Hidden Countries Word Game

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 joining us wearing a tinfoil hat and carrying a ball of red yarn, it’s our quiz guide, John Chaneski.

Hi, John.

I’m telling you guys I, have it all figured out and they can’t they can’t stop me.

There’s this the language conspiracies.

I know every single one of them and how just we’ll talk about that later.

But first I I have a quiz for you.

Now if you’re like me, you like to travel the world, but you don’t have time or resources.

Luckily language can help you where you get you where you want to be.

So you just listen to conversations around you, you’ll get to many, many wonderful countries.

For example, I ever heard someone say, I tried to be organized, but I’m just not.

I made two lists.

Here’s the pro list, but where did the and then he finished with a country in Africa?

He said, Congo.

The Congo.

Where did the Congo It really is not, but we’ll play anyway.

Well, there you go.

I’ll give you an overheard sentence.

You finish it with the name of a country.

Here we congo.

Here on the farm, we don’t drink coffee.

We just take the dry grass from the barn, steep it, and make ourselves some delicious Haiti.

Hay tea!

Some hay tea.

Oh god.

Took me a second.

Okay.

I think Martha might come out ahead on this one.

I guarantee you that doesn’t matter.

She leapt forward immediately with the correct answer.

Grant was picturing a real farm, I’m sure.

I was thinking about sunny mez meadows filled with daisies.

I’m sure that hay tea tastes about as good as the pun.

Anyway, let’s move on.

Listen, Mon, I could tell your daughter didn’t want to clean her room, but did to Jamaica.

Jamaica?

To Jamaica?

Oh, yeah.

You made a cleaner room.

Also a terrible pun.

I’m keeping a list of your offenses.

Okay.

I I’ll I’ll atone for them eventually, I’m sure.

I am unable to reach the bowl on the top shelf.

What about you tall you tall I am tall but I can still I still can’t reach the pole on the top shelf you not at all no.

Are Utah?

No.

Is it something about no reach?

Think about the Great Rift Valley in Africa.

But can you?

Yeah, Kenya But Kenya.

This is really terrible.

Even I think these puns are terrible.

I know.

I know.

This snow is coming down really hard.

I’d better head to the town garage and fetch the Okay snow is coming down going to the garage.

It’s a thing in the garage.

Sounds like a country, but it’s a terrible pun.

Yeah.

Something plow?

Plow.

Whoa.

I think you had it.

Think about countries, island countries, oceanic archipelago.

Oh, Palau, yeah.

Palau.

P-A-L-A-N-C.

Okay, that was funny.

That’s that’s correct.

Similarly, these campfire treats are delicious.

You see they’re just crackers and chocolate and marshmallow?

Wow.

Can I have Samoa?

Samoa, yes.

The independent state in Polynesia of Samoa.

Oh, John, you could make a whole Korea out of these terrible, terrible, terrible puns.

And if any listener wants to join us, they can call or text toll-free, eight seven seven nine two nine-nine six seven three or email words@waywordradio.org.