Nerd vs Geek (rebroadcast) - 15 August 2011

SUMMARY

What do the words marathon, paisley, and bikini have in common? They're all words that derive from the names of places. Martha and Grant talk toponyms. Also, what's the difference between a nerd and a geek? Why do some Marines greet each other with the word "Yambo"? And what do you call the crust that forms at the corners of your eyes after a night's sleep?

FULL DETAILS

What do the words marathon, paisley, and bikini have in common? They're all words that derive from the names of places. Martha and Grant talk about these and other toponyms.

What's the difference between a nerd and a geek? An Ohio professor of popular culture wants to talk about it.  Here's the Metafilter thread mentioned in that discussion.

http://bit.ly/Nl38h

Here's a Venn Diagram about nerds, geeks, dorks, and dweebs.

http://bit.ly/aJxb9E

In the Pacific Northwest, the term spendy means "expensive."

Grant has an update on the jocular pronunciation of "skedooly" for the word schedule. The original discussion about it is here:

http://waywordradio.org/chester-drawers/

Puzzle Guy John Chaneski presents a quiz called "Repeat after Me." It's a quiz that's neither so-so nor too-too.

A Marine at Camp Pendleton says that while in Iraq, he and his buddies heard the greeting "Yambo!" from Ugandan troops there. Now they use it with each other, and he wonders about its literal meaning. Martha explains that it's a common Kiswahili term.

In the novel Jane Eyre, characters sometimes speak whole sentences in French. A high school English teacher says her students wonder if there's a term for inserting whole sentences from another language into fiction. Grant talks about the use of foreignisms and loanwords.

Martha has a crazy crossword clue sent by a listener: "Camel's Nemesis." Twelve letters. Got it?

Residents of Maine are called "Mainers," people in Texas are "Texans," those in Wisconsin are "Wisconsinites," and people in Phoenix are . . . Phoenicians"? Grant and Martha explain that there are consistent rules for the naming the locals. The book they reference is Paul Dickson's Labels for Locals.

http://bit.ly/eXeAWx

Martha and Grant offer gift recommendations for language lovers:

Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages, by Guy Deutscher

http://bit.ly/bSjZON

OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word, by Allan Metcalf

http://bit.ly/igLJn8

Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers

http://www.lostinlexicon.com/

Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language

http://www.deborahfallows.com/

What do you call the crust that forms in the corners of your eyes when you sleep? Sleepydust, sleepysand, eyejam, slam, eye boogers, eye potatoes, sleep sugar, eye crusties, sleepyjacks. An Indiana man wonders if anyone else uses his family's term for it, cat butter.

Is the proper phrase toe the line or tow the line?

Grant talks about how that great American export, the word OK, was part of the first conversation on the surface of the moon.

You upgrade your software, and instead of working better, it's worse. Is there a word for that phenomenon? Downgrade? Oopsgrade? How about Newcoked?

Poutrage is a new term for "acting outraged when you're really not.
 It's sort of like accismus, "the pretended refusal of something actually very much desired."

--

A Way with Words is funded by its listeners: http://waywordradio.org/donate

Get your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:

Email: words@waywordradio.org

Phone:
United States and Canada toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673
London +44 20 7193 2113
Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771

Donate: http://waywordradio.org/donate
Site: http://waywordradio.org/
Podcast: http://waywordradio.org/podcast/
Forums: http://waywordradio.org/discussion/
Newsletter: http://waywordradio.org/newsletter/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wayword/
Skype: skype://waywordradio

Copyright 2011, Wayword LLC.very much desired."

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices