There are eight major planets, but more than a million minor ones, including asteroids. If you discover one, you get the honor of naming it. The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names includes minor planets named for rock bands, jazz musicians, poets, and more. Plus, if you’re waaaaaaaaaay interested in something, you can say so in writing: just add lots of A’s to the word way. This linguistic trick is called expressive lengthening. Also, where can you find pinkletinks? Hint: Listen for their high-pitched peeps. All that, and describing the voice of Alice B. Toklas with an evocative simile, all stove up, footloose and fancy-free, a punny quiz, gray vs. grey, how to pronounce mayonnaise, tinkletoes and pink-winks, Diamond Loop, and Humpty-Bump Pull Top.
This episode first aired July 20, 2024.
Like Dancing for Airplanes
Humpty-Bump Pull Top, Diamond Loop, Reverse Shark’s Tooth, Hammerhead, and Goldfish from the Top are all names of aerobatic maneuvers recorded in the Aresti System, designed by Spanish aviator Jose Luis de Aresti Aguirre as a means of recording such aerial moves. You can see videos of pilots rehearsing such moves on the ground.
Expressive Lengthening is Eaaaaaaaasy
If you reeeeeeeeeally want to emphasize something in writing, you can engage in what linguists call expressive lengthening, or making a word longer by repeating letters. It’s an example of paralinguistic restitution — rendering in text cues such as tone, pitch, and volume that accompany spoken communication and add meaning. For more on expressive lengthening, consult linguist Gretchen McCulloch’s indispensable Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language (Bookshop|Amazon).
Gray and Grey: What’s the Difference?
Generally speaking, the color that’s a blend of black and white is most often spelled gray in the U.S. and grey in the UK, although both spellings existed side by side for many years, and in fact, 18th-century British lexicographer Samuel Johnson had a much longer entry for gray than for grey.
Do Re Meaning Quiz
Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s puzzle is proof positive that words aren’t always what they seem, especially words that begin with the letters re-. For example, say John was driving along a road and turned right, then drove a little more and turned left. A punster might say that he was doing what after the second time?
I Call My Mayonnaise…
Hillary in Woodstock, Vermont, says she’s always pronounced mayonnaise as MY-oh-nayz. Is that pronunciation legit? The original French name of this cold, creamy sauce has never fully transitioned into English, so there are at least 15 different pronunciations.
Nighttime Wakefulness is Like a Streak-Free Window
After our conversation about nighttime wakefulness, a Sacramento, California, woman shares the funny story behind the term she and her husband use for that phenomenon: squeegee.
Duke’s Mixture Was a Tobacco Blend
Eric from Millbank, South Dakota, says his grandmother used the term duke’s mixture to denote “a hodgepodge,” such as ingredients in a stew. Duke’s mixture was originally the name of a cheap tobacco that was made from leftover odds and ends of tobacco leaves and produced by the Duke Tobacco Company of Durham, North Carolina. The term came to refer to any type of random mixture, and also applies to mixed-breed dogs.
A Viola at Dusk
Poet James Merrill once compared the voice of Alice B. Toklas to “a viola at dusk.”
All Stove Up After a Day of Hard Work
Ash in Huntsville, Alabama, wonders about the phrase all stove up, which is how his body feels after a long day’s work. It comes from the expression to stave in, meaning “to smash in,” as when something smashes in the staves of a barrel.
Pinkletinks, Peepers, Tinkletoes, and Pink-Winks
Residents of Martha’s Vineyard look forward each year to the arrival of pinkletinks, little frogs that herald the arrival of spring. Elsewhere, they’re called spring peepers, tinkletoes, and pink-winks.
Far Out and Outta Sight Celestial Names
In addition to the eight planets in our solar system, there are also more than a million minor planets, including five so-called dwarf planets, plus hundreds of thousands of asteroids. When an astronomer or amateur stargazer discovers one, they get to give it an official name according to certain conventions. For example, the proposed name must be no longer than 16 letters, and family pets’ monikers are also discouraged. The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names(Amazon) provides a fascinating look at how those choices reflect the discoverer’s interests and values. Among the minor planets names: Dizzy and MilesDavis(named for jazz artists Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis), FannyHensel (named for the sister of Felix Mendelssohn, an accomplished composer herself), and Oscarwilde, named for the poet who once observed that ‘“we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
Using “Big Old” for Drama or Emphasis
Sam in St. Charles, Illinois, says that when he mentioned a big old water tower nearby, his mother corrected him, saying the water tower wasn’t old, it was new. Can’t you use big old or big ol’ in that way? Of course you can! The addition of old or ol’ just makes a phrase like that more dramatic and emphatic. It’s not really about the age of the tower.
Starship Troopers Holding Mirrors to the Sky
You can’t help wondering if some astronomers listen to rock music as they gaze at the stars, given that a couple of names in The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names(Amazon) honor the band Yes and also Procol Harum.
Footloose and Fancy-Free
Eric from Harrisonburg, Virginia, wants to know: What’s the origin of footloose and fancy-free, which describes someone unencumbered by obligations or worries?
Bumbershoot, A Canopy of Silk
Although some people assume that bumbershoot is a Briticism for “umbrella,” this term actually originated in the U.S. It’s likely a combination of umbrella and parachute. A parachute, like an umbrella, is a canopy of silk or silk-like material.
When I See the Night Sky, I Am Reminded of Homework
One of the celestial bodies listed in The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names(Amazon) is called Sumaura. It’s the name of the oldest private elementary school in Kobe, Japan, and was suggested by the discoverer’s son.
This episode is hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, and produced by Stefanie Levine.
Books Mentioned in the Episode
| The Dictionary of Minor Planet Names by Lutz D. Schmadel (Amazon)/td> |
Music Used in the Episode
| Title | Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groove Holmes | Beastie Boys | Check Your Head | Capitol Records |
| Interlude | Greyboy | Era Correct | Greyboy Records |
| Two Eleven | Mestizo Beat | Jaragua | F Spot |
| Guitar String | Greyboy | Era Correct | Greyboy Records |
| Jaragua | Mestizo Beat | Jaragua | F Spot |
| In 3’s | Beastie Boys | Check Your Head | Capitol Records |
| The Jaguar | Mestizo Beat | Jaragua | F Spot |
| Black Bag | Mestizo Beat | Jaragua | F Spot |
| The Other Side | Sure Fire Soul Ensemble | Step Down | Colemine Records |
