The Odd Man Out Game

You’re listening to A Way with Words. I’m Martha Barnette.

And I’m Grant Barrett, and we’re joined once again by the musician and quiz master, Greg Pliska.

Hello, Greg.

Hi, Greg.

Hi, Martha. Hi, Grant. How’s it going?

Welcome back. How are things in New York?

Today is one of those New York days where you think you might actually be living in San Diego.

It’s so beautiful.

This week, we’re going to play our old favorite, the Odd Man Out game.

Yay!

Where I give you four words, and you tell me which one doesn’t belong.

Oh, I see. This reminds me of high school getting picked last for kickball.

Funny.

Exactly.

And funny you should say that because today’s version of the game is called the Grant and Martha version.

Each of the list will include at least one of your names.

But I do have the reminder that whenever possible, the odd item out has the opposite property of the items that belong.

Okay.

All right. Well, enough with the legalese. Let’s get started.

Let’s plunge right in.

All right, here’s your first one.

Four words.

Grant, promised, hoe, shark.

And hoe is spelled H-O.

Grant, promised, hoe, shark.

Grant, promised, hoe, shark.

Land? No.

Land, grant, land, grant.

Land ho.

Yeah, it’s land.

Oh, it’s land.

Land shark.

Yeah, land shark, land ho, land grant, and promised is promised the sky, right?

You promised somebody the sky?

No, promised land.

Promised the moon.

Oh, promised land.

Oh, I see.

Promised with a D, promised.

But it’s the one that has the land at the end.

So promised is out.

Is that right?

Exactly.

Promised is the one that doesn’t belong.

The others create a phrase with land in front.

Very good, Martha.

Thank you.

Here’s another one for you.

Martha Irving Denzel Booker.

Washington.

They’re all Washingtons.

Washington Irving is the odd one out.

That’s right.

Martha Washington, right.

Right.

There are three with the last name Washington.

Martha Washington, Denzel Washington, Booker T. Washington,

And then one with the first name is the odd one out, Washington Irving.

Here’s another one.

Okay.

Grant, Jimbo, J-I-M-B-O, Bug, and Tony, T-O-N-Y.

Grant, Jimbo, Bug, Tony.

Oh, I see.

The second letter of each word moves up to the next word.

Whoa, really?

You know, it doesn’t.

So the O from Tony goes to Bug and becomes Bog.

The U from Bug goes to Jimbo and becomes Jumbo.

Wow.

I from Jimbo goes to Grant and becomes giant, and that leaves Tony as the odd one out because the R doesn’t work in Tony.

That’s an extraordinary process.

Wow.

I bow to your expertise.

Wow.

I win at the radio.

Found something completely irrelevant to the puzzle.

Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait.

But no, no, not completely right.

Oh, no, no, no.

You’re on the right track.

The one that’s out is Tony.

Okay.

Why?

Okay, let’s hear it.

Because if you change the R in Grant to I, then you have giant.

Change the I in Jimbo to jumbo, the bug to big, then Tony gets changed to tiny.

There you go.

And it’s actually the second letter that changes each time.

Yeah.

Yeah, that’s what I was working on the second letter, but the wrong formula.

Cool.

What else you got there, dude?

Here is the last puzzle for you today.

This one uses a last name.

Barnette, Bagatelle, Matrix.

Woman.

I’ve been called worse.

Let’s see. Barnette, and that’s B-A-R-N-E-T-T-E.

Of course.

Bagatelle,

Matrix,

And woman?

Yes.

You’re the Bagatelle Matrix woman,

If there ever was one.

Oh, I think, well…

You have it?

Maybe. It’s kind of a long shot.

The E-T-T-E is a feminine suffix.

The E-L-L-E is a feminine suffix.

And the I-X is a feminine suffix.

Yeah.

I was actually thinking the T-R-I-X is a feminine suffix.

Oh, very good.

Yeah, the T-R-I-X.

Yeah, very good.

And the M-A-N is actually a masculine suffix.

Wow.

Very good.

Man.

That was a tough one.

We like tough ones.

Yeah, we do.

Thanks so much for that, Greg.

You’re very welcome.

If you’ve got a question about anything having to do with a language,

877-929-9673 or email words@waywordradio.org.