Linguistic rules and prosody in language

When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant, You keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns With Granger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts, and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place, so nothing gets in the way of getting the job done Call one eight hundred ranger, click ranger. com or just stop by Ranger for the ones who get it done This is a Global Player original podcast This is LBC fromr Global, leading Britain's conversation Mystery Hour with James O'Brien. Good Lord. Is it that time already? a weekly opportunity to achieve the sort of satisfaction that you can't find anywhere else. On the radio. Have you got any mysteries in your life? Riddles, conundrums, ennigmas, even? Is that the floral key? Is it an ennigma or ennigma? An Ngamers, I think, would go with. And the point is somebody else who is listening to this radio programe, and let's be honest There is more listening to this radio programe going on currently than to any other speech based radio programe in the history of commercial radio in this country I can't believe it either, but it's true. So the chances are there is somebody listening Who knows the answer to your question? Wh has the resolution to your dilemma? who can solve your riddle, iron out your enigma and complete your conundrum Speaking of which, there' a lot of love and support for Carol Horderman coming into the studio as you would explain. I'll explain completely after this That was this, just the dun dun dun If someone rings in, possibly you, zero three four five six zero six zero nine seven three Asks a question A who, a why, a when, a where, a withither, even the occasional wherefore. Very few wenies, but you never know your luck. And then someone else rings in zero three four five six zero six zero nine seven three with the answer to the previously asked questions U That's it really. If you are lucky enough because it is a little bit whimsical and arbitrary, but if I decide that your contribution is was will be my favorite of the entire week then you win a mystery hour game. Now You may have noticed if you haven't tuned in for a while, I did not say board game. I said game because there are now two. countount them O two. Mystery hour games The board game and the travel game which is in a tin And it fits in your pocket. fits in the back pocket of your jeans, although it leaves a slightly bit outline And you can find out more about those games at mysteryour. co d. uk. You can also find the full terms and conditions for this because although it may not sound like it, this is a professional radio operation presented by a professional presenter and it is a proper professional competition. So the full terms and conditions can be found at lbc dot com UK U I think that pretty much covers it. twelve o seven is the time. Mr Aer is upon us. let the reels commence Neil's infont of, Neil, question or answer. I've got a question for James. Cry on Neil So I went to the ballet yesterday for the first time ever with the lovely Tracy. How'd you go on Yeah, loved it. I loveved it. It's great.. It was good. But what I was wondering was why The royal box is always to one side of the auditorium. It's always on the right hand side as you face the stage. Wh why isn't it bang in the middle So surely the best view would be right from the very middle of the the gallery or something rather than on the side. and you know, you go to sports events, the roll box is always in the middle of the pitch isn't it? or the middle of it p I think so. It's a good question, th Where were you We were at the London Padium What was the ballet? Is it? Is it the Mat What's on there at the moment? I guess. I guess which one it was? Is it the Matthew Bourne one It's the Dracula. Oh yes, yes. A Yeah, Oh, it' fantastic. Re really enjoyed it.. I mean, one of the answers will be ease of ingress and egress, wn't it so that they can get in and out without having to use the plebbss entranceces and exit Yeah, Byind that, Martha's shaking her head. Martha's producing the show for the first time today. I don't know if you've been able to detect any decline or improvement in the general production of the programe But she's shaking her head qu I'm not going to lie to you mate. She's shaking head quite contemptuously, which is pretty bold your first day in the shift. If the rooyals are there, don't they they want to see them going down to the Royal box and stuff don't they? They get in and out, they wave at those plebs from the Royal boox. They don't want to be jostling with us at the bar when they're queuing up for a vimppto, do they? Well I could put some sort of red roripe around it and give them a clear passageway, can't they? Is Well then is it so that the performers can acknowledge them more easily? Be you know, if you're sitting at the back in middle, you'd be squishly shaking a headad again. Do you know the answer to this? or are you just pooing all my theories? But then they can end up the performers going with a crick neck looking at the rowars rather than looking straight ahead aren't they? Yeah Yeah, it's a weird one, isn't it? Id tell you what, I'd be surprised if it didn't go back to George III. Why would that be George IId? Very often in these moments, it's George III It just is not anymore I've just waited to see if Martha shakes her head and she hasn't. I think it might be down to George IId, but I could be wrong. Yeah I like that. I like that. I mean, I don't think they're all going to be like that, but certainly in London theatres. Well, think I think wasn wasn't the What's name assass John Wilk Sooth? That was on the side as well. That was in the theater in America, wasn't it? When he killed Abrah H Lincoln It was in. Why why you'd think that the most plumb seats in the place be the ones with the best view That's my question. whyy aren't the ones of the best view? Cool. I think in the Royal Albert Hall it's quite central be wrong, But anyway, we'll do it. It's on the board. nice one. And long may your enthusiasm for both ballet and the lovely Tracy continue Thank you, N. Cl leads Caire question or answer Oh hi, James. It's third question. Cario So why is popcorn synonymous with going to the cinema Where does that come from? It's a nice question actually, isn't it? Yeah, well I at the cinnamon this weeeet. And what did you see? The most practical food today It's actually quite' annoying. It's quite annoying. It's not just Russelly When you I mean, it's crunchy to eat and rustly to delivever to your mouth. It's, you know, someone open a bag of crrisps in a cinema, you'd be quite cross them. Although it I suppose it' queter than crisps, isn't it ight me, Chris Chris, but They give you so much, you can't get a Its smaller now can when you go to the pictures, you always get e a bucket. I know why that is because it's so cheap Well the markup on popcorn is the biggest markup in the history of markups. It's absolutely extraordinary. the marku on popcorn. I used to see them deliver it to the cinema next door here because you'd always thought they' make it on site But they don't, and you should see the size of the sacks of popcorn. I don't know why I was transported by it. I just never really imagined that anybody would be driving Sacks the size of, you know, two men These massive plastic tubes full of popcorn driving them around London, but the markup is absolutely. I mean,'s particularly free to make popcorn and then they charge you five quid for a bucket or it. So they might as well give you loads so that you don't sort of wake up to what a massive rip off it is Yes. and it can't be easy to clean up the talk it must get everywhere. So I don't understand Why it became a thing It's got to be in marriage. It's bit like, you know what it reminds me of a bit Turkey Turkey. Yeah, Turkey. How so? Well, if Turkey was that nice Th then we'd have it. more than once a year, wouldn't we Oh. Yeah, I know, but you only have a big roast bird at Christmas Day, right? Yeah true. Yeah. And if popcorn was that delicious, then we'd have it we'd have it at home and we'd eat it all over the place. And yet generally, I know that popcorn's more popular now than it was when I was a kid, but generally Um We don't, we don't have popcorn except when we're at the cinema I don't even like it that much personally. I'm not a big fan either. Right, you're on. Wh Why? whyy? popcorn and c. I've got a feeling we might have done it before, but I can't remember, Claire and you weren't listening. So let's pretend it's all entire. It's all new. It's all new. Thank you. I don't think the answer to this one is going to involve George III But if it does, I'll give you the game. All right Twelve minutes after T twelve Neils impial. your'eil question or answ Hi there, James. I've got a question, please? Yes I was walking down the street the other day I saw a couple of old fellas, a couple of lovely old boys dressed up to the nines in kind of suward and board And a funeral procession, a hearse came past And they took off their hats and held them to their chest which was a lovely gesture. I've seen this in lots of old films. I do it. I do it, you know. I walk around wearing a baseball capat. And or in in winter I wear a beanie. and if ever A hse goes by, occupied house. I always take my hat off Yeah, but why do we do that? Why the hat and where do it originate from? Well You have to take men have to take their hats off in charurge. Right. They are supposed to. and sometimes women are supposed to cover their heads. I think that holds true in more than Christianity in other Abrahamic religions as well. So I mean, historically, a funeral would always have a religious dimension, even though it doesn't anymore. So maybe just a sort of Translation of respect. It's a mark of respect for a man to take his hat off when he goes into church and it is therefore a mark of respect for a man to take his hat off when a hearse on the way to the church or on the way from the church goes by, maybe C. I'm not taking a round applause for that, Neil, but we'd hope for something a little bit more sophisticated, wouldn't we? Oh, okay, canan I have a board game? No Absolutely not, mate. No. Okay, never mind. I know you go. give my love to Worcestershire. I I give my regards to Broadway, but That would be quite niche, wouldn't it? It's coming up to quarter past twelve, you're listening to James O'Brien on LBC. The Royal box, the popcorn and the hat Anybody wearing a hat while eating popcorn and sitting in a royal box would be supremely well qualified or at least would be very well placed to win this week's Mystery hour game Granger knows, when you're a procurement manager for an office park You're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners Light's about to fail, filters ready to clog, H back on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind Count on Granger for quality products, easy reordering and twenty four seven support. Call one eight hundred Granger, clickranger. com or just stop by Granger. For the ones who get it done twelve sixteen is the time you're listening to Mystery with Jones O'Brien on LBC. I don't know why Jordan thought of me and a baseball cap would make you laugh out loud. I'd have you now I'm rocking a Keith hererring baseball cap at the moment Ctesy of a very fashionable young label called Uniclo H you heard of own a cl That's where I get my baseball catch from Simeon is in Tampair in Finland, Simeon, question or answer Yeah Hi a question, please. Cara. is it tampre tampere, tamp? Tam tampere tampere in Donounced by spell. Carry on Yeah, so basically if you've got a famous group or a pair rori GO Is there any sort of linguistic or grammatical or underlying reason for the order of names Like, you know, you've got Bonnie and Clyde and Tom and Jerry. like, why is it Tom and Jerry and not Jerry and Tom I like this question. I mean the answer is no Yeah, I think so as well. I think the answer is no. but the problem is that because Bonnie and Clyde and Tom and Jerry are really good examples because I mean it is just about the way it feels on the tongue, isn't it? It's like it trips off the tongue More neatly, but Jerry and Tom sounds nice actually. It doesn't sound bad. Tom and Jerry, Jerry and Tom, Tom and Tom and Jerry, Tom and Jerry, Tom. So you start with the plotive, Bonnie and Clyde, Tom and Jerry, Bonnie and Clyde, but then I could go Tom and Jerry, Bonnie and Clyde Imagine someone who is just tuned in now, Simeon, they'd be wondering what the hell is going on on their radio onie Clyde I've also thought about it a long time and I think Unfortunately, there is no reason to it because I think I can come up with counter examples for everything. I've thought about the number of syllables, I've thought about consonants, I've thought about vowels. I think in quite like some of the older ones like Romeo and Julet Mickei and Minni is going to be gender based and like Maybe ye, maybe. I think it's just laaurel and hardy. I know that's not gender based, Hardy and laurel. It just sounds better. I imagine because I think about this quite often oddly because I'm weird like you. Be you kind of think that if you went first, you were more prominent but it's not really true in a double act. nobody thinks of Stan Laurel as being the senior partner in Laurel and Hardy, do they? or Gareth Hale being the senior partner in Hale and Pace But if it's a business I wonder if you would want your name to come first. so you have a chat about what sounds better You know, if it was James and Keith, Keith and James, what sounds better and Keith and James, I'd have to admit that Keith and James sounds better than James and Keith. So Keith would go first on it just somehow sounds better. So I think it's going to be entirely subjective and arbitrary. Don't you Yeah, I also have to go with subjective and I also think Keathan James sounds a bit better sorry. It does sound a bit better, doesn't it, Kathan James Keithan J. So my friend Richard has got a tailor's company. I went to visit him a couple of months ago in the city and his name comes second and it sounds right second. It could easily have come first. It just had a sort of ring to it. Anyway, Ill put it on the board to see if anyone knows. Is there any rhyme or reason? to the Order of names in famous or partnerships or groupings. Is there any rhyme or reason to the order of names in things in multiples? Thank you Simy, I like that ninety minutes after twelve is the time. O'Brien and Riley's reform roundnder. Riley and O'Brien, O'Brien and Riley O'Brian and Reiley, isn't it? The end of theanda T danter to danter O'Brian and Riley. Riley and O'riea,'Brian and Riley. Henry and James, though Not James and Henry. Henry and James. Not James and Henry Again, if you've just tuned into this programe, I am quite well. Please don't worry Don's in Winchester. Don, question or answer. Don who are you whispering to? My misses. What were you saying? I wasm saying, Emelda, turn on the radio. I'm just about to ask a question. No, but Emelda, if she turns on the radio, you won't be able to hear me properly and it will echo in the background. That's right, I've gone upstairs. O. Well then what were you whispering then I can't hear you if she's downstairs, Don I just wanted to admire me. Well, I've been maybe buy a song Okay come on there. what's your question My question is this. hang on sorry, Don. sorry All right, Emelda. How's it going? I hope everything's allright down there in Winchester. He Hey, look at Don Hey, L look at that, what a fine figure of a man he is, you are a lucky lady, sorry Don, Carry on Carry on. We'll definitely listen to the recording So So the question is as a man of culture, I'm sure you've sometimes wandered into a cathedral And I've done it too occasionally. And if there's an organ playing You get to the end of whatever they're playing and you've got this huge noise echoing through the cathedral and then when the organ players stop It carries on echoing for a bit a minillisecond. and then it seems to go flat It's almost like it's the it's not like they's laed the last last. I mean this is niched on Well, it's been on my mind for years. hours four. So is it the echo? It's the echo that goes flat. It's not thech It's not coming out of the organ, it's resonating around the building And it's that resonance which kind of drops down a half tone and you, hold on a second, that sounds flat Not being a completely accomplished musician at this point the organ is not making any noise at this point. The organ itself is finished. Yeah. So because because I mean, I was working on the idea that it might have been that the, you know, the wind emerging from the organ at the end of the piece of music or something through the pipes, but not if it's the echo that is going flatter. I mean, I guess someone either someone is listening to this now and just go, oh yes, of course, the famous bird Eerb or everyone is doing what I'm doing and going, arere you quite all right, Donn, Are you sure about this? So if there's answer we'll get it, and if there is't, we won' That's what I was hoping for. John and Emlda, Emelda and Don D It'd be Emlda and Don. I think we' Dononna and Emlda. Are you Eelder and Don or Dononna Imelder Oh, well yeah, I think we swap But do you? Be I was going to say it's actually quite hard to call this one. Some of them are really easy like Keith and James. But Don and Emlda, Emelda and Don, they've both got a certain ring to them, haven't they I wouldn't presume to put my name before hers. Oh, I like that. what do you put in your Christmas cards I sign them usually first and then ina embellishes it. Very nice. Its twenty two minutes after twelve. My love to you both U The organ that goes I mean flipping out the echoing organ in a cathedral goes flat right at the end. Why zero three four five six zero zeroine seven three, I'll you what, we get the answer that. I'll give you the money myself. Is there rhye or reason to the order in which names appear in famous groupings like Tom and Jerry or Morcolm and Wise? I grant you Halen Pace was a bit of an odd one to pluck out of the momary banks there Very talk about niche. Hats. Why do we take our hats off when a hearse goes by? Why do we eat popcorn? What started the relationship between popcorn and cinemas? And why is the royal box in such a stupid place? Insofar as it doesn't have a very good view of the stage. Kay is in Wokingham. K, question or answer Question please. than you for taking my call. Carry on, okay All right, so this sounds really bizarre, but I likely gif you even when I'm cleaning like now. put the upstairs television on Oh. the downstairs television on. Fancy Fancy fancy. The thing is there's like a time delay between the upstairs and a downstairs television. Really? And they both so they're both televisioned They're both te like a radio and a television. No, like, you know how you have your act? thing on the television system. so I'm on the LVCA and there's a time delay. On both televisions, you're on the The gentlemen beforehand. Yes. What you were saying because I was listening to you on the phone as well. Right. There's a delay in like the conversations and it's like one conversation, one sentence behind every single time. Well, that there's a delay between There's a delay between There's a delay between There's a delay between what you hear on the radio out of your radio and what you would hear when you were waiting on the phone because I'm ten seconds behind myself Okay onn the phone I appreciate that' in case you swear. on the radio there's a delay. But I just need to clarify a few points here.. L it's as if I'm working in customer service for a technology company. So are you so both You're listening to both programs on the television, but two different televisions One upstairs, one downstairs And on both televisions, youre you're listening in the same way. It's not you're not listening on Sky O one of them and on the app on the other one No, exactly the same way Well, I'm damned if I know I'm really confused. I never understand. even when I put music on, I don't understand. What's the del? How do you know? For sure? because you can't hear them both at the same time, can you when I'm upstairs and then I come downstair get something When you get like an echo, you hear the thing that you just heard. Oh So downstairs is behind upstairs.other Downstairs is behind upstairs Downstairs is lagging behind. I haven't checked that. The downstairs is I haven't checked that b. No. No But if they're both on the same wavelengths, then they are both Be I've got two radios by my bed and they tell the different time. And it's because one of them's digital and one of them isn't or something like that. I forget the exact details, but this is so two televisions deploying the same app but playing O LBC at slightly different times? Yes I hear the same sentence over again if I go Well that might just be me repeating myself. I do that quite a lot No, Mr. O'Brien. No, it's not o. I I mean Yeah, why would that be? It can be tell You're not alone any if it's any consolation. ages Bothering me for ages. I just need to find out. I know, you know how you have a bug bear. need to know. I just need to know. Well, I will find out for you. or I will do my damnest. I mean, if it's any consolation, you're not alone There's lots of people getting in touch now to say that they have very similar things, very similar problems going, but it has to be identical mode of listening. That's the point because otherwise it would be something to do with digital versus analog or FM if you're in London. I like this question. I I think that's. How many rooutters have you got I one rotter and I've got a booster No I've got two Yeah, but I've got a booster as well because we do a lot of our gaming and stuff. so you need to have extra I wonder if could one of them be coming off the original originion from one of them? I can't believe I'm saying this out loud. I've got not. I've got no understanding on nothing. What sort of games do you play So at the moment we're in Valhalla with Assassin's Creed. Oh lovely Lovely U I think I'm going to get the new James Bond game for this weekend. Have you seen that yet No It only came out yesterday. Okay I said it only came out yesterday. That was another lag there o. That was extraordinary, wasn't it? I. Like there's nothing I can do now. I was going to think of getting her to play the radio, but that would just sound weird and everyone would think their own radios had gone too lly. Why is Kay getting a lag of a few seconds about a sentence between two televisions playing the same radio station. probablyro actually, I think we could say with some confidence, saying playing the most listened to speech radio program in the history of commercial' repeating yourself again. Thank you, Kay, Mark's in Painton in Dvon. Mark, question or answer It's a question. Carol Mark So I'm busy been painting on the puppet side Mate, whereere are you again? I'm in Painton. okay. What have you been doing U Applying paint. Oh you spoilersfulort. cararry on So yeah, I've been painting a puppet theietta, which is what I do as a puppeteer. Oh lovely And I'm struggling because with the heat The heat dries the paint incredibly quick. I use coach enamel mainly. Oh yes. If you do it outside, say early evening when it's a bit cooler, you get bugs on it So my partner' in Spain at the moment and I asked her how do they get glossy finishes in Spain? And she had no idea and I've got no idea So you've done you've done a little coat And before it's dried, bugs have landed on it If you do it outside, yes So obviously signinewiting. I mean, how bad how many bugs? I mean, I know one is bad. You don knowt want any bugs on a pristine public there No, what I'm doing at the moment with the stripes is the colour is attracting them So you just get them literally covered They're just attracted to the colors. Really So how in a very so yeah, I mean this is actually a really interesting question, isn't it it's going to says really bugging me, b. Oh well played painting in painting. Yes. So yeah he's painted in painting and he's bugged by bugs. Yeah, so at the moment I'm able to bring in the panels inside and do and turn the extraction funan on. But if I was working it, if it was sort of a theatre which was too big to paint inside and I'd have to do it outside. it would just be absolutely caped in bugs. Well I mean could you be I mean are you near a bug base as it were? or do I mean are you near like marshy waters? Well only talky, but I'm being serious. I mean it could be that you just have where you are has a lot of bugs. and if you went half a mile up the road, then you wouldn't have this problem. Well, I'm on a hill overlooking the sea, but I had the same problem when I used to paint the shows when I lived in Gloucestershire and my parents. Are you a professional sign writer or a professional puppeteer a professional puppeteer. And so you do your own theaters. And for other people as well. And for other people as well, what a lovely job?? Well, it has its ups and downs. There's no pun there, is there Well No I know. I thought Well, I suppose there are ups and downs, aren't they? becausecause you're pulling it up and Was that a pun that I missed No. Oh okay. Do you want a free advert At all you don't have to. I'll be happy I'm Poulton' Seaside Punct and Judy based in Payton and I'm one of the last puppet Judy who still works on the beach at Wayymouth. Polton Seaside Punch and Judy. So say hello next time you encounter Mark on his travels. and by then hopefully, we'll have got answer to how you can paint your theatres Bg free We need to suppose is the easy Well, I mean that would be one answer. but people need to paint stuff in hot weather and as you've pointed out in hot countries. Let's try and find out how. how do you keep the bugs out of your paint when you're doing some painting in somewhere hot like painting? Thank you, Mark. takeake care U Amelia Cox has the headlines When you're a maintenance engineer in a beverage manufacturing plant You keep production lines moving and quality on track because there is no room for slowdowns. With Granger's vast selection of high quality motors, sensors, belts, and hard to find parts, you can get what you need fast and all in one place, so nothing gets in the way of getting the job done Call one eight hundred Ganger, click ranger. com or just stop by Ranger. for the ones who get it done It's twelve thirty four. We need some answers. We need some answers to these questions. Why is the royal box? Why does it not have a better view of the stage Why is popcorn the snack of choice in cinemas? Why do we remove our hats when a housese goes by Is there any rhyme or reason to the order of names in famous collaborations like Tom and Jerry or John Paul George Ringo. Lenon and McCarney quite interesting actually. Someone has pointed out to me, actually I should credit them with that because I think it's true with that on the second it was going to be McCartney Lennon on the on please please me But they realized that Lennon and McCarney just sounds better. so they were going to alternate it, but they left it as Lenon and McCarney because it's like Keithan James It just sounds better than James and Keith. McCarney and Lenon doesn'tound as Lenon and McCarney. So there's a rhythm it, but as the question had pointed out There's no rule Be it's not to do with consonants or vowels or syllables or anything. It's just about the way the words trip off the tongue. But is that true or is there some Rye or reason to it U what happens at the end of an organ recital When the final note echoes around the cathedral and appears to go a bit flat at the end. I don't know. All right, but that's what Dan wants the answer to Why does K's two televisions both playing LBC? Why is one of them a few seconds behind the other one, or if you prefer why is one of them a few seconds ahead of the other one. And finally Paintting painting Paint in paintting But d d don. Why does Mark how can Mark do painting painting in painting without that land on the paint that is in paintting Okay, in hot weather, how do you stop bugs landing in your sticky paint Darren is in Manchester, Darren question or answ F' well a question, James. That's all right I mate. Cry on So if you imagine me and you were in a rock band and' about to start to play, we'll go one, two, three, four, and then we'll play on four. Yeah a playay on five, weren't we? don't play on five,? No we got one two three on four All right you're a musician, I'm not. There was a punk bank called the Subhumans, apparently. I could have been in that according to Barry Saint Edmund's Reform, but it's too late now. So go on yeah. so music is one, two, three, four Yeah, I think we're about to dance so we go five, six, seven, eight and then we dance on eight. so why do we do that? I've got a theory so that Becauseuse it would be two different think, right? So it's you're at a dance And there's a b Yeah. So you want the band to start before the dancers do. So when you go one, two, three, four, that's for the band. And then then the music starts and the dancers are all waiting So you can't say one, two, three, four again because that would be confusing. So you go five, six, seven, eight and then all the dancers start dancing. It's just a theory. No, I'm not surprised, frankly, but it's a theory. I said it it's a theory. theory What's your theory I don't have one's why Well, it is definitely better than yours, isn't it?. All right, you're on. Why do we do one, two, three, four for the music and five, six, seven, eight for the dancing? Perfect. Lovely stuff. Oho three, four, five. Thank you. Darren. Darren and James, James and Darren. Darren and Jam, James is rubbish, James comes second in all of these things. I feel like I feel like Deck in Annton Dck It's never going to be Dck andent, Is it? De andent and deck and deck, Dck andent. James and Darren, Darren and James. Danny's in Wimbledon, Dany question our answer It's answer please, James. It real box question. Oh, lovely stuff It's very simply so that the audience are in a position to have to see whoever's in the rial box as well as they see what's on the stage. Fge off course is And so in the olden times when they were first built these royal boxes, obviously they'd be sat there in all their splendndery while everyone else had to look at them and say, wow, how splendid is that person. And also it's because it makes them closer to the stage so that anyone on the stage can sort of play jokes to them play tragy you get that particularly at the palladium, wouldn't you for the rooyal variety stuff where they'd be doing jokes directed directly at the rooyal box. and yeah, of course it's for the audience to see the royal box, not for the Royal box to see the stage but also to see the reaction of the people in it. So if there's a joke at the expense of the king or whoever's in the box on the stage, the audience can look at the king to see if that he's lughing of course so that they are permissed to Qualifications a professional actor. What theaters have you worked in that have royal boxes U I have worked so I actually learnt this at the globes there. O the globes are replica but they've replicated what would be the royal dockx there. and my great friend Gabby did a tour there. told us exactly why the Royal Bx would be there. But otherwise I' worked in many West End theatres and RSC, National theatre, things like that. Fantastic. Are you working at the moment No, so if you know anyone' getting Cassic actor. No always a little bit of a rest. It'll do you good. but I love that, Danny. G yourself a round of applause Thanks Mate., it makes perfect sense. I love those sort of answers that make you go Oh yeah, of course. That's great work. twelve thirty nine is the time. Kate's in Hawy, Kate, question or answer please Jam. Carr, Carac. Are you all right Yes, I'm good. Sounds like that It sounds like you might have fallen down a well Oh, sorry about that. No I Iually not in a well. No I'm still excited because I got married on Tuesday. Good g I was getting ready. I was thinking of the show Be I was wondering where does the old superstition that a bride Have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue comees from. That nice, isn't it? We'd like So this is your second day of marriage, your third day of marriage Indeed? Are you on honeymoon at the moment? the champagne. Are you on honeymoon at the moment? or are you waiting No, we're waiting. we're going back to Morocco where we usually listen on Saturday. Happy days, Kate. Well, congratulations to you both. What is the name of your lucky partner I call him my other James because you were my first one. He James, but it was very special because he had a stroke in September. Oh I'm sorry. We we glad he made it. . That's lovely. Well, happy days to both of you, to you and James I second. Um I love that question, actually. I'm almost certain that we've done it before, but I can't remember the answer. so it's as if it never happened. O something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. What is the origin of that and the five, six, seven eight. I think we need more answers. twelve forty one. we may have to knock some of these questions or Ohh no we might be all alright. actually Dave's in Hammersmith, Dave question or answer Sorry another question Apologise. I always feel bad when people apologise. I can't have answers without questions. can I? So it's not a criticism of you. G on So basically about blood, I was blood donating the other day and having a chat with the nurse and I basically asked them if they knew if dogs have Differe blood tyes Yeah humans do. They do They do. They categorically do. Is there a universal donor for dogs? No, you're only allowed one question. Oh sorry. No, So they definitely have different blood types because I asked a vet that question when my dog went in for a operation, the price of which Mr. O'Brien has still not told me because that's how vets work these days. So that I mean, I afraid qualifications I asked a vet. Yes, okay. So that's it. So I can't have the universal Da question about do Noood. No, no, you'll have to bring in next year. Or next week, or whichever you prefer. The round of applause for me. Please keep. I haven't had a round of applause for a while, have I Do you remember back in the days to take all of them, back when I was a lot more greedy and arrogant, or arguably when Keith wasn't in charge. Ricky's in Carlisle, Ricky question or answer I'll got answer Cry on It's it's answered to the televisions. So Basically, televisions are just computers these days. So what you've got is you've got some computer memorine there. And if you imagine that like a bucket, all right you've got a hoing in the btom of your bucket. the hole in the bottom of the bucket is letting some water out and that's the audio that's coming out here You've got a horose tyipe in the top. and it's filling up the bucket. Now what you want to do is keep that bucket at the same level So you keep that stream of audio coming out the bottom. But if your horsepipe gets blocked for a second or two, it's okay because we've still got some water in the bucket, the audio is still going to come out yeah. Yeah So the two televisions they've just got a different size bucket They're just computers. they've got a different size amount of mebrary Have you used this analogy before All the time. Really Honestly, honestly Because I can't decide whether it's absolutely minging or a stroke of genius, a stroke of metaphorical genius I mean, I'll take the latter. Well, I mean, do you really need to imagine a bucket and a hosepipe Can't you just explain it to me in the context mem Is it memory that it's full up or something or It is memory, but if I talk to you in terms of computer science, who's going to fall asleep first? Well, let's try, just try. Let's find out. Oh my It's random access memory, is it? It is random access memory. Yes, have Yeah, your internet's coming in and it's a stream of data. You've got TCPIP, which is error correct and everythingant because sometimes bits of data arrive before others. Yes that's going to go into mymory and then you your processor is going to dip into that Mbory And it's going to send it, it's going to process it and send it out through the sound card out to your speakers So it's because they are computers of different capacity basasically. And that's why they're coming out that's why it's coming out at slightly different rates. Yes I think that's a great answer. I hope it satisfies K Me too. I don't see why it wouldn't. I don't think you need the buckets and the hose pipes But maybe it helped her. I mean because you know, obviously I'm quite technological being a radio. suuperstar Well, obviously, but I spend all day every day computer stilluff to. Well it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, that's why I mean I it's why you buy a computer that's got a bigger memory and it will work faster So it is just it is the same thing. a simple answer, really when you say they are both computers. Great work. Thank you Mark. H have a round of applause from me So not Mark, Ricky. Mark's next. Sorry, Ricky. W, than you. It's twelve forty five. Guess who's up next,, It's Mark after this. Granger knows, when you're a procurement manager for an office park You're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners Light's about to fail, filters ready to clog, H backack on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind Count on Granger for quality products, easy reordering, and twenty four seven support Call one eight hundred Granger, clickranger. com or just stop by Granger. For the ones who get it done It is twelve forty seven. I just realised that Kate and James who got married on Tuesday and usually listen in Morocco, Kate's got back in touch. I had the pleasure of meeting them. She's the sort of hot sauce queen of Europe. I kid you not, they brought me some hot sauce that absolutely blew my brains out Highly recommended. If you get in touch again, Kate and remind me of the name of your website, I'll give you another plug as well. twelve forty eight is the time Mystery hour continues. Toby is inaltsburg, Toby question or answer It's an answer, Jks to the countounting music and dance question. how appropriate So in music, we count beats and in dancing we count bars. So a beats like if you take a Venese voals or an English valse, one, two, three, that's one bar Right So in music, we count the beats and in dancing we count the bars. And it's always eight bars that are counted in So you count eight, you don't count. So you don't go five six, seven, eight, you go one, two, three, if you go to a beginner dance class and my qualification is actually that my wife's a professional Irish dance teacher who taured with River dance. Good lord.. exciting And I asked her the question, why do you count in five, six, seven, eight. And that's only in advanced classes. When you watch a beginner's Irish adance class, would count one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight But if you take a h pipe for example, that would take very long, which is little. So that is you are so what are you doing on the five, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, your sort of your body's getting into the rhythm, getting into the big game gettingting into the rhythm and you eight bars is usually the first, you know, the first repetition of the tune. A Coolays, Coolays Qalifications. I know you' told us, but tell us again. sixteen sorry eighteen years happily married with a professional Irish dance teacher. How did you meet in an Irish pub and when she was on tour with iverdance. She was on tour with iverdance and she went to an Irish pub In Salzburg, Austria. In Salzburg, Austria. How that' so romantic? I didn't think any Irish people ever went near Irish pubs, Toby. That's when they abrought they do. Clearly when they're on holiday carry on Roundom applause for Toby. loveovely stuff a lot of love for Mark coming in as well actually. I've lost one of them, but it was a lovely message from someone who used to take our children to see him When he was doing his punch and dudy on the beach in Waymouth and Werel's been in touch, Mark all the way from Texas, saying hearing my dear old friend Mark on Mysterhour, one of the youngest punch and dudy professors ever. Meg's in Hereford, Meg question or answer I've got an answer for you. b the something old something new, something borrowed something blue.. So it was printed in the St. James magazine in Lancashire in like the eighteen seventies, I it was the early eighteen seventies just by sort of a writer at the time. Just a little rhyme' a random rhyme not Yeah, it was just a kind of like little gimmicky rhyme that they'd put in there because Lancashire at the time was still very heavily into kind of folk tradition and magic and all of that belief So it was kind of it started that way and then it just spread through like etiquette pamphlets and etiquette books that was sort of spread throughout everybody and everybody believed it because they loved a bit of superstition. peopleeople making up all sorts of things. What are your qualifications I literally today just finished my degree in English literature and creative writing and so I've done a lot to do with Shakespeare and like that era of time. And I finished that today. How did you finish today?ave I mean, it's only like ten to one. What have you done this morning? Oh It was due at twelve o'clock midday today, sore you serious? You've handed in your thesis Yeah, yeah, it's all done. Yeah it's l trally today. So I mean, So Kate is two days married and she's decid to listen to Mystera. You've just finished a degree and you've tuned into Mystera as well. I like this. It's becoming a place of celebration To be fair, LBC has been the one thing that's kept me sane the last few weeks. I mean that that was a bit that was a bit How can I put this politely? You sounded a little bit insane when you said that There you go. I'm sorry. You did it again. No, I'm only joking. Round of fls. Yes brilliant stuff. somethingomething old something. I love things that were made up. I love the idea because they also added the sixpence to her shoe in the eighteen eighties, but that kind of got forgotten about. A serious. So something old something new, something borrowed something blue and sixpence to her shoe Yeah, and that was just for good luck. Yeah. I like Quite often when there's a pub near me and they claim that Oliver Cromwell stayed there during the Civil War And when you look into it, you realize that was almost certainly made up by a pub landlord in the seventeenth century who would just literally say, oh, yes, Oliver Cromwell once drank here and would it would appeal to the tourists and it would just so things would get made up and you think that they were forged in the mists of time are actually relatively recent inventions. And here's another one Here's another. I love it. well played. greatreat stuff. And congratulations, Mega. hope you get the grade that you're hoping for. No, you're welcome. Mark's in done firm minute, Mark,Q question or answ That's an answer James. Carry on Mark. rightight soose to the guy who is struggling with bugs landing on his paint when he's outside. He was painting and painting Painting and painting. Right, well, there's two a three different things you can do. The first thing is these days we tend towards using acrylic paints which dry in a fraction of a time of solvent based paints. Wh is if you' paint, Yeah, if you're using oil based solvent paints and you take all day to dry. But would it come up as shiny? I mean, you know what these they' like canal boats. Will it come up as shiny as the enamel based the oil based enamel These days, yeah, used to be used to be good but these these days because they' had to move towards acrylic based paints because of VOC wheels, et cetera. they had to get that they had to get that act together and paints are as good as oil based paints. Now the other thing you can do is you can put some terbin dryers in the oil based paints and that will dry it really quicker and that will d it a little quicker But the biggest thing is you paint away from the wind. So just know the bugs l. It's know the bugs landing on the paint It's the wind blowing the bugs into blowing the bugs onto the paint. That's what you do So you want to be painting But I'm just trying to think what away from the wind means. You're only painting on one side of it. so you have the wind upwind. The wind is blowing towards you towards you because you're painting the thing in front of you. Well yeah, but are you trying to paint when it's not windy? Yeah or when it's not windy at all. Yeah when it's no windy. 'ause it's not the bugs it's the wind that's blowing the bugs towards the paint qualifications. thirty four users a pin declator. What are youre working on at the moment I'm right now I'm in a staircase so unfortunately I'm indoors. Oh o.. I wish I was paintinged doors outside. Yeah. Well. you wouldn't have been able to help us out if you weren't, Ovly work.ope.ound round of applause for Mark two It was M marked for Mark, wasn't it?'s two was that two M marks? was was the question from ye, it was markarked from M. I like it when that happens. Lots of wordpl on that question. He was painting in painting, he was bugged by buugs and then he got marked by Mark. Patrick's in Belfast, Patrick question, or anwer I have answer for you. Tarry on, Patrick So whenever I I was in school and the first couple of years in any, I worked in a cinema for a few years. And one of the roles that I was required to do was making the popcorn. So I was dumped into a re room for by ten hours or so making a sweeter salted popcorn by fifty or sixty bags worth likeike D't Dagsworth that would do that a week And you were right, it is purely a profit margin increasing exercise becausecause it takes pennies to kind of create it sell. Do we know when it started though or anything like that? Do we knowfort it could have been anything were you on kind of cultural kind of elements, but just from the cost kind of point of view, I could give you a bit of an answer on. becausecause I would have also worked on the bank lodgements for the cinema, so I knew rightly how much of the The income was going off to the on the actual film producers type people, like I think they only kept about thirty percent of ticket sales at that time.. So they had to make all their money through the pet on the concessions. and popcorn being cheap, relatively easy to make, which read it on site. Yeah, you just make quuite a lot of bank on it. yeah, tons and tons and tons of the stuff. and it costs almost nothing, right C kernels of cor are like absolute buttons and then you can sell it for five quid a bucket Yeah, it was like I think it was something like about a kilo of corn kernels to about half a kilos of sugar and some oil and that gave you a bed bag' worth of popcorn. There you go. Can have that recipe for nothing? Round of applause A Patria. we still don't know when it kind of started. Who was the first entrepreneur to realize, but that'll do. I mean, the profit margins. Fiona's in Brrighton, Fiona question or answer James, I've got an answer for you. Sa carry on. So you were asking about the order of words and why c why we sort of place make certain decisions? Well it wasn't actually technically me that was asking that, was it? It was Simeon in Temere in Finland So I've been thinking about this for some time actually and thinking about why we always say things like flip flop and sing song and not song sing. And it's all we actually make shut door. We make unconscious rules about the order of language all to do with