P Word Quiz

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 here’s that handsome man, John Chaneski, our quiz guy.

Hi, John.

Oh, thank you.

Hi, Grant.

Hi, Martha.

What is up?

What is going on?

You know, I’ve been thinking that I’ve been in radio for over 10 years now, I think.

Really?

Yeah, mostly thanks to you guys here on A Way with Words, so thank you very much.

Thank you.

Nevertheless, there is one distinct issue that has always been my bugaboo.

To this day, audio engineers sometimes tell me that I pop my P’s.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

I’m a serial offender, it seems.

So I’ve decided to challenge myself with a quiz that’s all about P’s.

Okay.

Every answer to the following clues is a two-word phrase in which each word begins with P.

Two-word phrase where each word begins with P.

Got it.

For example.

Like pepper pot or something like that.

Very good.

Okay.

That would be a good one.

For example, this J.M. Barrie character is friends with Wendy, Michael, John, and Tinkerbell.

That would be?

Peter Pan.

Peter Pan.

That’s correct.

Very good.

Now, I will try, try not to pop my P’s, so keep on me about this.

Okay.

One of the other stimuli for this quiz is a cartoon character who made his debut in the 1935 short, I Haven’t Got a Hat.

Cartoon character, 1935 short, I Haven’t Got a Hat.

Poppecker?

No, not Woody Woodpecker.

That’s W’s.

Porky Pig.

Yes, exactly.

Very good.

I didn’t know that.

He’s the oldest, oldest continuing Looney Tunes character.

I did not know that.

Wow.

That’s really terrible.

It was good.

Props to the pig.

Very good.

Props to the pig.

What would you call an individual who seems to want to ruin everybody else’s good time?

He can be called a wet blanket or this alliterative term.

Party poop.

Yes, exactly.

This fictional character was obviously a farmer who one day harvested a quarter bushel of green veggies.

How they ended up fermented in brine while on the vine, I’ll never know.

Peter Piper.

Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers.

Very good.

These rather dated words refer to a way of ease and sensual enjoyment.

Some puppy paradise?

Puppy pile.

Puppy pile.

Now we know what you enjoy.

First, you get puppies, and then you make a pile, and the puppies play.

It’s nice.

That is nice.

Antiquity.

It’s what?

Sometimes folks will say, oh, that will lead you down the primrose path.

That’s right.

Very good.

This is the highest summit of the front range of the Rocky Mountains in North America.

It’s in Colorado.

Pikes Peak.

Yes, good, good.

According to one source, among towns the same size,

Lindhurst, New Jersey has more of these eating establishments than any other.

Good for me.

Pizza parlors.

That’s right.

Pizza parlors.

Yeah, I’m going to go there.

The easiest way to describe this would be an instrument, songs, musician.

An instrument without a musician.

A player piano.

Yes, very good, Martha.

Nice.

Some of the most famous wearers of this kind of hat are Buster Keaton,

Art Carney as Ed Norton, and Bryan Cranston’s character Walter White on Breaking Bad as Heisenberg.

Pork pie?

Yes, nicely done.

I was going to say Panama.

Does Porky Pig wear a pork pie hat?

I think so.

Maybe he used to.

With a little ribbon dangling.

Yeah.

Looks like a little boy’s hat.

Now, mine used to be the auditorium of the school where I went to kindergarten.

Now it’s the gymnasium where my son Max goes to middle school.

Primary school? No. Pre-snow?

Recess?

That was too cryptic. Sorry.

Playground?

It’s where I vote.

Oh, polling place.

Yes, it’s my polling place.

Polling place.

Nice. Thank you.

All right.

Well, I think I got through all of those questions with a minimum of popping any P’s,

And that’s because I put a minimum of P’s in the questions.

Thanks, John. I really appreciate it.

This is John Shinesky, our quiz guy. We’ll talk to you next week.

Bye, John.

Next week guys. Thank you. Bye-bye. This is the show about words and how we use them. Call us

About it. 877-929-9673 or send your questions and email to words@waywordradio.org.