Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a puzzle called “I Don’t Think So, M-W.” The name is a nod to Merriam-Webster’s word of the day email, which often uses puzzling example sentences, like this one: “Lying in my tent that night, I could hear the campfire crackling and the crickets __________ and none of the city sounds I was accustomed to.” Good luck filling in that blank. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Fill-in-the-Blank Word Puzzle”
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 I think we’ve got John Chaneski here.
John.
I hope so.
Hello.
Hi, buddy.
John Chaneski here.
Hi, everybody.
We’re ready for a quiz.
We’re raring to go.
All right.
I call this puzzle, I don’t think so, MW.
As you know, in puzzle and word circles, MW is?
Merriam-Webster.
Merriam-Webster, the dictionary.
Now, the reason I call it that is this.
I subscribe to Merriam-Webster’s Word a Day on email.
So every day, Merriam-Webster emails me a new word, its definition, word history, etc.
Along with that are two sample sentences using the word of the day.
Now, my beef is this.
Quite often, M.W.’s first sample sentence doesn’t resemble anything that I believe anyone would ever say.
Now, I’m going to give you a sentence with a blank, and you have to tell me what word you think M.W. is illustrating.
Okay?
Okay.
Okay.
For example, lying in my tent that night, I could hear the campfire crackling and the crickets blank and none of the city sounds I was accustomed to.
Can you guess what word goes in that blank?
Chirping.
Something with two L’s in it.
What’s the word?
Trilling.
Okay, those are both great words.
This is what I’m actually hoping we’ll get some great words out of this.
The crickets.
The definition is to make a shrill creaking noise by rubbing together special body parts.
You’ve got to love any definition with special body parts in it.
And creaking.
Was that Fridenancy?
No, that’s a great guess.
The answer is stridulating.
Oh, stridulating.
Yes, yes, yes.
Right.
Now, don’t get me wrong.
I’m not saying no one uses these words.
I’m just saying that their sample sentences don’t match the vocabulary of a person who would use that word.
You don’t say stridulating around the campfire?
I can imagine a scientist using it, but they wouldn’t say, you know, they use other words along with that.
They’re of a similar vocabulary level, okay?
Spell the word for us.
S-T-R-I-D-U-L-A-T-I-N-G.
Great.
Stradulating.
All right.
This is good.
I like this quiz.
Let’s go.
Let’s have another one.
Good.
I hope you’ll find it fun.
Here are some more.
Renaming the high school gymnasium after the beloved late basketball coach would blank her memory for years to come.
The definition is, of course, to celebrate or extol.
There’s a verb form of income.
Encomium.
Yeah, that’s also a good word.
Now, the word they’re looking for is emblazon.
Oh, yeah.
Emblazon.
That doesn’t actually sound right.
I know.
That’s why I say, I don’t think so, M.W.
Let’s go on.
Like I said, I don’t expect you to get one.
Maybe you won’t.
But we’ll move on.
We’ll have fun.
Okay, here we go.
Okay.
Located on a secluded, white, sandy beach, the resort, with its many amenities, including a first-class luxury spa, is like a utopian blank.
The definition is an imaginary land of great luxury and ease.
Shangri-La.
Good answer.
Xanadu.
Good answer.
It begins with a C.
Utopian.
A utopian cocaine.
What?
Cocaine.
Spell it.
C-O-C-K-A-I-G-N-E.
Oh, okay, sure, yeah.
Here’s the next one.
She was in a blank for days before the meeting, but when the actual day arrived, she found she was surprisingly calm.
Tizzy?
Tizzy’s good.
The definition is a state of extreme agitation, of course.
Not fantod.
A whirlwind.
No.
It begins with an S.
Gracious.
Stupor.
I don’t know.
If you change the last letter, it means to turn on a pivot.
Swivet.
Swivet.
Yes, swivet.
She was in a swivet for days before the meeting.
We’re learning.
We’re learning things.
Here’s the next one.
Okay, sure, yeah.
As we drove away from the city, apartment buildings gave way to homes with yards, then at last to a blank landscape dominated by tall pines.
Sylvan.
Sylvan’s a good word.
Calvin’s good.
Or woody or forested or…
Could be desert.
This one begins with B.
It means having abundant trees or shrubs.
There’s a word on the tip of my tongue.
Bosky.
Yes, bosky.
Very good.
You guys think you got at least two so far.
You’re doing all right.
B-O-S-K-Y.
On this incredibly hard quiz.
So that’s the end of it?
That’s it, yeah.
All right, Martha, you did really well.
Yeah, you guys did pretty well.
Thanks, John.
Much appreciated.
John, thank you.
Thanks, guys.
Take care of yourself.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
