In Japanese, the word san (さん) means “three” and kyuu (きゅう) means “nine.” Said together, the words sound like English “thank you,” so back in the 1990s, when pagers were all the rage among Japanese teens, typing 999 was a quick way to punningly...
We use the term Milky Way for that glowing arc across the sky. But how people picture it varies from culture to culture. In Sweden, that starry band goes by a name that means “Winter Street,” and in Hawaii, a term for the Milky Way translates as...
Listeners keep sending us wince-worthy puns about what various people might have in their gardens. For example, a baseball player’s backyard might be full of pitcher plants. People thinking about adopting a pet might consider orchids. (Say that one...
Quiz Guy John Chaneski’s puzzle this week involves pig Latin, a.k.a. Ig-pay Atin-lay. One of two answers to each clue is a regular English word, and the other is its pig Latin version. For example, what regular English word and its pig Latin version...
If you find yourself addicted to seaweed, no need to worry! There’s a punny solution for that. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Ig-nori This One if Puns Aren’t Your Thing” Well, grant, I found one more thing to worry about:...
What’s an unexpected term for tollbooths? How about … Bill Gates? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Also Penny Lane?” Here’s another unparalleled misalignment that I really like toll booths and Bill Gates. Oh toll bill booth gates...

