Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s puzzle is inspired by the periodic table, and involves adding the chemical symbol for an element to one word in order to form an entirely new word. For example, if you take the hat from a baseball fan and add helium to it, it becomes very inexpensive. What’s the new word? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Periodic Table 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 here he is, that tall, handsome man, John Chaneski, our quiz guy from New York City.
Hi, John.
Oh, thank you, you guys. Thank you, Grant. Thank you, Martha. How are you guys doing?
Super duper.
Not as tall as you.
I’m a little frightened of what kind of quiz you might have, because sometimes they’re easy and sometimes they’re hard.
That’s right.
Right. Well, you know, it’s a grab bag. You never know. We have to mix things up.
And speaking of mixing things up, now language is an art, but it’s also a science.
And that science is chemistry.
If you add certain elements to one word, you’ll find another word.
It’s like magic, but it’s not magic.
It’s science.
Science.
For example, and by elements, I mean actual elements.
Okay?
Okay, great.
For example, if you take the hat from a baseball fan and you add some helium to it, it becomes very inexpensive.
That’s because if you take a cap and add helium or H-E, you get cheap.
Okay, got it.
Now you know the premise.
Okay.
Boy, I don’t know my elements as well as you think I do, but okay.
Well, together I think the two of you can…
I’ll give hints, of course.
Take a chicken, a female chicken, and a little sodium,
And you get a plant that provides a dye used to make temporary skin decoration.
Henna.
Henna.
Henna.
Plus N-A.
Very good.
Yes.
Take an evergreen coniferous tree, add some beryllium,
And you get a food element derived from plants that might help keep you regular.
Prune?
Well, okay, so the coniferous is a pine.
That kind of works, but the eye is missing.
The pine and then beryllium is…
No, it’s a specific evergreen tree.
Oh, specific one.
Add some beryllium.
No, the symbol for beryllium is B-E, right?
Yes, it is.
Oh, fiber.
Five B-E-D-E-F-E.
Yes, nicely done.
Take some flashy, ostentatious jewelry, add some silicon, and you get a brother or a sister.
Sibling.
Yes.
Sibling plus S-I, nice.
Silicon and bling gets you your brother or your sister.
Take your fancy high school dance, add some platinum, and you’ll be on time.
Prompt?
Prompt, yes.
Prompt, P-R-E-N-T.
Plus PT.
Take a person entitled to inherit, add some iron, and you’ll get a cow.
Heifer.
Heifer.
So air, H-E-I-R, plus F-E.
That’s right.
Very good.
Take segments of the circumference of a circle, add some helium, and strangely, you’ll get
Symmetrical curved structures used to support a bridge or a wall.
You will?
Yeah, you will.
Arches.
Yes.
How do you get that, Grant?
I just guessed because your last clip.
So H-E from helium, then arcs, A-R-C-S.
Yes, very good.
Arcs and helium get you arches.
Take a thickened, rough patch of skin, add some copper, and you’ll get a branch of mathematics.
Calculus?
Yes.
How do you get that?
I don’t know.
It’s a branch of mathematics.
Okay, so calculus.
Yes.
And the symbol for copper is?
It must be C-U.
It is C-U.
It is.
Cuprium originally, yes.
Take any cat, any member of the cat family, add some lithium,
And you will get thrown a rope to save someone from drowning.
Lifeline.
Lifeline, yeah.
Feline plus L-I.
I was going to say Fellini, but that’s not right.
Finally, just take some calcium and add some iron,
And you find yourself in a small restaurant.
A cafe.
I’ll have double espresso, please.
There you go.
So I’ll have steamed milk and maybe biscotti.
Oh, that was fun.
Really appreciate it, John.
We’ll talk to you next week.
Take care now.
See you then.
Bye-bye.
Bye, John.
