Springtime is the right time to feel twitterpated—you know, you’re smitten beyond a crush. Speaking of relationships, are dog owners really owners, or should they call themselves something else, like guardian or human? And if you’re up for a challenge, some adult spelling bee words, including ostreiform and langlauf. Plus, ollie ollie oxen free, toad-strangling rain, zugzwang, canceled vs. cancelled, and how to pronounce herbal, hyperbole, and inchoate.
This episode first aired March 29, 2014. It was rebroadcast the weekend of August 3, 2015.
Adult Spelling Bee Words
Even adults can use a good spelling bee now and then. It’s a good way to learn words like ostreiform, meaning “having the shape of an oyster,” and langlauf, a “cross-country ski run.”
Feeling Twitterpated
Springtime is the right time to feel twitterpated. That is, smitten like a nutty, twittering bird.
Silent “H” in Herbal
Why do the Brits pronounce the H in herbal?
Regional Rain Metaphors
When it rains, it pours. And when it pours, it’s called a toad-strangler. Depending on what part of the U.S. you’re from, you might also call it other names, such as frog strangler, goose-drownder, or gullywasher.
Yannigan
The word yannigan, meaning “a member of a scrub team in baseball,” may come from an alteration of “young one.”
Word Group Rhyme Quiz
What do darts, flubs, and maids have in common? Our Quiz Guy John Chaneski puts it to us in a game of rhymes.
Ollie Ollie Oxen Free
Did you say ollie ollie oxen free to draw people out of hiding during hide-and-seek? Or maybe you said one of the other versions of this phrase, such as all-ee, all-ee, in free, or Ole Ole Olson all in free.
Possible Implications of “Being Proud” of Someone
If you’ve accomplished something, be proud! But is it condescending to say you’re proud of someone when you had nothing to do with their success? A listener worries that the meaning of the word proud includes a sense of ownership.
Categories of Deceased in Kiswahili Language
In the Kiswahili language, the dead go into two categories: sasha for the recently departed, and zamani for spirits not known by anyone living.
Double “L” in English Past Tense Words
How many L’s go in past tense of cancel?
The Trouble with a High Reading Level
If you’re mispronouncing words like inchoate and hyperbole, you can console yourself with the knowledge that you’re most likely reading at a high level.
Pet “Ownership”
You have a dog. Are you its owner, or person, or Mommy dearest? What do you call yourself in reference to the pet?
Zugzwang
The term zugzwang comes from chess, and refers to that situation where you can’t make any desirable moves—like being between a rock and a hard place.
Ombrology
Ombrology is a fancy word for the study of toad-stranglers.
Plural Business Names
Why do we turn proper nouns, like JC Penney or Kroger, into possessives, as in, Penny’s or Kroger’s?
Ogival
For all the gothic architecture fans out there—hold onto the term ogival, which means “having the form of a pointed arch.”
This episode is hosted by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett, and produced by Stefanie Levine.
Photo by Sean Winters. Used under a Creative Commons license.
Music Used in the Episode
| Title | Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recurring | Bonobo | Days To Come | Ninja Tune |
| The Cylinder | Milt Jackson | The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson | Atlantic |
| Nightlite | Bonobo | Days To Come | Ninja Tune |
| The Fever | Bonobo | Days To Come | Ninja Tune |
| Makin’ Whopee | Milt Jackson | The Ballad Artistry of Milt Jackson | Atlantic |
| Ketto | Bonobo | Days To Come | Ninja Tune |
| Transmission 94 | Bonobo | Days To Come | Ninja Tune |
| Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off | Ella Fitzgerald | Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Book | Verve |
