After inadvertently maligning marmots in an earlier discussion of the term “whistle pig,” Martha makes a formal apology to any marmots that might be listening. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Martha’s Marmot Apology”
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 this week I want to start the show with an apology.
Oh.
You remember the call we had from John? He lived in Tennessee and he wanted to talk about whistlepigs, the term whistlepig, and how that’s another name for groundhog.
Well, in that call I mentioned marmots and I said that they were small and mouse-like.
And we got an email from David Bainbridge in Mira Mesa, California.
And David writes, “You have slandered marmots by saying they are small and mouse-like. Our western marmots are magnificent creatures, lovely golden fur and chunky, up to 12 pounds. They do whistle. I’ve watched them at work, asleep in the sun, and at play in the Sierra and Colorado Rockies. One of my favorite memories is of a couple of young marmots enjoying sliding down a snowy slope in spring. They would romp back to the top to go down again. Another time in Colorado, we found two marmots living in old, quite large boilers from a long abandoned mine. They looked like crew members on a steampunk submarine.”
That’s awesome.
David, you’ll be happy to know we put up a fine specimen of a marmot to illustrate that entire episode.
We did indeed.
So thank you very much for your email.
That was an excellent apology, Martha.
I’m sorry I laughed, but David, you’re cracking me up, dude.
The art of the apology.
Even marmots deserve apologies, or especially marmots.
We’ll take calls from you and any marmot, 877-929-9673, or email us, words@waywordradio.org.
