Gyros and Sheath Cakes (Rebroadcast) - 29 March 2010 - a podcast by A Way with Words

What's the right way to pronounce 'gyros'? Have you ever heard of feeling 'poozley'? Called something great a 'blinger'? Use the expression 'one-off' to mean a 'one-time thing'?Grant and Martha recommend dictionaries for college students, both online references and the old-fashioned kind to keep at one's elbow.If you get hold of some bad sushi for lunch, you'll wind up feeling poozley. A caller whose in-laws use 'poozley' insists they must have made it up.A Texas family has a dispute with a prospective in-law who happens to be a chef. Is their favorite spicy chocolate cake properly known as a 'sheath cake' or a 'sheet cake'?One place where spelling really counts: on a job application. Martha shares some painfully funny proof.Quiz Guy Greg Pliska shares a 'puzzle in verse,' challenging the hosts to fill in the blanks with words that differ by just one letter. Like this: 'I never count ___ when Iâm going to ___; that method does not work for me. Right around fiveâs when I burst into hives: Iâm allergic to wool, donât you see?'In medical terminology, the abbreviation 'GTTS' means 'drops' or 'drips.' But why?The hosts debate the right way to pronounce the name of that meaty Greek sandwiches known as 'gyros.' Is it JEE-roh? JYE-roh? YEE-roh? Something more Greek-sounding? Martha says her recent trip to Barcelona brought to mind a listener's question about whether the word 'gaudy' has anything to do with the name of the great Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi. A woman who grew up in Detroit remembers her mother saying, 'This one's going to be a real blinger!' whenever a big storm was coming. What exactly is a blinger? A 'one-off' is something that is done or made or occurs just once. A Washington State caller who's curious about the term learns that it derives from manufacturing lingo.The third edition of Bryan Garner's book, 'Modern American Usage' is now out. Grant explains why it's a wonderful reference to consult, even when you disagree with it.An ophthalmologist in Arcata, California, is puzzled by the way some of his older patients refer to 'a single lens.' Several of them call it a len, not a lens. This gives the hosts a chance to focus on what linguists call back-formations.--Get your language question answered on the air! Call or write with your questions at any time:Email: words@waywordradio.orgPhone: United States toll-free (877) WAY-WORD/(877) 929-9673London +44 20 7193 2113Mexico City +52 55 8421 9771Site: 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 2010, Wayword LLC.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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