Inspired by the the short-lived meme OK Boomer, Quiz Guy John Chaneski offers a puzzle with similarly dismissive two-word phrases that begin with OK and end with a noun with a final -er. For example, if a friend who is the former mayor of Bangor bangs on about how superior his state is to yours, you might roll your eyes and say OK…? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “OK Boomer Word Game”
You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.
I’m Martha Barnette.
And I’m Grant Barrett, and we’re joined by our quiz guide, John Chaneski.
Hello, John.
Hello, Grant.
Hello, Martha.
How are you?
We’re doing great.
How about you?
I’m just fine.
You know, this quiz is, I think it should be very amusing.
The word boomer used to mean baby boomer, that is, someone born between 1946 and 1964.
But lately, many people use it to mean older person who is out of touch.
Anyway, I’m hopping on the latest linguistic tick before it fades away.
It occurred to me that a dismissive okay just seems that much more dismissive if you pair it with an word.
For example, a friend of mine who was the former mayor of Banger was explaining to me how superior his state was to mine, to which I said, okay, Mainer, you got it?
Yeah.
That’s what we’re going to do.
Give me the two-syllable person I’m dismissing in each of the following situations.
Here we go.
I was sunning myself on the gable of my house the other day when a guy working nearby starts telling me,
Asphalt singles are really superior to tile and metal.
So I said,
Okay, roofer?
Okay, roofer.
Okay, roofer.
Yeah, that’s what I said.
I was riding a ferry on Lake Superior the other day when a guy tries to tell me that Sault Ste. Marie is really the prettiest town in northern Michigan.
So I said,
Okay, Youper.
Okay, Youper, indeed.
The upper peninsula of Michigan.
I was digging for gold the other day when my co-worker tells me,
We had much better pig actions 40 years ago.
So I said,
Okay, Miner.
Okay, Miner.
Okay, 49er.
49, sure. I just kept going.
I was at a food expo the other day when Mr. Peanut, the late Mr. Peanut, the planter’s mascot,
Almost bumps into me saying, get out of my way, I can barely see you in this thing.
So I said,
Okay.
Goober?
Okay, Goober. Yeah, that’s right.
I was taking an aerobics class in the 1980s the other day when this device on my belt starts making a racket and the display says, call the office.
So I said, OK, pager.
OK, pager, right? Or OK, beeper would have been fine.
I was working at the circus the other day when one of the acrobats yells at me, we’re trying to practice our somersaults here.
Move. So I said.
OK, Tumblr.
OK, Tumblr. Right.
Finally, I was reading my fan mail the other day, and a letter said,
You should do more wordplay on the radio.
I find your games to be questionable.
So I said…
Okay, punster.
Okay, punster indeed.
Yes, perfect.
I’ll get right back to answering that email right now, as a matter of fact.
Thanks very much, guys.
You were great.
Okay, jokester.
Okay, quister.
Okay, listener, we’d love to hear from you about any aspect of language whatsoever, so give us a call, 877-929-9673, or send your emails to words@waywordradio.org.
