Quiz Guy John Chaneski has built a time machine for this word game that requires guessing the imaginary early version of nouns like sawhorse and cauliflower. If he gets caught in the machine, though, anything can happen! This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Imaginary Noun Word Game”
You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.
I’m Grant Barrett.
And I’m Martha Barnette.
And on the line with us now from New York City is our quiz guy, John Janeski.
Hi, John.
Hi, Martha.
Hi, Grant.
Hi, John.
Listen, I’ve got good news.
Okay.
I’ve developed a machine that can turn back time.
Whoa.
Yeah.
Yeah, I call it a rejuvenator.
Well, it doesn’t work perfectly.
Okay.
I point it at an object, and I press the button. The machine finds a word hidden in the name of the object, and it turns back time so that word becomes a younger version of itself.
Do you have an example?
Well, for example, I have here a wooden framework that’s used to support lumber while it’s being cut. I use the machine on it. Let me just get the machine ready.
Well, yeah, the sawhorse is now a saw foal.
Now, don’t ask me what a saw foal is. It’s a younger version of a saw horse.
Oh, I see.
Gotcha.
Okay.
Okay.
I’m going to rejuvenate a few items. You tell me what the items were before I rejuvenated them, and then what they became after I rejuvenated them.
Now, I’ve got to warn you, many of the rejuvenated words are animals, but not all. So bear that in mind.
Okay.
Okay, here’s the first one.
I have here a long, thick coat without sleeves that fastens around the neck. Here we go. Now what is it?
A long, thick coat?
Is it a poncho or a cape?
No.
Think Harry Potter.
Cloak.
Cloak?
Claycorn.
Cloak is now a claycorn.
Very good.
All right, that’s terrible, but okay.
I got news for you.
It’s horrible.
They’re all terrible.
Oh, no.
They get worse?
I’ll be sitting over here.
I don’t know about worse, but about the same level of badness.
Wake me when you’re done.
I have here a large white vegetable that’s related to the cabbage.
Cauliflower?
Cauliflower?
Cauliflower?
Seed?
Coliseed? Colobud?
Colobud, yes, I’ll take it.
The cauliflower is now a colobud.
Nice.
Hey, you know what? I got an idea.
A city.
I’ll zap an entire city.
The capital of Russia.
Here we go.
Moscav.
It’s now Moscav, yes.
Oh, I have here a small faucet for drawing liquid from a barrel or cask.
A tap?
A spigot?
Yeah.
Is it spigot?
Spig-kid.
A pig.
Oh, a pig-spig-lit-ot.
Oh.
A spig-lit-ot.
Yes, very good.
I have here an emblem that indicates that this taxi cab is registered.
Medallion.
Oh.
A baby seal.
Medall-cub.
Medall-cub is right.
I was thinking of a stallion, Medell-Fold or something like that, but that doesn’t really work.
I have here a flying disc toy.
A frizz larvae.
Frizz larvae.
Larva.
Frizz larvae, yes.
It’s good.
It was a frizzbee.
Okay.
I have here a large oblong tropical fruit with yellowish red skin.
Yellowish red oblong.
Was it a boigo?
It was a mango.
Now it’s a boigo.
Yes.
Very good.
Hang on one second. You know what? I’m having a little trouble with this.
Oh, man.
Oh. Looks like I made a big mistake.
This is not good.
Oh, well. I’ll just have to find a way to fix it, I guess.
Goodbye, Martha. Goodbye, Grant.
I’ll have another puzzle for you again next week.
Oh, no!
Oh, my goodness! He turned it on himself!
I’m sorry, John!
John!
That’s terrible!
Bye, John. Thanks, bud.
We’ll see you next week.
Oh, man.
He’s young.
Well, maybe he’ll be back to himself next week.
Goodbye.
Bye.
Oh, John.
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