Quiz Guy John Chaneski dreamed that the long S was still in use, just as when the founders wrote the Bill of Rights and spelled Congress as Congrefs. That dream inspired this week’s puzzle, in which common words seem confusing until you realize that the F in a word should be an S. For example, if the clue is, “I read about children who have winter fun on a snowy hill, but I thought they ran away,” what’s the answer? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “The Long S Word Game: When F Should Be S”
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 arriving by Catapult and sticking the landing, it’s our quiz guy, John Chaneski.
Whoa!
Oh look at that.
I’m holding up the card with 10 on it.
And the judges score.
Yes, of course.
So let’s have to tell you guys something weird that happened to me recently.
I had a dream, a fabulous dream in which I was transported to an alternate dimension, where everything was exactly the same as it is here, except for one thing.
In writing English, everyone in my dreams still uses the long S The Long S.
If you’ve ever looked at old documents, you’ve likely seen the long S.
It was a way of writing the letter S that to modern sensibilities looked just like the lowercase F.
For example, the Bill of Rights uses the word subjected, but it looks like fobjected.
And the Constitution says Congress, but it looks like congrefs, and they have the power to make all necessary laws.
Do you guys know anything about the long S?
A little bit, yeah.
It was definitely gone by the mid-1800s and it alternated every other letter.
So you’d have a long S and the next S would just be a regular S, and then the next one would be a long S.
Sounds good.
Sounds like you do know about it.
Now in my long S dream, there were times when I was taken aback by a common word that looked out of place.
But it just had a long S.
For example, I read about children who have winter fun on a snowy hill, but I thought they ran away.
What did they really do?
That’s right.
They sled, whereas I thought they fled.
Okay, gotcha.
So both of the choices are gonna sound like a modern real word.
Yes, exactly.
Okay.
Okay.
Now I was reading the TV guide, they still have TV guide there too, and I thought I saw a show about an open plan apartment with exposed brick and beams, but it was an old show about a mysterious island.
What did I think I’d see and what show did I see?
Mmm.
Well it wasn’t Soul House, that’s not a thing, or Santacy Islands, that’s not a thing.
How about Loft?
I thought I’d see the show Loft, but instead what did I see?
Loft.
Lost.
Lost.
Yes, lost.
It was Loft and Lost.
Very good.
I was texting a friend about a party we were planning and he asked me for a ride to the airport.
Then I realized he just wanted me to jot down everything we’d need for the party.
What did I think he wanted and what did he really need?
Oh, you thought he wanted a lift but he needed a list That’s right.
Instead he just needed a list.
A lift and a list.
And I was reading a weather report, and I thought that an armada of ships were predicted for the next day, but it was only icy rain.
What was I expecting and what did I get?
You were expecting a fleet but you got sleek.
That’s correct, exactly Martha.
You were expecting snow, but you got phone..
Phono No.
That doesn’t work.
There we go.
That is my my quiz about the long S that doesn’t really exist.
Well, we’re cranking this catapult, John.
We’re gonna put it back down to the launch position.
We’ll send you off home to your family.
Say hello for us.
Oh man.
Well, I’ll I’ll fee you next week.
We’d love to hear from you.
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