Vowels Pried Loose Word Game

You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it.

I’m Martha Barnette.

And I’m Grant Barrett, and here he comes, walking down the middle of the crowd

In his best costume, looking like a million dollars.

It’s our fashion designer, our number one man, John Chaneski, our quiz guy.

Stand aside, I take large steps.

Look at everybody.

Watch my couture.

Please, please watch my couture.

You know, one of my favorite game shows is Only Connect.

And now the primary game show on that show is similar to one we’ve played before, Common Bonds.

What do these things have in common?

But I’m a particular fan of the final round of that show, Missing Vowels.

It’s simple.

Take a famous phrase or title or name and remove the vowels.

For example, FRXMPL is for example.

For example, yeah.

So we disemvowel, for example.

Disemvowel, for example.

Disemvowel the answer.

Now, on the show, they re-space the consonants, but we’re not going to do that here.

If you hear a space from me, that’s a space in the phrase or title.

Okay?

I’ll give you a string of consonants.

You tell me the name, title, or phrase you would get if you put the vowels back in.

Okay?

Okay.

H-R-W-G.

Here we go.

Oh.

Got it.

Here’s the first one.

M-C-H-D-B-T-N-T-H-N-G.

It’s much ado about nothing.

Yeah, much ado about nothing.

Very good.

Shakespeare comedy.

Very good.

See?

Nothing to it.

Let’s do the next one.

W-R-N-D-P-C.

W-R-N-D-P-C.

Something and something?

Perhaps.

Ooh, like that really big novel.

Yes.

Oh, yeah, there we go.

War and Peace.

War and Peace, yes.

Classic, really big classic novel.

Very good.

Next one is SPGHTTBLGNS.

Spaghetti Polonese.

Spaghetti Polonese.

I’m doing the Italian hand gesture.

Boy, you got that very quickly.

You must be very hungry.

How about this one?

T-R-N-D-L-B-D.

T-R-N-D-L.

Isn’t that what’s on my gear shift?

That’s close, yeah.

T-R-N-D-L.

And then what was the last part?

B-D.

Oh, I see.

We’re just adding only vowels to it.

Yeah.

Now I get it.

Martha, you just say that.

You surely realized that before.

You’re just trying to make us laugh, right?

How about trundle bed?

Trundle bed is correct.

Okay, now I get it.

Martha, three hours into the party, arrives with the drinks.

And with that, we move on to the final one.

Okay, bring it on.

W-I-W-T-H-W-R-D-S.

Go ahead, Martha.

Well, wait a minute.

W-Y or W-I?

Away with words.

It’s A Way with Words, yes.

I used the wiser fair game.

Yes, it’s Y.

Away with words.

I’m sorry as I wipe away a tear from my eye.

We’ll talk to you next week.

Give your family squeezes all around, all right?

Same for you.

Take care, guys.

All right, bye, John.

Thanks, John.

Bye-bye.

Well, as you can see, we always have fun when John comes on the show

To test our wits, and we’d love for you to do the same. So give us a call, 877-929-9673,

Or send an email about any aspect of language to words@waywordradio.org.