I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as fireworks.

Thanks, John.

That was a great quiz, as always.

And we’ll see you again next week.

Thanks, guys.

See you next week.

Okay.

Thanks, John.

Well, if you have a question about language, give us a call.

The number’s 1-877-929-9673.

That’s 1-877-WAYWORD.

And, of course, you can always send us email to words@waywordradio.org.