The Puzzler with A.J. JacobsHello, Puzzlers! Puzzling with us today: our very own Chief Puzzle Officer, Greg Pliska.
Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as well as quirky originals such as “Ask Chat GPT” and audio rebuses.
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"The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs" is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is a co-production with Neuhaus Ideas.
Our executive producers are Neely Lohmann and Adam Neuhaus of Neuhaus Ideas, and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts.
The show is produced by Jody Avirgan and Brittani Brown of Roulette Productions.
Our Chief Puzzle Officer is Greg Pliska. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.
Hello, puzzlers, Welcome to the Puzzler Podcast. The pleasing whoosh sound when you send your puzzle email. I'm your host a Ja Jacobs, and I am here as always Greg Puliska.
Well, thank for our listeners. To really please experience that pleasing whoosh, they need to send us email.
Oh it's a great idea. We love our emails.
Send us your ideas for opening Oh yes, couplets. What do we call those openings? Couple I don't know, lon yops.
I like that yap because lonyap is the thirteenth and a Baker's doesn't. Is that right? Did I get that right? I'm not up to the l's in my dictionary, yo is I A.
Was think of a little bonus thing that you weren't expecting. So I think the thirteenth in a Baker's doesn't is definitely a lon yap, all right? I think of those openings also is I think the original one was the mint on your pill, and so that's why I always think of them as pilla mints.
That's what I call them, which are delicious.
All right.
Well, it's an exciting day because we're taking you inside the Puzzle Lab and we have two stops on the tour. We're gonna stop by the work bench, the laboratory work bench where the puzzles are created. To get a little behind the scenes. Look at that the Puzzle Lab news ticker that reports all puzzle related news. And Greg, you've been monitoring, do you have something for us?
Yep, yep. It ticks away twenty four hours a day. And what's of course this time of year, as we turn into the new year, there's lots of announcements from various dictionaries about the word of the year. And these are you know, panels of experts or you know, readers send in their votes. But it used to be sort of there was there were one or two of these, and now every diction does its best to decide what the word of the year was. So bump bump bah. This news item is about the twenty twenty four words of the year.
The battle of the words of the year, love it.
And these sometimes these are new terms, new coinages, words that are invented in the course of the year. Often they are new usages for familiar words, so words we we know. And I will also say I didn't write down all of this information, but a lot of these, even the even the invented words weren't invented in twenty twenty four. They've been around for a while. Something happened in twenty twenty four that made them bubble up to the top and become the word of the year.
I got ya. Yes, yes, they just had their moment in the sun.
Yes, exactly. So the way this is going to work. And Andrea, you should play along as well. That's our associate puzz Alert, Andrea Schoenberg. Well, here we go. This is basically I'm going to give you the definition. You tell me what the word of the year was. Ready, right, pretty straightforward. So this is from the Oxford University Press that publishes the OED the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the definition the supposed deterioration of a person of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of online.
Oh, I know this.
It is actually a two word. It's a two word.
So it's words of the Year.
They did a little I feel like, well, what I'm thinking of I feel like you compound it in internet speak, but maybe not.
Oh, that's possible in internet speak. They the way they published it it was too long.
I believe I'm suffering from this phenomenon so much that I cannot come.
No, I don't think you are, because it's very if you're on the internet, this is you only you get this because from being on the internet. So I feel like you don't have this because you're off the internet.
Mostly, I'm not a luddite like.
Well, I'll just say it's it's I believe it's brain rot.
Brain rots is correct, very good. I definitely have ye.
No, your brain is still your brain still functions in a normal way.
Well, you're nice to say that. I'm not sure that's.
The term actually dates back pre Internet, I think, but really it has. It is again, it has come into common usage because of brain rod is what you suffer from spending way too much time online.
All right, I'm going to try to remember it with my shrinking brain.
Yes, exactly. All right. Here's the Mirriam Webster word of the year. It means division into two sharply distinct opposite.
Well, I have a word. It's not new. It was, I believe it was. Ezra Kline's book was called Why We're Polarized? So is it polarized or polarizations.
Polarization is correct. Yeah, okay, Again, that's a word that's been around a long time. But in the last X number of several years, right, twelve, fifteen, twenty years, however you want to judge it, it's become more common in our particularly in our political discourse, to talk about polarization.
All right, so what else? What do you got, Greg?
Well, this one is from mcquarie the Australian Dictionary. It's a term that describes the gradual decline in the quality of products and services, especially online. Again brain rot online, this thing online.
So it has another negative one.
It's another negative one.
We're going to get some.
We're heading to the positive.
We're going to I need it. Listen, uh, Andrea, do you have any theories? I think there's something like shitify.
Now yeah, you close, very close. This may have actually been a word of the year in the past here in the United States, and they're just catching up in Australia.
I see, I see, yeah, sometimes they're a little behind. It's something like that. Something with the.
S word is and shittification andicationification because you want it's not just shitification, it is the endation. Well, look, this is part of inventing, you know, the way we like to play with language as a as a society. We take this thing and create a word and shitification, which sounds like a fancy word, but it's got you know, shit in the middle of it, so it's funny.
I think I think you should try to say it with an Australian accent so that it's unique to this year.
Yes, a j that's your department.
That was more not even Irish or Scottish. That was nothing. But I will say I think that is a very accurate term. Like any platform you go on starts out kind of nice your friends, and then it's into either rage or like in my case, baldness cure advertising.
It's the decline of everything to the lowest common denominator or that.
That's it, all right, well, let's get positive.
Let's get positive. I think the rest of these are much more you know, good ones to send our listeners off with. This is from dictionary dot com. This was popularized by TikToker Jules Lebron, and it's an adjective that describes a refined and sophisticated appearance or behavior.
Okay, I think this is like one of the only gen Z or millennial or freight memes. Memes that I saw this year but now I can't even remember. It was something like so it starts with a D so demure, Yes he got it, Yeah, which was funny. I enjoyed the I enjoyed the video. And what so what is the idea behind that? I don't even remember the context.
I think Jewles did a whole series of videos where she's talking about, you know, how to be how do have this?
Yeah, to be presenting, not to be presentable in the workplace.
Debure, So something was several things sometimes.
So very mindful ul.
Right, right, and what's great? Demure has been around for a long time, mostly meeting modest or reserved, right, but she took it into a whole new meaning. And and what's extraordiny is one person become you know, explodes on TikTok and suddenly everyone's got this word.
Out there that is wild. Yeah, she literally made the word of the year. Like I mean, it was just hiding there. No one was saying attention to it.
Well, speaking of one person making the word of the year, Colin's English Dictionary came up with this one. It's an adjective that means characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.
Well, I have two theories. I have two hypotheses. Okay that one of them those seems like two years ago, Like my kids would make fun of me for thinking this is current RIZ a little bit.
I mean it's still by eleven year old still uses that word, but almost in an around ironic way. Now it's like out of the RIZ zone.
But then this one, I mean I probably only know it because people said that Kamala Harris was the brat candidate.
There you go. Bratt is the answer, AJ. You are a hip to what the kids are doing. That is that comes from the the Charlie XCX album Brat, But it was hip. It was everywhere that we all had a brat summer. Everyone wore Bratt green. I mean we were You're wearing Brat green right now. AJ.
That's yes. I am very influenced by Charlie's XCX and her work.
You're very very brat. Andre didn't buy that for a second. AJ. All right, your last one last word of the year. From the Cambridge Dictionary. It's a verb meaning to dream or will something into existence. It was popularized by celebrities on social media like du A Lipa and some own biles.
Okay, oh, I think I do know this because one of my kid's friends used it ironically a couple of days ago to He said, manifest your college acceptance. There you go, and so manifest manifest.
Yeah, and again it's been around for a long time. As an adjective, it means obvious or overt. As a verb, it would mean to show plainly, to manifest something, but it's become this usage where you're going to bring something into existence. I'm going to manifest a third season of The Puzzler.
Oh, yes, that we definitely need manifesting it. So it's not the ship's manifest, which I remember reading a lot about as nice.
There's a noun yes, probably with a similar uh they probably all you know that might even be the original use of manifest. I don't know.
Well, it's hand.
Yeah. The origin Oh interesting, it's from the Latin manifestus, which means caught in the act. Oh right, from manus and festus hand and I guess festus would have something to do with hostile I'm not sure, but caught in the act so flagrant obvious, right, you've you've clearly you've done it. You've been caught. It's obvious you're doing the thing.
Ah okay, I always learn I always learned from your delightful puzzles.
Why we're here anyway, that's the news word of the year. You know, there are probably more that we didn't get to, but there's it's always fun to look at the word of the year and the lists of many words. I actually, just as a side note, I was coming up at one point, I was thinking, I'll clue these. I'll either clue these with cryptic clues. Oh, I will write cryptic clues that use these words. Oh, and I thought, you know, let's let's make that a listener challenge.
Use those words.
Idea, write it's a cryptic clue for one of these words of the year, or use it as a cryptic clue, and we'll share those on the air.
All right, Yes, I would love to read those, not that I would get them, but I would love to read them. Well, we have one more stop in the Puzzle Lab tour before we leave, and this one is going to the Puzzle Laboratory workbench where we sort of dissect the puzzles that we gave this week. This week. Our guest was the great Dan Savage, writer and sex advice columnist and podcaster, and there was a puzzle I wanted to give Dan Savage, but we ran out of time. So Greg, will you channel your inner Dan Savage and I'm going to give it to you.
I'm going to manifest my inner dance nice, nice, Dan Savage, so brat.
And I'm hoping this puzzle does not count as in shitification. I think it's I don't think it does. This puzzle is about, well, it was based on Dan Savage's last name, Savage, which is an adjective, so it's an adjectival last name puzzle. Okay, So the clue would be something like this sex advice columnist is ferocious, and the answer would be Dan sad Savage, absolutely savage. And I think of it sort of a picture like Frankenstein or Tarzan saying this sentence Dan Savage.
Dan Oh, I see I like that, like it, like it's a It's What's funny is that I think of Dan as the opposite of Savage.
He is not sad like he is.
He is loving, and he's all about love and caring in human expression and embracing people for who they.
Are, right, And also savage, I have a feeling, is not an acceptable word nowadays, like unless it's your last name, which but I'm feeling, unless it's said ironically.
Like fierce savage, right it will it developed, the developed negative connotations and how it was used because it originally comes from the French savage, which comes from the Latin sylvadicus, meaning of the woods.
Oh well, so so the original you know, it looked the words been around since the thirteenth century. It originally, you know, referred to things from the woods, probably not even in a negative way, right, and you.
Like to go camping? You referenced that earlier.
Savage, But yes, it has it has negative connotations in the way humans have used it, and is certainly not a word you would use as a noun to describe someone as.
A absolutely true. But well, these are all adjectives.
All adjectives. Carry on, all right.
The star of fatal Attraction is nearby?
Oh oh god, it got got That would be Glenn Close.
Glenn Close, Glenn Close exactly. The era's tour singer is fast.
I love how you started with a film that a lot of our younger audience probably isn't even aware of, right, although they're probably aware of Glenn Close in other films. She's made so many amazing movies. And then you immediately jumped to somebody that everybody in the world knows the answer to this question. That, of course is Taylor Swift. That's right.
We try to please all demographics. We're a four quadrant show. People. Yep, aren't the star a star of Gossip Girl? Again, for the youngster or more mid maybe some millennials, a star of Gossip Girl is energetic?
Oh good, I see, And this is one where I'm like, ooh gossip Girl. Yeah, I'm sure I know who this person is, but I don't watch enough TV to make that connection right away. But I know a word that means energetic, which is Lively. That is the great actress Blake Lively.
That is correct Lively. Speaking of going back, Kiss of the Spider Woman's star is injured. Kiss of the Spider Woman's star is injured.
Kiss of the Spider Woman. What a great originally a book, right then a film and a musical. And you're not looking for was Raoul Julia In that it would not be the one you want, however, you would want William.
Hurt, William hurt exactly, he's injured, He's hurt. Yeah, all right, a couple of more. We got this star goalkeeper or former star goalkeeper for the US women's Olympic team is all alone. She's all alone?
Oh yes, yes, yes, I was like Mia Hamm. No, she was not the goalkeeper. And that doesn't mean all alone. No, you want the great Hope solo.
That is correct. That is correct. Now this one, by the way, you know, there are when an adjective is applicable, a name is application. Oh yes, yes, it's sometimes called an aptronym. I think this one is the opposite. There is a word for opposite, because I'm saying, right up front, disclaimer, I don't believe the statement to be true, but it is a clue. The host of Fresh Air on NPR is disgusting.
This is the opposite of an and in aptronym, an in apterronym. Right again, you're picking all the greats that would be.
Terry gross, terry gross.
You can't even use it in the noun form meaning of a dozen dozen a gross right, twelve? Oh for things, Because she's done way more than one hundred and forty four episodes of that show. She's like done one hundred and forty four years of that show.
And she's a small person, so she is not.
A gross in that sense either. There were in terms of aptronyms there. I think it was the Philadelphia Eagles last season had two running backs. I might be a Taquon Barkley is a running back this year. It's a terrific, terrific player. But they had two running backs in one game whose names were Swift and gain Well. Oh, there is a how perfect.
Is that is good? I mean that is good?
Right? You want them on your team? You want those guys Swift and gain Well.
Well, there is that theory called nominative determinism, where you are influenced by your name to do a particular occupation. So our producer, Adam Newhouse, by the theory, should be a contractor or like a builder. So he is talking against that trend.
So parents, don't name your children, you know, numb nuts, numbskull, numbskull. That was when I was going to don't name your children numbskull.
Wise, more wisdom from the cuddler. Actually, I do have one very aptronym. It's very aftronym. This is a civil rights couple is devoted and adoring a civil rights couple famous for a Supreme Court case.
That would be that would be Loving, right, it was Virginia versus Loving. Virginia v Loving was the case.
That's it.
It's so perfect, so perfect, meant to.
Be so great. And that was for those who don't recall, that was they were an interracial couple, which at the time in Virginia was ill legal, which is insane. And they sued and won, and they were named Richard Loving and Mildred Loving. All right, I'm gonna end with this is I'm trying to think to go highbrow or you know what, I'm gonna throw one for the highbrow people. How's that the author of Tests of the Durbervilles is robust?
Is robust? That, of course is a poet and author, Thomas Hardy. We had a poem called the Convergence of the Twain, which is a terrific poem.
Look at that, say, I figured you were up for hi brow, you were up for well done. I do have an extra credit. I'll give one, and then do you have one.
For I don't have an extra credit from the word of the year news. Well, I just encouraged listeners to come up with some cryptic clues and stuff.
That is, yeah, make them do the work. Before he said I only regret that I have one but one life to live for my country. Before he said that this revolutionary war officer looked quite healthy. He looked quite healthy. Well, thank you, Greg, Oh, thank you. I think we covered some important news topics and adjectives and listeners. If you are jonesing for more puzzle content, please check out Hello Puzzlers, where we post original puzzles and lots of other fun nuggets, and of course we'll meet you here Monday for more puzzling puzzles that will puzzle you puzzling lee.
Hello puzzlers, it's Greg Pliska, your chief puzzle officer, here with the extra credit answer from our previous show. AJ and I did a couple puzzles together. He gave me one called two wrongs make a right, where we give you the opposites of two parts of a word, which when combined make a whole word. His clue for you was peace and unfastened, and the answer is a wizard peace on fattened. The opposite of those are war and lock right to peace and unfastened gives you war and lock, and that, of course is warlock, which is a kind of wizard. Come back here tomorrow for more puzzling magic. Thanks for playing along with the team here at The Puzzler with Aj Jacobs. I'm Greg Pliska, your chief puzzle Officer. Our executive producers are Neelie Lohman and Adam Neuhouse of New House Ideas and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts. The show is produced by Jody Averragan and Brittany Brown of Roulette Productions, with production support from Claire Biddegar Curtis. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.
The Puzzler with Aj Jacobs is a co production with New House Ideas and is distributed by a Chart Topsides a Holy Mady, No Madie, Rearrange the Letters. It's distributed by iHeart Podcasts.
If you want to know more about puzzling puzzles, please check out the book The Puzzler by Aj Jacobs, a history of puzzles that The New York Times called fun and funny. It features an original puzzle hunt by Yours Truly, and is available wherever you get your books and Puzzlers. For all your puzzling need go visit the puzzler dot Com. See you there, mm hmm
