"Smart Fish, Backronyms and Jocularity!" w/ A.J. & Greg
Digest
The podcast starts with a word puzzle, challenging listeners to find three nouns ending in "-ly." The hosts then discuss listener feedback, focusing on palindromes, ambigrams (with a mention of John Langdon's work), and the creation of acronyms, both genuine and false (like SOS and GOLF). The discussion includes examples of re-duplicated words and explores the properties of these word types. The episode also touches upon a study revealing a correlation between intelligence and sexual attractiveness in mosquito fish. Finally, the solution to a previous episode's puzzle is provided, along with credits. Advertisement breaks are excluded from this summary.
Outlines
Wordplay and Listener Challenges
The episode begins with a word puzzle and then incorporates listener feedback on palindromes, ambigrams, and acronyms, including discussions on their creation and properties. The solution to a previous episode's puzzle is also included.
Ambigrams, Palindromes, and Acronyms: Listener Contributions
This section delves deeper into listener-submitted examples of palindromes, ambigrams, and creatively constructed acronyms, further exploring their linguistic and creative aspects.
Cognitive Tests and Fish Intelligence
This section briefly discusses a study on mosquito fish, highlighting the correlation between cognitive abilities and sexual attractiveness.
Keywords
Palindrome
A word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backward as forward. Example: "racecar."
Ambigram
A word or phrase designed to be readable from multiple perspectives (e.g., upside down, mirrored). John Langdon is a notable creator.
Acronym
An abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words. Can be true or false (a backronym).
Word Puzzle
A game or challenge that requires solving a word-based problem.
Listener Feedback
Contributions and responses from podcast listeners.
John Langdon
A renowned ambigram artist.
Cognitive Test
A test designed to assess mental abilities.
Q&A
What is an ambigram, and who is a famous ambigram artist?
An ambigram is a word or phrase designed to be readable from multiple perspectives. John Langdon is a renowned ambigram artist.
What are some examples of false acronyms discussed in the podcast?
Examples include SOS (Save Our Souls) and GOLF (Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden).
What was the word puzzle presented at the beginning of the podcast?
Listeners were challenged to find three nouns ending in "-ly."
What was the unusual finding of the Australian study on fish?
Smarter mosquito fish were more sexually attractive to females.
Show Notes
Hello, Puzzlers! Today, A.J. and Greg give you a little peek behind the curtain and take you on a tour of the Puzzle Lab.
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 AI” and audio rebuses.
Subscribe to The Puzzler podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
"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.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Table of contents
United States
