The phrase old as Methuselah describes someone quite advanced in years. In ancient scripture, Methuselah was a man who somehow lived to the ripe old age of 969. Plus, a heartwarming book for children tells the story of how a Puerto Rican family adapted their traditions to fit their new life in the Midwest. And if you say this ain’t my first rodeo, it simply means you’ve seen it all before. Plus, barn find, scrumbunctious, neamhchinnte, got melon, a three-way puzzle, Old Edderd sayings, a childhood misunderstanding, your mother wears Army boots! and lots more.
This episode first aired December 21, 2024.
When Alligator Gets Loose in the Dictionary!
What if, instead of being an inanimate object, a dictionary were alive? That’s the idea behind a lavishly illustrated new children’s book called The Dictionary Story (Bookshop|Amazon) by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston.
You Got Melon
If someone’s got melon, it means they’re smart. The expression most likely arose because of the resemblance between a melon and a human head. Several other foods are associated with having brains, including a cabbage, a gourd, and even a filbert.
As Old as Methuselah
Chad in Hilliard, Florida, wonders about the expression old as Methuselah, meaning “extremely advanced in years.” The phrase references Methuselah, a figure in Jewish, Islamic, and Christian tradition said to be 969 years old when he finally gave up the ghost. The grandfather of Noah, he fathered Lamech at the ripe old age of 187.
Afflicted by Honkus Bonkus of the Konkus
Aubrey in Waco, Texas, says her mother used to warn the kids against contracting honkus of the bonkus, a fanciful name for a contagious disease. This colloquial term probably comes from the words bonk and konk, meaning “to hit” or “to strike.” Variants include honkus bonkus of the konkus and konkus bonkus.
Word Game, Word Quiz, Word Puzzle: Common Bonds
Quiz Guy John Chaneski serves up a Common Bonds puzzle, in which the object is to guess the common idea in each of three things. For example, what’s the one word that connects a grade on a report card, USDA inspected beef, and an incline?
Old Edward, Old Edderd Sayings
Old Edward’s sayings or Old Edderd’s sayings are homespun bits of wisdom that were dispensed on the radio show Lum and Abner. The show, which ran from 1931 to 1955, featured the fictional characters of Lum Edwards and Abner Peabody, who worked at the Jot ’Em Down General Store in Pine Ridge, Arkansas, and offered such timely sayings as “Society is like pie. The upper crust doesn’t count for much unless there’s something mighty good below it.”
Ain’t My First Rodeo
The phrase This ain’t my first rodeo, meaning “This isn’t my first time” or “I already have experience with this” goes back at least as far as the 1981 Joan Crawford biopic Mommie Dearest, where Faye Dunaway as Crawford famously declares, Don’t f— with me, fellas. This ain’t my first time at the rodeo. Later, in 1990, Vern Gosdin brought this version of the expression into country music with his song “This Ain’t My First Rodeo.” Earlier forms of this expression involve such activities as a goat roping, a goat race, pumpkin picking, or a frog race. A still older version from the 1940s goes I’ve been to three state fairs and a goat roping and I’ve never seen anything like this. Another variant: I’ve been to two state fairs, a goat roping, and a frog race…
Did People Use Contractions Less in Older English?
Contractions have been used in English since Elizabethan times, but conventions about their correct use go in and out of favor. Writing in 1899 in the monthly magazine Correct English, author and publisher Josephine Turck Baker advised that using proper contractions is fine as long as you consider the context.
Sueños of Green in the Snows of Ohio
Grant recommends the children’s book Dreams of Green: A Three Kings’ Day Story written by Mariel Jungkunz and illustrated by Mónica Paola Rodriguez (Bookshop|Amazon), about a girl and her family who move from Puerto Rico to Ohio and find ways to carry on their traditions. It’s also available in Spanish: El Verde De Mis Sueños: Un Cuento De La Tradición De Los Tres Reyes Magos (Bookshop|Amazon) Also, the popular Maisie Dobbs series of 18 novels by Jaqueline Winspear follows the adventures of a young, working-class British woman who in 1929 becomes a private investigator (Bookshop|Amazon).
Uncertain Irish: Neamhchinnte
Rowan in Ottawa, Ontario, says her Irish mom used a puzzling word to indicate a sort of restless discontent not caused by anything in particular. It may be neamhchinnte, which means “uncertain” or “indecisive.”
Dog Jangle
After our conversation about various names for a television remote control, a listener emailed to say that early remote controls produced an audible tone that activated the TV channel changer and volume, and whenever his dogs Lupe and Bubba stood up and shook themselves, the sound of the jangling tags on their collars changed the TV channels.
Scrumbunctious
Since the late 19th century, the word scrumbunctious has been used to describe someone who is energetic or high-spirited. Scrumbunctious is probably a portmanteau of scrumptious and rambunctious.
Wearing a Train, at That Age?
When she was a child, Chris from Santa Rosa, California, misunderstood the definition of the word vehicle—with amusing results.
Your Mother Wears Combat Boots
The expressions your mother wears combat boots and your mother wears army boots descend from the African-American tradition of the Dozens, also known as sounding or capping or snapping, where people try to top each other’s insults.
A Barn Find Is Kind of the Opposite of a Showroom Piece
A barn find is a classic car that has been discovered after being stored for a long period in a place such as a barn or shed. The term also applies to similarly stored motorcycles and aircraft.
This episode is hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, and produced by Stefanie Levine.
Books Mentioned in the Episode
| Dreams of Green: A Three Kings’ Day Story written by Mariel Jungkunz and illustrated by Mónica Paola Rodriguez (Bookshop|Amazon) |
| El Verde De Mis Sueños: Un Cuento De La Tradición De Los Tres Reyes Magos written by Mariel Jungkunz and illustrated by Mónica Paola Rodriguez (Bookshop|Amazon) |
| Maisie Dobbs series by Jaqueline Winspear (Bookshop|Amazon) |
Music Used in the Episode
| Title | Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tempus Fugit | Bud Powell | The Genius of Bud Powell | Verve Records |
| Phantom of the Panther | Mulatu Astatke and The Heliocentrics | Inspiration Information 3 | Strut |
| Celia | Bud Powell | The Genius of Bud Powell | Verve Records |
| Drumming | I Marc 4 | I Marc 4 (Blue) | Nelson Records |
| Key Board | I Marc 4 | I Marc 4 (Blue) | Nelson Records |
| Match Dershe | Mulatu Astatke | Ethiopiques 4 | Buda Musique |
| The Other Side | Sure Fire Soul Ensemble | Step Down | Colemine Records |
