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Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

A Way with Words, a radio show and podcast about language and linguistics.

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Alternate solution to "Name Dropping" episode...
Guest
1
2011/06/16 - 12:29am

So there I was running on the treadmill, listening to my fav podcast and watching the ballgame as Greg was challenging Martha and Grant on the "Name Dropping" game. (The "Tend to a Rat Killin" episode?)
Greg had given two clues and you had to combine the resultant words somehow with a proper name dropping out. He asked for a "certain visitor from space" and a "shop or store". Ahhh, too easy Greg. The visitor from space is obviously ET and a shop is a MARKET unto which you drop the proper name MARK to get ET. I tuned out momentarily to catch up on the score of the game...but am rudely pulled back into the conversation between Greg and Martha agreeing that "my favorite" MARTIAN is a shopping MART with the proper name IAN dropping off.
Well, obviously Martha and Greg are both wrong and I am right...right?...right?

Guest
2
2011/06/17 - 2:16pm

You know, ternce, the more I think about it the righter you get!

Martha Barnette
San Diego, CA
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3
2011/06/19 - 2:29pm

Ooooo! Wish I'd said that, ternce!

Guest
4
2011/06/20 - 12:09am

Usually the wronger I am the righter I feel!
Even though MARTIAN is a more "surprising" answer maybe and MARKET a bit cruder, I thought it was curious that the construction lent itself to 2 answers so easily...the wonders of English.

Guest
5
2011/06/20 - 5:01am

Not to detract from the lovely coincidence, or your brilliance, a technicality stands in the way of your trophy. Greg in his explanation specifically says that the first clue would be the longer word containing the two other words. Martian (alien) contains mart (store) and Ian (name). For your answer to be correct, the clues would have to have been given in random order, since the relationships of the containing word and the contained word are reversed. Market (store) contains Mark (name) and ET (alien).

Still, I am quite impressed by your ability to come up with such an elegant response while working out. Usually I just whiff unless I pause the podcast.

Guest
6
2011/06/20 - 11:07pm

ternce's answer is good enough that I'm willing to testify that Greg made an error in the rules.

Guest
7
2011/06/22 - 11:47am

Obviously Greg made a mistake in the rules and obviously Martha wasn't working out while broadcasting or she would have been able to reel off the correct answer and point out Greg's wrongedness.
Actually, I had suspected that my answer wasn't formatted in exactly the correct "positions" and hence the technical problem, but hey...I gotta run on the treadmill, watch the ballgame, AND listen to Greg's so-called rules??.

Guest
8
2011/06/22 - 1:12pm

Rules are meant to be broken. In fact, rules invite and even demand that we break them. You have found the one true secret to rule-breaking success: when breaking rules, you must do so with respect, with style, and for good reason.

Bravo.

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