Something Rhymes with Purple - Ambassador Satch

Episode Date: December 20, 2022

Come discover what the $10 note might have to do with Dixieland, why the city of Orleans was ‘made new’ and what ‘Mile High Ice Cream Pie’ is as we arrive at the city of New Orleans for our 3rd stop on our North America road trip.  Susie and Gyles explore the food, the language and the Jazz Culture of one of Gyles’ favourite places in the world and he makes sure that Susie has put the city of New Orleans on her bucket list by the end of the episode.  We love hearing from you, find us @SomethingRhymes on Twitter and Facebook, @SomethingRhymesWith on Instagram or you can email us here: [e-mail] If you’ve ever thought ‘There must be a word for that?’, then now is your chance to ask Susie and Gyles! To celebrate the 200th Episode of Something Rhymes with Purple, Susie and Gyles are challenging the Purple People to submit the linguistic gaps they want filling. Please email [e-mail] with the subject line, ‘Is there a word for?’ Please submit entries by the 31st December. We currently have 20% off at the SRwP official merchandise store, just head to: https://kontraband.shop/collections/something-rhymes-with-purple Want even more purple, people? Join the Purple Plus Club by clicking the banner in Apple podcasts or head to purpleplusclub.com to listen on other platforms' Don’t forget that you can join us in person at our upcoming tour, tap the link to find tickets: www.somethingrhymeswithpurple.com  Enjoy Susie’s Trio for the week:  Nubiferous: full of clouds Nubbled: covered in small lumps (bumfled) Frugalist (19th century): a belt-tightener Gyles reads ‘We have not long to love’ by Tennessee Williams We have not long to love. Light does not stay. The tender things are those we fold away. Coarse fabrics are the ones for common wear. In silence I have watched you comb your hair. Intimate the silence, dim and warm. I could but did not, reach to touch your arm. I could, but do not, break that which is still. (Almost the faintest whisper would be shrill.) So moments pass as though they wished to stay. We have not long to love. A night. A day.... A Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.   Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts     To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [e-mail]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Something else. Download Bumble and try it for yourself. Hello, this is Something Rhymes with Purple with me, Susie Dent, and my host as ever, Giles Brandes. And Giles, it's nearly Christmas and we're still on tour because after visiting the east coast of North America four weeks ago, we're continuing to drive south. And today we're stopping off at what I think is one of your favourite places in the world, New Orleans. And before you tell us all about your experiences, we would also love to hear from any purple people who are from New Orleans. Because we are tourists, especially me. I have never been there. It's on my bucket list. And we only really have time to scratch the surface today. So we would love to hear from you. But Giles, take it away because you love this place, this city, don't you? I love this place. I love Christmas. This is a

podcast about words and language. So we're going to explore some of the words and language I may have come across when visiting New Orleans. I'm looking forward to Christmas, by the way. I may have come across when visiting New Orleans. I'm looking forward to Christmas, by the way. This year, we say we're on tour and going to New Orleans. Not literally. I'm going to be spending Christmas Day locally in London. I live in southwest London in a part of London called Barnes.

I shall be at the Red Lion Pub on Christmas Day with some of my family. Where will you actually be on Christmas Day, Susie? I will be at home also with my family. And it's all sort of fairly low-key, but lovely, I would say. What I really adore is just the fact that everything stops and it allows you to breathe. Suspire, do you remember? Breathe out. Low-key, but lovely. Who could ask anything more? That's what one wants. Though I sometimes want excitement. And over the years, I've had some amazingly exciting Christmases. One year, and we won't talk about that today, I actually spent Christmas in Bethlehem. And I was in Manger Square and went to

the Church of the Nativity there in Bethlehem. That was an interesting experience. But I have spent Christmas in New Orleans, which is fantastic. New Orleans, one of the most important cities in the United States, largely because of its strategic location Orleans, one of the most important cities in the United States, largely because of its strategic location near the mouth of the Mississippi River. I was introduced to New Orleans and to the Mississippi, really, because as a boy, I read the works of Mark Twain, who got his name from a cry on the Mississippi River. Mark Twain. His real name was Samuel Clemens. And if you want to know that part of the world as it was in his day,

you can't do better than read Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, two great American classics. So I spent Christmas there, oh, a long time ago. The Hotel Pontchartrain, Lake Pontchartrain, which abuts Mississippi, has, I think, it certainly did in those days, the longest bridge crossing it of anywhere in the world, leading you into New Orleans. And we stayed in a beautiful hotel right in the heart of the jazz part of the city of New Orleans. And what I remember most vividly about the lunch,

it was Creole cooking, which is fantastic. But after this main course and the starters, which are all Creole, they offered us no Christmas pudding, but you're going to have mile high ice cream pie. And I said, well, this sounds exciting. What is it? And they said, it's an ice cream pie that's a mile high well it wasn't a mile high but technically it was because it was about a foot high literally it was layer after layer after layer of ice cream of different colors so it was like a pile well except no it was a pie so that picture a slice of lemon, then a slice of chocolate, then a, you know, horizontally layered.

It was like a layered ice cream cake with a dozen or more flavors. And each, yes, each layer I'd say was about an inch thick. So picture a circular pie made entirely of ice cream and each inch deep layer was a different flavor. And you cut a slice, and then when you finished it, you could have another slice, and another slice, and another slice, until you'd eaten the Mile High ice cream pie. And it was completely magical.

I love New Orleans because it has everything. It has, it's a melting pot, of course, because it's been a major hub for immigration and its heritage, of course, includes war, elements of the slave trade. People of all types have passed through the city over the years. The first time I went there was during my gap year,

so it'd be 1966, 67, around then. And I remember the night I i arrived turned out to be the night that the actress vivian lee died and you may remember that vivian lee was the start of gone with the wind at that time gone with the wind was had been the most successful film i ever made have you seen gone with the wind i have seen it it. And it is peaceful. And actually, it is, I imagine, actually tells us a lot about the history, really, as well, of, you know, the American South and slavery and that kind of thing. So it's got that kind of historical perspective as well. Yeah.

But yeah, she was mesmerising. She was mesmerising. And she was married to Laurence Olivier, wasn't she? She was married to Laurence Olivier. And I couldn't on that night. And so I wanted, I was very moved by this. Because though the film Gone With the Wind was made before the Second World War, I'd seen it many times.

Vivien Leigh was said to be the most beautiful woman in the world. And she, though she was British, played this Southern belle, and indeed played other parts, including, famously, she appeared in a play by Tennessee Williams, who is another, who is a playwright associated with New Orleans. We can come on to him in a minute. Anyway, I tell you what I love about New Orleans. It's the presence of the Mississippi River. It's the architecture, these wonderful buildings with the railings, the sort of filigree on the railings. And if you're actually in the heart of the jazz area, it's the music coming out of every building.

Gorgeous. And also you feel in every street, you do feel the heritage. I know because of the slave trade being part of the story of New Orleans. We all feel anxious and sensitive, quite rightly. When you're there, the heritage of the French language, particularly the Spanish language, the English language, all of which people were there in the 17th and 18th century. And the Native Americans, let's not forget, because obviously, you know. It's their country, that's where they began.

And the French came in at the turn of the 18th century. They took over from the Spanish. This was when the city was called La Nouvelle Orléans, founded by the governor of French Louisiana, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne de Bienville in 1718. Just as we have New York is literally York made new. La Nouvelle Orléans is the city of Orleans made new. City of Orleans, famous, of course, for the story of Joan of Arc.

And in the late 1700s, New Orleans was a trading post, became a major part of the growing sugar industry, and of course, home to the enslaved Africans who brought their language with them because they were brought to work on the sugar cane. It was, I mean, obviously, I was very aware of the history of slavery. I didn't realise it was the largest slave market in the US. 135,000 slaves is the estimate, which is just astonishing, isn't it?

And there are now, they do have their exhibitions, as it were, where they tell you this history. They confront the history. And it is, it's alarming. But it's there and it's told up front. Which is really important. Yeah, not hidden. Absolutely. So the French that they speak, interestingly,

I think it's technically called Louisiana Creole French, isn't it? Yeah. But it continues to this day. And then as you go through the 19th century, there are more new settlers come in, a lot from Ireland, some from Germany, and the French language, as it were, began to dissipate, and gradually English became the most dominant language.

We should talk a little bit about Creole and the sort of origins of Creole, because it's a really complex word and its meaning varies depending on where you're talking about, you know, the history, etc. We think it comes from a Spanish verb, cria, meaning to raise or bring up. And it actually really was originally all about nativity. We're talking about Christmas, but it was all about where you were born, where your parents came from. It didn't matter who these parents were at all, but it was about being from here. And that was what made somebody Creole eventually. And so the first Creole generation was after the establishment of New Orleans, as you said, in 1718. It was sort of locally born children were the first, as I said, the first

Creole generation. And then the children of the first Africans in Louisiana who were brought there in slavery would have been known as Creole slaves. But it was kind of, I think I'm right in thinking it was more of a place-based thing rather than a racial signifier, but it is an incredibly complicated term. And it's also applied to kind of pidgin languages, which combine, you know, as you said, such a melting pot New Orleans, it combines influences from so many different languages. But interestingly, it's a very, I found it all the times I've been there, I found it a hugely comfortable place to be.

Yeah. People are very, very welcoming. As long as you go along with eating what they offer you. And as long as you love jazz, because it is the home of jazz. Before we get on to my big name drop that is coming up, can you tell me anything about some of the words? I mentioned that New Orleans is La Nouvelle Orléans, which used to be the capital of Louisiana, though I think that's now Baton Rouge, which means literally, doesn't it, red stick? The red stick, yes. And we should talk about the Big Easy, of course, as well. Is Louisiana named after King Louis of France?

Exactly right, yeah. So, as you say, the sort of French, well, influence is kind of putting it slightly mildly, but yes, it is definitely part of their legacy. So King Louis XIV, when the land was claimed for France at the end of the 17th century. And New Orleans was named, obviously, as you say, after Orléans. And that was the creativity, if you like to call it that way, or the appropriation of the French explorer called Bienville. And he named the city in honour of another French official who was the Duke of Orléans. So yes, very much tied up with the history there. And we've got Dixieland as well. You mentioned the Big Easy. Tell me about the

Big Easy before we get down to Dixieland. We're not completely sure. So certainly the name wasn't really current or at least very popular, it's said, until James Conaway's novel, which was called The Big Easy in about 1970. And I think, wasn't that, there was a film with Dennis Quaid in it as well, which I think helped to popularise it. the Crescent City. And some residents probably still prefer that nickname. They're not that keen on the Big Easy because they think it's more of a sort of import from popular culture. But of course, Conaway must have picked it up from existing slang. And there are some people who say there was a jazz club called the Big Easy at the beginning of the 20th century. My bet, if I had to take one, and again, please, purple people who know about this stuff, we would love to hear your theories about this. But my inkling is that there is a link between this phrase and the Big Apple. And if you remember the Big Apple for New York, the origin is said to have originated in the racetracks of New Orleans, where they were talking about, you know, making it big in the horse world, taking a big juicy bite out of the apple, the place of opportunity.

So I think the Big Easy might have been coined in direct contrast to Big Apple because New Orleans was much more relaxed, as you say, you know, to reflect that vibe. And particularly with jazz culture, that suits really well, doesn't it? It certainly does. Well, before we get on to jazz, which we're going to do, and my big name drop, I have a pretty good name drop because I mentioned Tennessee Williams. Oh, yes. Yeah.

So I can't pretend properly to have met Tennessee Williams, but I can tell you that I was in the same room once with Tennessee Williams. writer of this part of the world, and gay, controversial, an extraordinary writer with, I mean, just, there's a wonderful biography of him, very long book by John Lahr. He was born at Columbus, Mississippi, the son of a commercial traveler. His original name was, I think, Thomas Lanyer Williams. And when he was 12, the family moved to St. Louis. He was educated at the Universities of Missouri and Iowa. But New Orleans is part of his legacy and his fame. And he eventually went, you know, he was brilliant and got scholarships here, there and everywhere. And he eventually ended up in Hollywood, where he wrote The Glass Menagerie in 1945. And this played together with A Streetcar Named Desire.

Exactly. Vivien Leigh, we're talking about, she appeared when it was first done in London. Who was she, Stella? Or who did she play? Blanche. Blanche Dubois. Blanche, turn off the light.

Sensational. Now, he got the title from where? Where does the title of Streetcar Name Desire come from? It's the trams, the trams of New Orleans. Of course, the streetcars. Yes, of course. So that's Tennessee Williams. That's my first name drop. I can't say I've shook his hand, but I was in the same room. But wait for my big name. And if you say big, that means bigger than because you didn't say this when you were talking about Michael Jackson. So I think this is going to be big, big. This is going to be big, physically quite big as well.

I'll give you some clues. Born on the 4th of August, 1901. And I think that's almost, well, it's the same day, the same birthday as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who loved his work. Though I think she may have been born a year or two before. I'm not quite sure. Charlie Jackman?

No, this is jazz. We're talking jazz. Oh, born a year or two before. I'm not quite sure. Charlie Jackman? No, this is jazz. We're talking jazz. Oh, jazz. We're talking jazz. I'm talking New Orleans. He was born in New Orleans. Oh, okay. I mean, come on.

I mean, he's one of the most influential figures in the world of jazz. He was up at the top for decade after decade. I mean, he is almost the history of jazz. It's Louis, isn't it? It is. It's Louis Armstrong. You met Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong.

You were talking to somebody who, when he was a boy, well, I was a teenager, on my gap year, met Louis Armstrong, as we call him. But I think he called himself Louis. Oh, okay. His nickname was, well, he had lots of nicknames. Satchmo was the best one, sometimes known as Ambassador Satch, the Dipper Dipper Mouth Pops. I didn't call him any of these things.

I called him Sir and was awed to be in his presence. So what were you doing there? I was a student. Okay. I was a student. I was actually teaching at a school, but I was a student. I just left school and I was there during my gap year, and I was in New Orleans, and I had introductions to various places, and he was appearing at the university. He may even have been getting an honorary doctorate.

Anyway, he was there, and a very revered figure. And we all lined up to meet the great Lewis Daniel Armstrong. Yes. You mentioned Satchmo. Did you know where that comes from? No. So I've shot my boat. That's all I can tell you. I mean, I just feel that's enough. I could go and lie down now. Well, as long as he was happy with it, then I'm happy because it actually means Satchel Mouth because he had a very big mouth. He called himself that. Okay. Well, then he was happy with it. He was the top. Of course.

I mean, are you into jazz? Were you into it? They say that New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz. Actually, we're talking about language. Where does the word jazz come from? Well, let's go to jazz in a minute. I'm just going to do a few place names. You mentioned the Mississippi.

Okay. A really good example there of a Native American name from the Ojibwe language. And it means simply big river, as simple as that, which is quite lovely. It's a difficult one to spell, isn't it, Mississippi? You never know how many S's and how many P's there are and how many I's. Yes, and then you get something called haplology, I think, where you just swallow a particular word. So, yeah, it is very, very difficult. Mississippi.

I mentioned, didn't I, right at the beginning, Mark Twain. And I'm now thinking that maybe my Christmas reading is going to be Huckleberry Finn, which I, have you read either of these? I don't think I have, which is terrible. It's a big gap for me, Huckleberry Finn. Well, it's, the first one is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876. I mean, he himself, Samuel Langhorne Clements, was actually born in Florida, Missouri. But he worked, this is the point, I think in the 1850s,

he became an apprentice pilot on the Mississippi River, where he remained until the riverboat stopped running at the outbreak of the Civil War. So to understand the story of New Orleans, you have to understand the history of slavery, and you have to understand the story of the American Civil War to know about the heritage and what was happening there. But I do, I mean, I remember loving Mark Twain. We might explore his language one day, actually. One day, we should.

I was also going to return to the Baton Rouge because you were talking about that. And I hope this is true because I went to the sort of government website for the history, brief history of the Baton Rouge. And it is said to go back to, again, to French explorers and an area known as Red Stick, which then translates into French as Baton Rouge. And records of the time describe large reddened poles that had been

erected there by Native Americans with fish and bear heads. So they were offered in sacrifice. That is the theory that I'm reading here. And again, the purple people will be able to correct us if that's just one of several theories, but that's where it's said to come from. And yeah, sorry, go ahead. I was going to say, should we have a quick break and then have all that jazz? I mean, let's, as it were, make part two, explore jazz. Okay. And then you can tell me who your favourite jazz artists are. Yours will be much more contemporary um i don't think so actually i'm with miles davis all the way oh of course well miles davis that to me is more contemporary given i'm in the the satchmo tradition i'm nick friedman i'm lee alec murray and i'm leah president and

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We've gone to New Orleans this week. Well, actually, we're in London and in Oxford, but in spirit, we're in New Orleans, and we've reached the jazz part of town. And I want to know from you, Susie, what the origin of the word jazz is. Where does that come from? You keep sort of coming to me with words that are so bogged down.

Well, not bogged down, but sort of nicely mired in mystery. Because it's one of those words where, again, we're not completely sure where it comes from. So quite often it was spelled jazz, J-A-S-S. First records around 1860. And there had been an African-American slang term, Jasm, J-A-S-M, which meant vim or energy, which of course makes total sense. But there's also, I don't know people say that it might have been sort of jasmine perfume that was worn particularly by women in new orleans at the time or that it's got a sexual connotation so lots and lots of theories but we're not completely sure but certainly we're talking at the late 19th century and then of course it absolutely exploded didn't it uh later than that

you were asking me about my favourite. I think Miles Davis for sure. And then Dizzy Gillespie as well, I think was an absolute genius, you know, just a virtuoso really of his art. I used to think of it as kind of background music. So sort of something I'd put on as I was cooking Sunday lunch or whatever. But I think it deserves so much more than that.

You actually have to really listen and tune in. I had a friend once who was a member of the Ronnie Scott's Club in Soho, the jazz club there. And we used to go, and I don't know much about jazz, but he explained to me that if you concentrate and focus on it, it's like proper music, you know.

Because a lot of people do take it for granted almost and have it playing in the background. New Orleans jazz was one of the first recognised jazz styles, even if it wasn't the birthplace, which, you know which a lot of people would say it was. And there's also Dixieland jazz. What's the difference between jazz and Dixieland jazz? Or is it just a style? It's a style, yeah. And real jazz aficionados would need to help you out there. But in terms of Dixie and Dixieland, which is essentially Louisiana and eventually the whole South,

is essentially Louisiana and eventually the whole South. The most common explanation is that it refers back to $10 notes that were issued by the Citizens Bank of New Orleans and used largely by French-speaking residents. So they called them Dixie from the French D, meaning 10. So that's one theory. There's another theory that suggests it belongs to the Mason-Dixon line, and that was the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania. So again, lots of words we're covering today where the jury is still out, which is interesting. But hip, I think, hip is one of the big terms that emerged out of the jazz era. Oh, hip, the word hip. Hip and hep. And what do they stand for? I mean, what is the... HIPP and HEPP is kind of, you know, stylish, up-to-date, smart.

Both seem to originate in the early 1900s. And both words seem to have come from a standard English term, actually, from earlier, meaning shrewd, HEPP. And HEPP was also a cry used by a ploughman or a driver to urge his team of horses to get up and get lively. So, you know know that makes perfect sense hip also uh we should remember could refer to opium smokers who were lying on the hip if you like as they puffed away so the link with kind of you know jazz drugs rebel sophistication really

kind of permeates through that word um and it's never gone away. It's like cool, which really had been around for quite a long time. But during the days of Charlie Parker and things, you know, the sort of 1930s and 40s, yeah, really, really came to the fore as well. Likewise, jam, jamming, syncopation, we've got rips, we've got scat as well. And scat is the sort of nonsense patter that is sung to jazz, probably because it imitates the sound, you know, from one of the syllables that's used. And that came about in around 1935. Very good. Before we leave this, I'm now feeding my, we're going to the pub, as I told you on Christmas Day. So we'll be having a traditional Christmas lunch, though what we veggies will be getting, I'm not quite sure.

Nut roast. Nut roast. I love all that, as long as it's got all the trimmings with it. All the trimmings. You and me both. Sprouts, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, all of that. But I have to say, have you tried Creole cooking? You must actually go to New Orleans and go and just relax

and just walk through it. Get yourself – start by the Mississippi River and then walk into the central town. You can walk everywhere. It can be very crowded. And then find, get someone to tell you what the best local restaurant is where they do proper Creole food. And I think the reason I love it so much is it does contain so many influences. You know, there's West African, it's French, it's Spanish, it's Indian.

It's extraordinary. We could go together fantastic shall we yeah why don't we go together be quite fun i think we need to do an american tour we need to we need to go to get out there there's lots of places we need to hang a bit loose do you know i think this is what you need can i say something suzy did i think you need a bit the Satchmo. I think you just need to hang loose a bit. Yes, I do. I need the big easy, big time. But do you know what? We also need our correspondence because time is ticking. Have we heard from Adam Barishi? That sounds like a delicious dish. I'd like a plate of Adam Barishi. Anyway, what's... Yes, do you have his email there? Yes, Adam Barishi has been in touch. Hi, Susie and Giles. Absolutely love the podcast.

Happy Christmas, by the way, Adam. Your etymological expertise, that's you, Susie, and Giles's anecdotes have gotten me through many a dreary night shift. Isn't that interesting to think when people listen to us? That's fascinating. Anyway, my question, says Adam, is why does ingenious not mean the opposite of genius? Is the prefix I-N not always a negator? Best wishes, Adam.

Interesting question, isn't it? It's a good question. I'm going to start with that last question. Is in always a negator? And of course, most of the time it is if somebody is intolerant, if something is incorrect, et cetera, et cetera. But not always. So do you remember the question that I get asked so frequently, which is why does inflammable and flammable,

why do they mean the same thing? And I mentioned that the in in front of flammable here is actually an intensifier. So what it means is highly flammable, which is why slowly manufacturers are getting rid of inflammable because it can cause confusion. So it's similar here. I'll start with genius. So genius was essentially thought to be a spirit who guided and governed an individual through life. So it comes from the Latin genius, genius spelt the same way, a guardian spirit who watches over each person from birth. So quite a lovely thing. And ultimately, it goes back to an ancient root, gene, G-E-N-E, which of course gave us generate, and it means to give birth or to sort of procreate

really. So it is all about family groups. So that's genius. Then we have ingenious. And the reason we have an in here is simply that it came via French, the old French ingenious and the modern French ingénieur. And that too goes back to the Latin meaning of good, natural talent. So full of intellect, clever, and gifted with genius. So they are connected here. It goes all the way back once again to that ancient root meaning to give birth. So the idea really is this is skill which is inborn. If something is ingenious, it comes from a kind of innate skill, if you like. So the two are very much connected. And if I had time, I would also go into the words gentle, which also go back to the same idea. It was all about breeding and birth. and a gentleman was

somebody who was of good birth and therefore thought to behave kindly, hence gentle, and so on and so on. So it was quite a productive verb in Latin, but the in there is not acting as a negator at all. Very good. We learned so much from you, and it's making me think that we probably should do a whole episode devoted to people's queries. Yes, we should have a correspondence episode for sure. Let's do that after Christmas. I want now three unusual, interesting words to take me through the festive season. Okay. Well, I love weather words, as you know, because I think we could be more expansive with our vocabulary when it comes to the weather. And of course, British stereotypically are very much

preoccupied with what is happening outside. So I'm going to the weather. And of course, British stereotypically are very much preoccupied with what is happening outside. So I'm going to start with quite a beautiful one, nubiferous. Nubiferous means just cloudy, full of clouds. So if the sky is nubiferous, it has lots of clouds. So it's N-U-B-I-F-E-R-O-U-S, nubiferous. Nubiferous, like it. Now, the next one was inspired by the fact that I accidentally put in the washing

machine a tissue together with all my black leggings and clothes. And what came out was basically, well, too many clothes that were nubbled. And nubbled means covered in small lumps, which is essentially, I just had white bobbled everything, which goes nicely with that Scots word, bumpfold, which means very creased, if you remember. And finally, I think everyone everywhere is struggling with the cost of living and certainly the cost of energy. And as I told you, Giles, before we came on air, I am sitting on a heat pad without the heating on at home. I've become a frugalist, as I think most of us have had to become. That's from the 19th century, and that's simply somebody who tightens their belt.

Very good. Excellent. And now I'm now confused thinking about you on that heat pad, wondering about your shingles, whether it's doing you any good or not. Does it affect shingles? I'm pleased you're warming your cockles. You're not talking about hemorrhoids. Oh, yes, I think I am. Do you know, I've never been very good. I've never been very body aware. I'm not good at that sort of thing.

Honestly, I find it all a bit personal. Shingles is kind of adult chickenpox from herpes zoster. And that is very, very painful. Oh, Lord. Nothing to do with sitting on a heat pad and possibly getting hemorrhoids, though I don't think I'm anywhere near that, thank you. Good. That is, I was thinking of hemorrhoids. Avoid, A word I avoid because I don't know how to spell it.

Oh, yeah, I'm sure. And poor Adam, who wrote in, will be working on his night shift. We've got a real shock from us talking about piles. Anyway, do you have a poem? I've got a special poem, actually, because we talked about Tennessee Williams, one of the great American writers associated with New Orleans. And this, I think, is a beautiful, he wrote some wonderful poetry, as well as some very great plays. This is a poem called We Have Not Long to Love. It's by Tennessee Williams. We have not long to love.

Light does not stay. The tender things are those we fold away. Coarse fabrics are the ones for commonware. In silence I have watched you comb your hair. Intimate the silence, dim and warm. I could, but did not reach to touch your arm. I could, but do not break that which is still. but do not break that which is still. Almost the faintest whisper would be shrill. So moments pass as though they wish to stay. We have not long to love, a night, a day. Oh, that's so wistful. It is wistful.

A very beautiful one. And I've heard it read by Tennessee Williams, which is a very different experience. And I felt it would be insulting to his poem to attempt it in an American accent. Yeah, yeah, sure. But find it. In fact, it'll be on the notes for the show. So you'll be able to read it. And it's powerful stuff.

And part of what it's saying is seize the moment. Seize the day. Carpe diem. The light will not always be there. And if you're stellar, saying is seize the moment. Seize the day. Carpe diem. The light will not always be there. And if you're stellar, as we said, you will want it switched off. Thank you so much for listening to us today. And just a reminder that for our 200th birthday on the 31st of January, we want to challenge the purple people to submit their,

is there a word for that, for X, Y, or Z, for their head scratches? And on the 31st of January, we'll try to find the answer. For example, one purple person has submitted, what do you call the relief you experience when that scary call or meeting is cancelled at the last minute? Oh, what a brilliant, I'd love a proper word for that. I know, I can have my work cut out. The condition that I'm suffering from, an inability to grow up. I suppose it's suffering from a Peter Panic.

That's quite good. Please submit any entries by the 31st of December. And please keep following us wherever you get your podcasts. And please do recommend us to friends and family. That would mean a huge amount to us. And thank you for all those who've joined the Purple Plus Club, where you can listen ad-free

and you can have special bonus episodes on words and language. And you can find us on social media. We are on at Something Rhymes on Twitter and Facebook or at Something Rhymes with on Instagram. And we're also in the street and people often come up to me

and say I'm a purple person and I love it. So thank you for that. We want to wish everyone a very purple Christmas, a wonderful wordy christmas and just have a great time just and also what did you begin by telling us to what we want to do at christmas hang out chill what was the what you said you said i had wonderful time of phrase you got about being suspire breathe out with a sigh oh the end of the year is coming. Let's aspire. Exactly. Something rhymes with purple. Is there something else in Sony Music Entertainment production? It was produced by Harriet Wells with

additional production from Chris Skinner, Jen Mystery, Jay Beale, Teddy Riley and the Christmas Beardy Weirdy. Golly. Some people think he's like Santa and say he can't be real, but we've seen him. We know he's like Santa and say he can't be real, but we've seen him. We know he's real.