[This episode first aired March 8, 2008.]You've just read a terrific paperback novel. Would you feel any
differently about it if you'd the same words on the glowing screen of
an electronic book? Martha and Grant discuss the social and
psychological implications of books that run on batteries.A
caller remembers an odd phrase from her childhood. If she asked too
many questions, her mother would brush them off with the phrase 'layers
for meddlers and crutches for lame ducks.' Say what?A Milwaukee
listener is curious about an expression he uses to describe underlings
who can't seem to do something right: 'You give 'em books, and all they
do is eat the covers!'Martha and Grant discuss the rise of the Great Japanese cell-phone novel.Quiz
Guy John Chaneski presents the hosts with a wacky puzzle based on
two-word phrases containing the sounds 'oo oo,' 'ee ee,' and 'aa aa.'
As you might expect, animal hilarity ensues.A retired theater
professor wants to know why she keeps hearing the word 'dramaturge'
used in surprising new ways. Is 'dramaturged' now a legitimate verb?
Can the noun also refer to someone who adapts a play for particular
production--and not just to the person who originally wrote it?A
caller from Down Under phones to say he's annoyed when honorees declare
they're 'humbled' by this or that award. He thinks it's not only
illogical, but smacks of insincerity.A fair-haired listener has
been puzzled by the origin of a word she's heard all her life:
'Tow-headed.' And no, it has nothing to do with the digits on one's
feet.This week's 'Slang This!' contestant, John Schwaller,
president of the State University of New York at Potsdam, ponders the
possible meanings of the terms 'donk' and 'Baltimore wrench.' He offers
his own favorite slang term, 'snow snake.'A Washington, D.C.
caller wonders whether there's a difference between the words 'grey'
and 'gray.' Do they designate exactly the same thing? Why are they
spelled differently.A California man says his mother used to
respond to his inquiries about what they were going to do by telling
him playfully, 'We're going to Buxtehude!' Decades later, he wonders
whether there really is a place called Buxtehude, or where in the world
she got that phrase.Grant shares his thoughts about the future
of electronic books, and whether dog-eared pages with scribbles in the
margins will one day go the way of the papyrus roll.--Get
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