Gracious Plenty (Rebroadcast) - 26 August 2013

<p>When somebody sneezes, you say, Bless you or Gesundheit. But suppose that person coughs. Are you supposed to say something--or are they?  Plus, Mexican standoffs, gracious plenty, linguistic false friends, southpaw vs. northpaw, the slang of rabbit fanciers, a quiz about animal noises, and where to find a purple squirrel. And what's so humbling about winning an award? <br /><br />FULL DETAILS<br /><br />When you think of the word binky, a child's pacifier probably comes to mind. But it's also a term known among rabbit fanciers. It refers to when bunnies frolic and jump around.<br /><br />When somebody sneezes, you say, "Bless you" or "Gesundheit," but what about when someone coughs? Grant believes that if anything, the cougher ought to say excuse me. A commenter on Paul Davidson's blog sets a good rule of thumb: bless anything that looks like it hurt.<br /><br />A listener from Fairfield, Connecticut wonders why she changes her accent and diction when family members from the Middle East are in town. Actually, everyone does this. It's a matter of imitating those around us in order to make ourselves feel part of a group. After all, the human response to someone who sounds like us is to like them more.<br /><br />Here's a quiz: Is a purple squirrel a) a diving board trick, b) a cocktail, or c) a rare job candidate with all the right qualifications? The answer is c. There have, however, been reports of purple squirrels of the sciurine variety.<br /><br />Is Hiya a legitimate way to say hello? Sure. The Dictionary of American Regional English has citations for this greeting going back to 1914, but it's heard both in the United States and the United Kingdom. <br /><br />Our Quizmaster John Chaneski has quiz based on animal sounds. What sort of wild party would a sheep throw? Or what five-masted ship do golden retrievers sail on? Tip: For this game, animal sounds are just as important as advanced vocabularies. <br /><br />This awards season, many winners will say they're humbled by the honor. Ann from Burlington, Ver