Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s puzzle this week is inspired by social distancing. The first and last letters of each one-word answer are the same, but they’re separated by six letters. For example, what eight-letter word, beginning and ending with the letter A, denotes a statement in which you defend something, such as an idea? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Social Distancing Word Game”
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 joining us now is our quiz guy, John Chaneski. Hiya, John.
Hi, Martha. Hi, Grant.
Hey, dude.
What did 2020 bring us? It brought us something called social distancing.
Many of us were told to stay six feet away from each other.
Now, the answers in this quiz reflect that.
In each of them, the first and last letter are identical, but they’re separated by six other letters.
Okay? I’ll give the letter and the definition. You give me the word. In this example, the first and last letter are A, and the definition is a statement in which you defend something, such as an idea.
And the answer is apologia. Here we have an eight-letter word with two As, and they’re six letters apart. Okay? All right. Here’s the first one. The letter is B. The definition is to attack somebody unfairly, often verbally, in a deceitful, underhanded manner.
Ooh.
And it starts with a B and ends with a B?
That’s right.
And it’s got six, six away, six between them.
Backstab.
Ooh, good one.
Yes, backstab.
Nice.
Here’s the next.
The letter is C.
The definition is an adjective meaning a wide variety of different things from the Greek for in respect of and the whole.
A wide variety of different things from Greek.
Catholic.
Yes, Catholic is right.
The letter is D.
The definition is tending to move apart in different directions, like two roads in a yellow wood in a famous poem.
It’s not diverged.
It is diverged, yes, as your two Ds separated by six letters.
The letter is E.
The definition is to get the heck out of there, to leave a building or other structure because it’s not safe.
Evacuate?
Escape?
Evacuate is right.
Nicely done, yes.
The letter is G.
The definition is a portmanteau word for a style of living outdoors.
It’s not exactly roughing it, if you know what I mean.
Glamping.
Glamping is right.
The letter is H.
The definition is a noisy clearing of the throat.
In the 1974 film Blazing Saddles, it’s used to indicate politicians noisily blustering.
Harumph?
Harumph, yes.
Harumph, harumph, harumph.
I didn’t get a harumph out of you.
All right.
Now the letter is L.
The definition is relating to or near the coast.
Literal.
Literal.
Yeah, literal is right.
It sounds like the opposite of figurative, but it’s not.
It’s literal, L-I-T-T-O-R-A-L.
Like I said, we’re going to keep six letters between our letters from now on.
That’s how it works.
But you guys did really, really well in this quiz.
Nice job.
Thanks, John.
Thank you.
Really appreciate it.
We’ll talk to you next week.
Thank you, guys.
Talk to you then.
Take care.
All right.
Best of the family.
Bye-bye.
You too.
Well, there’s something happening here every week, and we’d like you to be a part of it.
You can call us, 877-929-9673, or talk to us about language on Twitter @wayword.
Thank you.
