What a difference pronunciation makes! The United States has a Department of Defense, and an individual might take classes in self-defense. So why do football and basketball coaches say they’re proud of their . . . “DEE-fence?” Linguists have a theory about why. Also, some funny limericks to help you learn obscure words, and what you will and won’t find on a desert island. Plus, kennings, cobwebs, crestfallen, catillate, cataglossism, and more. This episode first aired October 10, 2014.
The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form
Do you think dictionaries of obsolete words with definitions in limerick form are cool? If you’re annuent— meaning “nodding”— we’ll take that as a “yes.” You’ll find lots of them at The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form, also known as OEDILF.
Sheep-Dipping
Sheep-dipping is a business term for when employees are made to drink the Kool-Aid, often at tedious briefings or sales seminars they’re forced to attend.
Exspuition
As the OEDILF notes, exspuition is an old word for spitting, which you can do either standing or sitting.
Emphasis of Defense
We have a Department of Defense, and football teams have a defense, and chances are you don’t pronounce those terms the same way. It likely has to do with sportscasters emphasizing of- and de- to differentiate the offensive and defensive sides of teams, and that’s how the emphases took hold.
Catillate
Put a plate of milk in front of a cat, and you know that cat will catillate.
Zen Diagrams Quiz
Quiz Guy John Chaneski has a game that changes Venn diagrams to zen diagrams.
Origin of Bespoke
Bespoke, as in bespoke tailored clothing, comes from an old word meaning “spoken for”—to bespeak means to request or order a good or service.
Cataglossism
What could sound more romantic than French kissing? Perhaps its archaic synonym, cataglossism. Here’s a limerick to help you remember this word.
Class Periods vs. Bells
Most high schoolers hear the bell ring, and they know it’s time for next period. But some students simply refer to each class as first bell, second bell, and so on. What did you call each class period?
Flu Limerick
Steer clear of the flu. You’ll groan on wet sheets. You will mew.
Crestfallen
When the crest of a rooster’s comb falls down toward their beak, they appear sad, or crestfallen.
Knighting Pun
Dubbing someone a knight by tapping their shoulder with a sword is a venerable tradition, but that didn’t stop a wag from mocking it in limerick form with a groaner of a pun.
Modern and Historic Kennings
Kennings are compound words that have metaphorical meanings, such as whale-road meaning “sea.” They’re often found in Anglo-Saxon poetry, such as The Seafarer and Beowulf, but there are modern ones as well, such as rugrats for “small children.”
Brodie
Why steal something insignificant when you can brodie it? This slang term means basically the same thing.
Cunctator
Cunctator is just a lesser-known term for a procrastinator—- one that happens to fit into a funny limerick.
Etymology of Cobwebs
Cobwebs are the same thing as spiderwebs, and they get their name from the old English term coppe, meaning “spider,” which turns up in The Hobbit in a poem about an attercop.
Lush Desert Islands
Many desert islands don’t look like a desert at all. They’re lush and green. That’s because the term reflects the old sense of desert meaning “wild and uninhabited.”
This episode is hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, and produced by Stefanie Levine.
Photo by Paraflyer. Used under a Creative Commons license.
Books Mentioned in the Episode
| Slang: The Topical Dictionary of Americanisms by Paul Dickson |
| Beowulf |
| The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien |
Music Used in the Episode
| Title | Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romeo’s Rasklad | The Soul Surfers | Romeo’s Rasklad | Funk Night |
| Bird Funk | The Soul Surfers | Bird Funk | Funk Night |
| Show Introduction | The Soul Surfers | Show Introduction | Funk Night |
| Rancho Relaxo | Magic in Threes | Magic in Threes | GED Soul |
| Spy Potion | Great Revivers | Spy Potion | Funk Night |
| Reaction Psychotique | Great Revivers | Reaction Psychotique | Funk Night |
| Shed A Tear (I Touched The Clouds) | The Soul Surfers | I Touched The Clouds | Funk Night |
| Hard Way To Go | Great Revivers | Hard Way To Go | Funk Night |
| Beatin’ The Breaks | Magic in Threes | Magic in Threes | GED Soul |
| Bottoms Up! | Great Revivers | Bottoms Up! | Funk Night |
| Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off | Ella Fitzgerald | Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Book | Verve |
