Repeat After Me Word Quiz

You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Martha Barnette.

And I’m Grant Barrett. And on the line, direct from New York City, is that master quiz guy, John Chaneski. Hello, John.

Hi, it’s me. Hi, Grant. Hi, Martha. How are you?

Hi, John.

I have a very nice quiz for you guys here. I call it Repeat After Me.

Oh.

Okay. It’s a simple quiz. I’ll give you a clue to a two-word phrase or a hyphenated word in which both halves are the same.

Okay?

Okay.

For example, what’s a hyphenate that means going beyond the bounds of convention, good taste, or common sense?

Tutu?

Yes, very good.

Another way is saying it.

T-O-O dash T-O-O, right.

Tutu.

Okay, very good, very good.

In other words, la-di-da, tutu.

Now, how about the name of a volcanic island of French Polynesia in the leeward group of the Society Islands?

Is that Bora Bora?

No.

Yes, that is Bora Bora.

Oh, it is?

Yes, why wouldn’t it be Bora Bora in the South Pacific?

Never mind.

You’re doing all right.

We haven’t even started.

Okay.

Let’s begin with the first clue.

Okay.

Quite simple.

A nautical affirmative.

Aye-aye.

Aye-aye.

Aye-aye.

There you go.

All right.

Let’s see if we can get the next one.

A Latin American ballroom dance.

It’s not tango.

It must be cha-cha.

It is cha-cha.

It’s cha-cha.

Very good, Martha.

How about an adjective used to describe something that is secret or confidential?

Hush hush.

Yes, hush hush.

Here’s another one.

Fussy or showy dress or ornamentation?

Fru-fru.

Fru-fru, yes.

You know, sometimes your fru-fru is tutu.

The name of this food fish is Hawaiian for very strong.

Mahi-mahi.

Mahi-mahi.

Anybody like mahi-mahi here?

I find it so-so.

Oh, nice one.

How about this one?

I think it’s a little harder.

Any of a genus of small antelopes of eastern and southern Africa having an elongated snout?

Grant has it.

No, I don’t, actually.

It was until it got to the elongated snout.

Dick dick was what I was going to say.

It is dick dick.

Oh, it is.

Okay.

Sure it is.

Apparently it has an elongated snout.

Not that I’ve seen one recently.

This well-known facility bears the original name of the New York town where it’s located.

Sing Sing?

Yes.

The facility is a prison, and the town’s original name comes from the Native American Sing Sing, meaning stone on stone.

And maybe you know the name of the town, what it’s called now?

Ossining.

Ossining.

Ossining, right.

Ossining, New York, upstate.

Here’s another one.

How about a vehicle, such as a boat, that is operated by a small gasoline engine?

Putt-putt.

Putt-putt.

Very good.

Good.

How about an amulet or incantation used chiefly by people of African ancestry?

Juju.

All right.

No?

No?

That’s sort of a word for magic in general.

I’m looking for something a little different.

It’s not clicking for me.

Tiki?

No.

I don’t know.

What is it?

Bogging down.

What is it?

It’s gris-gris.

Oh, gris-gris, right.

G-R-I-S, G-R-I-S.

Oh.

Interesting.

Learning all kinds of new stuff here.

All right.

How about an expression used to indicate agreement with someone who is speaking?

-huh, yes, yes.

Okay, right, right.

Let’s say we were in parliament right now.

Here, here.

There you go, here, here.

Can you spell it for me, please?

H-E-A-R.

That’s right. H-E-A-R, H-E-A-R.

On that note, I’m going to let you guys go.

I think you did a great job, actually, on repeating after me on most of them.

You flatter us.

Here, here.

But thank you for coming up with a clever quiz that stumped us and our listeners, I’m sure.

Thank you very much. I’ll see you next time.

All right. Bye-bye.

All right.

If you have a question about wordplay, language, grammar, slang, regional dialects, reduplications, you can always call us at 1-877-929-9673 or send an email to words@waywordradio.org.