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? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Do Re Meaning Quiz”
You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.
I’m Grant Barrett.
And I’m Martha Barnette.
And behold, it’s our quiz guy, John Chaneski.
Hey, John.
Behold, etch—
Oh, angels cry.
Yes, etch-a quiz guy.
Look, there he is.
It’s me.
You know, guys, I get a lot of mileage out of words that seem to indicate one thing, but actually mean something else.
And this quiz is no different.
If I said I was driving along a road and I made a right, and then I drove a while longer and I made a left, I can make an argument that the second time I was returning.
I turned once.
Oh, boy.
I turned again.
That’s a return.
It’s not.
I’m not going back the way I came, but it sounds like it is.
In the National Puzzlers League, we might call this wordplay a false repetition.
So I’ll read you a statement that makes it sound like I’m re-doing something, but the re-word will not be defined as doing the thing again.
Okay?
Okay.
Here, good.
Okay.
All right, here we go.
My computer wouldn’t turn on, so I kicked it down the stairs.
Then I kicked it again for good measure.
What was I doing the second time?
You were rebooting.
Rebooting it, giving it exactly what it deserves.
Yes, rebooting.
Company’s coming.
So I polished my silver soup tureen.
Unsatisfied, I gave it one more good wipe with the cloth.
What was I doing the second time?
Repolish, reshine, re…
Rebuffing.
Yes, I was rebuffing.
Hopefully my guests won’t rebuff me, but I was rebuffing my tureen, my silver soup tureen, like I have one of those.
In the china cabinet, of course.
Yeah, for sure.
I’d heard that this type of car had a serious problem, so I phoned the company.
They never picked up, so I phoned them again.
What was I doing the second time?
It was an automobile recall.
You were calling.
Yes, I was recalling.
Calling.
So these days, retexting is on who calls anymore.
I don’t know.
I couldn’t find my lab assistant anywhere, and we had work to do.
I walked the entire campus twice.
What was I doing the second time?
Your lab assistant campus.
Yeah.
We had work to do.
We had studies to conduct.
I walked the entire campus.
Oh, you were re-searching.
Yes, I was re-searching for my lab assistant.
Yeah.
It was not easy winding up this garden hose.
Then my dog knocked me back into the garage, and I had to wind it again.
What was I doing the second time?
You were recoiling.
Yes, recoiling.
Good one.
My dog, I got knocked back, and then I had to recoil the hose.
Very good.
So, after losing my driver’s license, I had to find a different way around town.
I remembered my old Schwinn that I used to deliver newspapers with.
It’s a much greener alternative.
What am I doing with that old two-wheeler now?
Recycling.
I am recycling, yes.
It’s much greener to recycle.
Of course, you’re aware of my success on the bodybuilding competition circuit, of course.
At one event, my muscular nemesis and I were tied so closely, the judges had us come back on stage to show off our physiques again.
What did we do the second time?
Reflex.
We reflexed.
Yes, it was a reflex.
Not a reflex, but a reflex.
So there we go.
You guys did very well on this quiz that I call Not Again.
Because you’re not really doing things again.
Let’s replay.
That was a lot of fun.
Hey, yeah.
That’s a great idea.
We’ll do it again next week.
Sure.
Yeah, we’ll talk to you next week.
Take care.
Take care.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
We do like to goof around here, and we’d love to goof around with you.
All your questions and thoughts and ideas and stories about language.
