Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s puzzle has a visual element. For example, what’s the answer if the clues are “part of a football game” and the letters T I, followed by two blank spaces? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “A Puzzling Puzzle for Quizzical Quizzers”
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 guy, John Chaneski.
Hi, John.
Hi, Grant. Hi, Martha.
Today’s quiz is inspired by those word rebuses that used to be a staple of Xerox culture, but have persevered to become passed around the Internet.
Now, a word rebus consists of a word or two or a phrase, usually presented in some way as to suggest a famous phrase.
For example, you might see a square and next to it the word think, and the answer to that word rebus would be, do you know what that is?
Think outside the box. Yes, exactly, think outside the box. Simple little visual little thing.
But we’re gonna do it on the radio. This quiz is special in that it only uses parts of words.
I’ll describe the letters you see and some blanks, but they will always illustrate only part of a word. Now since you can’t see the rebus, I’ll give you a hint as well.
For example, if the hint is a part of a football game and the rebus is T-I blank blank, the answer would be halftime.
Got it?
Oh, Lord.
Okay.
Okay.
Yeah, you can get this.
You might need a pencil for some of these, but I think you can do them in your head.
Let’s try.
Here’s a prediction in the newspaper.
C-L-O-U blank blank.
C-L-O-U blank blank.
Clouds.
Partly cloudy.
Partly cloudy, yes.
I would also have accepted mostly cloudy since it is four of the six letters.
Yeah.
Very good.
Now, they’re big but not active.
Blank I-L-E-N blank.
Blank I-L-E-N blank.
Silent majority.
Yes, exactly.
I-L-E-N is a majority of the word silent.
Very good.
These are often found in a dictionary.
Blank P, blank E, blank H.
Parts of speech.
Parts of speech.
Yes, parts of speech.
Good.
This is a topic of discussion at a salon.
S-blank, blank, blank T.
Not split ends.
It is split ends.
There we go.
Very good.
Nice.
You might get one at a wedding.
B-E-T, blank, blank, blank.
Better offer.
No.
You’ve got the word.
You’ve got part of it.
Better offer.
Better half.
Better half.
Better half.
Yes.
For each, you get a better half.
BT is half of better.
What weddings are you going to, Martha?
You’re going to the exciting ones.
Yeah, that’s cool.
All right, guys.
I call those part rebuses because they’re all parts of words, and you did very, very well.
Nice work.
All right.
Take care, John.
Give our best to the family.
You too.
Talk to you next week.
All right.
Bye-bye.
Stick around for more semantic antics, 877-929-9673, or send us an email.
That address is words@waywordradio.org.
