The Good Words Podcast episode transcript - CHASM
Lily: Knock, knock.
Fred: Who’s there?
Lily: Jess.
Fred: Jess, who?
Lily: Jess open the door already!
Lynn: The unabridged Oxford English Dictionary contains over [extreme echo effect] two hundred thousand words! These words express the breadth and depth of human experience, from the ordinary to the spectacular. Yet the average American adult only knows about one-tenth of this total number of words, and regularly uses only about half of those. This podcast is dedicated to the pursuit of using words better, and using better words. This is the Good Words Podcast.
Robot voice: Good Words Podcast.
[music: "Good Words" by Miss Lynn]
Lynn: Salutations, Logophiles! I'm Miss Lynn and this is the Good Words Podcast! If you're a regular listener, you will have noticed that there has been a significant break since the last episode came out, which is actually surprisingly apropos for this episode's theme word:
Kieran: Chasm.
Eloise: Chasm.
Tara: Chasm.
Marty: Chasm.
Leela: Chasm: an abrupt interruption . . .
Tara: . . . abrupt interruption . . .
Eloise: . . . abrupt interruption . . .
Marty: . . . interruption . . .
Eloise: . . . of continuity . . .
Leela: . . . continuity . . .
Marty: . . . continuity . . .
Tara: . . . continuity . . .
Kieran: . . . interruption of continuity; a large hole.
Eloise: A large hole.
Marty: A large hole.
Leela: A large hole.
Tara: A large hole.
Monster voice: Chasm.
Lynn: There *has* been a large hole in continuity since the last episode of the Good Words Podcast, but then if you keep listening, you'll find this episode has more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese! The word "chasm" is often used literally, to mean a break or opening in the earth, like a canyon. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used it when he wrote Dr. Watson's description of the Reichenbach Falls in Sherlock Holmes's case, The Final Problem:
David Clarke: It is, indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen by the melting snow, plunges into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up like the smoke from a burning house. The shaft into which the river hurls itself is an immense chasm, lined by glistening coal-black rock, and narrowing into a creaming, boiling pit of incalculable depth, which brims over and shoots the stream onward over its jagged lip. The long sweep of green water roaring forever down, and the thick flickering curtain of spray hissing forever upward, turn a man giddy with their constant whirl and clamor. We stood near the edge peering down at the gleam of the breaking water far below us against the black rocks, and listening to the half human shout which came booming up with the spray out of the abyss.
Lynn: In addition to being used in this way, to mean a literal hole in the ground, "chasm" is also frequently used to mean there is a great metaphorical distance between things. In Oscar Wilde's play, "Lady Windermere's Fan," the lady of the title confronts her husband with gossip she heard that he is behaving inappropriately with another woman. Lord Windermere denies this accusation, but she doesn't believe him.
Kristin Hughes as LADY WINDERMERE: I am told that there is hardly a husband in London who does not waste his life over some shameful passion.
Phil Chenevert as LORD WINDERMERE: I am not one of them.
Kristin Hughes as LADY WINDERMERE: I am not sure of that!
Phil Chenevert as LORD WINDERMERE: You are sure in your heart. But don’t make chasm after chasm between us. God knows the last few minutes have thrust us wide enough apart.
Lynn: For Lady and Lord Windermere, the situation makes them feel as if they were standing on opposite sides of a canyon, even though they are really in the same room.
Robot voice: Chasm.
Lynn: Sometimes I feel like I have a chasm inside of me when I am missing something that's very dear. I think a lot of people have been experiencing similar feelings during the past year, as we've all been facing the global COVID-19 pandemic. I asked some friends to share what was leaving a pandemic-sized hole inside of them:
Tara: What I've missed most during the pandemic is getting together in person with friends, to listen to music, have meals together, go on adventures, or just share a hug.
Marty: I have missed playing outside with my friends, and going to any social activities.
Eloise: I missed seeing my friends and having them come to my house.
Kieran: I've so far missed hanging out with my friends in person. I have to have Zoom meetings if I ever want to see them. Or six feet apart, wearing masks.
Leela: In the pandemic, I've missed seeing my best friends the most, and my teachers in the class, traveling, and my family in America. Because I didn't get to see them last year. Which is a real bummer.
Lynn: It sure has been a real bummer to miss seeing all those important people over the past year. Not getting to be together can make it feel like there's a huge chasm between us. One of the things that has helped me feel closer to people who are far away is getting to connect with them using technology like Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, or the old-fashioned telephone! It's remarkable how hearing someone's familiar voice, and sharing a laugh with them, can bridge those literal and metaphorical distances. How about we build a bridge by sharing a laugh right now?
Many voices: GET IT?!?!?
Kieran: How do librarians catch fish?
Lily: With bookworms.
[toddler giggling sound effect]
Zeke: What do you call a cow eating grass?
Logan: A lawn moo-er.
Marty: Why did the calf cross the road?
Grace: To get to the udder side.
[cow mooing sound effect]
Grace: What has four wheels, and flies?
Zeke: A garbage truck.
[garbage truck beeping sound effect]
Logan: What do you get when you cross a pig with a Christmas tree?
Kieran: A pork-u-pine. Kieran
Chipmunk voice: Chasm.
Lynn: Besides getting to see my close friends and family, the thing I've missed most during the pandemic has been getting to make concerts, and share music with kids and grownups, as I normally would. One of my most-requested songs, which I share at pretty much every concert, is "Frosted with Sprinkles," also known as, "The Doughnut Store Song." I'm sharing it with you to finish this episode--because after all, what is the most noteworthy feature of a donut? The big hole! I hope that you'll be able to share a donut--or your favorite sweet treat--with someone you've been missing sometime soon. Thanks for sharing this podcast episode with me by listening to it! Thanks also to contributors Eloise, Fred, Grace, Kieran, Lily, Logan, Marty, Tara, Zeke, and my Kids Listen colleague Leela, all the way from India. Leela and her mom, Lyndee, make a podcast with the very euphonious title, Newsy Jacuzzi! There's a link to it in this episode's show notes at GoodWordsPodcast.com, along with links to the passages from Sherlock Holmes and Oscar Wilde, which were read for Librivox by David Clarke, Kristin Hughes, and Phil Chenevert. Until the next episode, keep listening and talking about what astonishes you, amuses you, infuriates you, and frightens you. Be brave and vulnerable. Tell the truth with kindness and the things you say will be good words. Bye for now!
[music: "Good Words" by Miss Lynn]
[music: "Frosted with Sprinkes (The Doughnut Store Song)" by Miss Lynn]
Lady W's fan Gutenberg https://www.gutenberg.org/files/790/790-0.txt
Lord W - Phil Chenevert
Lady W - Kristin Hughes
In this episode, Miss Lynn explains the word, "chasm" with the assistance of passages from the Sherlock Holmes case, The Final Problem and Oscar Wilde's play Lady Windermere's Fan, as well as feedback from friends about what they have missed most during the pandemic. The episode concludes with the song, "Frosted with Sprinkles (The Doughnut Store Song)."
Full episode notes are available at https://www.patreon.com/posts/51814456