“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.” Martha talks about this weather proverb, which has been around in one form or another since ancient times. Grant shares a favorite weather word: slatch. Also this week: Is there a better alternative to the word mentee? What’s pooflapoo pie? This episode first aired March 6, 2010.
Red Sky at Night
“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.” Martha talks about this weather proverb, which has been around in one form or another since ancient times.
On The Stick
A Dallas listener and her boss have a dispute. The boss says the staff should get “on the stick.” The caller and her co-workers say the correct phrase is “on the ball.” Grant gives her an answer, then suggests a third option used in Hawaii: “on the kinipopo.”
Different Terms for Mentee
What’s the best term for someone who’s being mentored? A woman in a mentoring program at church thinks the word mentee sounds like “manatee.” She’s hoping for an alternative.
Parky
Grant shares another weather-related word from Britain: parky.
Initials Quiz
Quiz Guy John Chaneski offers a puzzle in honor of the hosts’ initials. Every clue prompts a two-word answer beginning with the letters M and B or G and B. For example: “Paper or plastic?”
Called by the Wrong Name
A caller named Todd says that when people meet him for the first time, they sometimes call him Scott, even if he’s wearing a nametag with his real name on it. It’s happened too many times to be a coincidence, he says, and wonders if there’s something about the double letters that registers the wrong name in people’s minds. Why do we get other people’s names wrong?
Pooflapoo Pie
Whip up a big batch of pistachio pudding, then add pineapple, walnuts, Cool Whip, and marshmallow bits, and what do you have? A Los Angeles woman says her grandmother used to make a dish with those ingredients that she called pooflapoo pie. Is that just her family’s name for it, or do other people refer to it that way? Other people call it Watergate salad or ambrosia.
Stalagtites vs. Stalagmites
Have trouble remembering the difference between stalagtites and stalagmites? Martha shares a mnemonic that will help.
Leaving Out “That”
A police officer says that the prosecutor edits out the word “that” from the reports he submits, as in, “The subject stated that he met the co-defendant at a party.” Is the word “that” necessary here? Martha and Grant disagree. Also, the cop also has a brain-teaser for the hosts: Can you use the word “that” five times consecutively in a sentence correctly?
Spelling Tricks
The hosts talk about the tricks they use to remember how to spell certain words.
Dressed to the Nines
Why do we say that someone finely attired is “dressed to the nines”?
Peep-Eye
A woman says that when playing hide-and-seek with a small child, her mother-in-law says “peep-eye!” instead of “peekaboo!” Is that usage limited to certain parts of the country? And where do they say “pee-bo!”?
Frontogenesis
Grant talks about two other weather-related terms, frontogenesis and aeromancy.
More vs. Most
When comparing one item with the rest of the items in a group, which is better: more or most?
This episode is hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, and produced by Stefanie Levine.
Photo by UnknownNet Photography. Used under a Creative Commons license.
Music Used in the Episode
| Title | Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bubble Gum | The 9th Creation | Bubble Gum | Pony Canyon Japan |
| Red Onion | Groove Holmes | New Groove | Groove Merchant |
| Mystical Brotherhood | Karl Hector and The Malcouns | Sahara Swing | Now-Again |
| Jellybread | Booker T and The MG’s | Soul Dressing | Stax |
| Chicken Pox | Booker T and The MG’s | Melting Pot | Stax |
| Mello (Version) | Karl Hector and The Malcouns | Sahara Swing | Now-Again |
| Mango Meat | Mandrill | Just Outside Of Town | Collectables |
| Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off | Fred Astaire | JFred Astaire’s Finest Hour | Verve |
