Sesquipedalian Language

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, this is Tom from Charlottesville, Virginia.

Hi, Tom. How are you doing?

Hi, Tom.

I have a story that I thought might entertain you, as it has for me for some 50 years,

Because when I was just a teenager over 50 years ago,

I was vacationing at the beach with my parents and family,

And I was befriended by a couple of really wonderful college students

Who were just terrific with young people.

And as luck would have it, when I was walking along the beach barefoot one day,

I ended up stubbing my toe and something in the sand and got an injury there.

And the college students looked at it and said, you know what you have to do?

And I’ve remembered this now for 50 years.

They told me, what you have to do is go to your parents and tell them

That what you need is an anatomical juxtaposition of the obicular aureus muscles

In the state of contraction.

That would be a kiss on my unilateral calcification of the carbuncular metatarsal.

And so they were telling me just as a parent would to kiss the boo-boo or kiss the sore,

But it really turns out to be, kiss my foot.

I just thought that that was a fun use of language,

And it’s always entertained me to think about the way people express themselves,

And I entertain my grandchildren.

My nine grandkids all try to imitate those kinds of twists on the language.

That is hilarious.

And you were able to memorize it right then and there?

I made them practice with me all that week, but it stuck with me now for 50 years.

It’s just one of those things.

And I’ve never run into those kids again, but, you know, I remember them often about how nice they were to this young teenager who looked up to those college kids who knew so much.

That is fantastic.

I love when you learn something like that when you’re a little kid and it just sticks with you.

I had one of those.

Yes, I do too.

You do?

Yeah, I tried out.

Would you share it?

Yes, yes, I would love to share it with you.

I tried out for a play once, and we had to memorize something.

So I memorized this thing, and I’ve never found it anyplace else.

It goes, today was tomorrow yesterday, but today is today today, just as yesterday was today yesterday,

But yesterday today and tomorrow will be today tomorrow, which makes today yesterday and tomorrow all at once.

I can’t find that anywhere on the Internet, but I memorized it, and it makes perfect sense.

But I love it when we come up with these things as kids.

It sounds like a Marx Brothers routine, frankly.

Who’s on first?

Yeah.

Well, I’m going to try to tape this show so that I’ll be able to memorize yours and pass that on to the next generation.

I’m glad that you’ve shared with us your sesquipedalian wisdom.

Well, you two are so much fun to listen to.

I really enjoy it, and thanks.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks, Tom.

Thanks for calling.

All right.

Thanks.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

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