Rhyming Verb and Noun Phrases

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

And I’m Grant Barrett.

Martha, you know, in my other life, or is it all the same life? I don’t know.

I’m the editor of the Among the New Words column in the academic journal American Speech.

But in this column, it’s just about new words, exactly what it sounds like.

And in the latest issue, which was published in January, I decided to do rhyming verb and noun phrases.

And so I don’t think you’ve read that column, right?

No, no, I haven’t.

Wait, you don’t read everything that I write?

Not yet. You know, it’s all stacked up on the night table.

Well, that’s good because I’m going to quiz you and find out if you can figure out what some of these things mean.

Oh, my gosh.

Right here in front of everybody?

I know.

It’s terrible.

All right.

Here’s an easy one to start.

What does cuff and stuff mean?

Cuff and stuff?

Yeah.

Is it a kind of upholstery?

Cuff and stuff.

Cuff and cuff and cuff.

Who cuffs people?

Oh, is it like police?

Yeah, exactly.

Like police cuff you and then they stuff you into the car.

Okay.

That’s cuff and stuff.

And that’s actual police jargon?

Yeah, it is actually.

Yeah, cuff and stuff.

Dates back at least as far as 1984.

Well, here’s another police-related one.

What are the cherries and the blueberries?

The cherries and the blueberries.

They’re not opposing teams.

That must be the lights on top of the cars, right?

Very good.

You might remember your CB slang, your trucker slang from the 1970s.

The cherries from the top of the…

Smokey bear, yeah.

Sure, yeah.

Okay, here’s one that you might guess right away.

Actually, there’s two.

They mean the same thing.

Chew and screw, eat it, and beat it.

I beg your pardon?

They’re not dirty.

Oh, they’re not?

No, no, naughty woman.

No.

Chew and screw and eat it and beat it.

Chew and screw sounds like me trying to open a wine bottle and not having much luck.

Gnawing at it with your teeth to get the cork out.

Very nice.

I get it.

I can picture that.

And what’s the other one?

Chew and screw and…

That would explain the dental bills.

And eat it and beat it.

Eat it and beat it.

Well, that’s a film of somebody having breakfast.

No, you’re too good.

You’re too sainted.

You would never get this.

No, no, no.

It’s dining and dashing.

It’s when you eat at a restaurant and then you leave before paying the bill.

Oh.

See, I knew you wouldn’t get it because you’re too –

Because I would never do that.

That’s right.

No, absolutely not.

And do you know what LASIK surgery is sometimes called?

LASIKs?

You know LASIK?

Yeah.

They use a laser on your eye to make it so you don’t have to wear glasses anymore?

Yeah, keratotomy.

Well, that’s the fancy word, but they also call it flap and zap.

You never heard that one?

Flappin’ Zap 2020.

Anyway, I got a million of these.

They are in the Journal of American Speech.

We’ll share a few more later in the program.

I’d love to hear them.

Well, if you’d like to talk about language with us, words and phrases, rhyming phrases,

Old family sayings, slang, or maybe a dispute you’re having over language,

Call us 1-877-929-9673.

That’s 1-877-wayword.

Or send an email to words@waywordradio.org.