This Land Is What Land?

Transcript

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

You're listening to ASK ME ANOTHER from NPR and WNYC. I'm Ophira Eisenberg, and with me is our house musician Jonathan Coulton. Our next game is called This Land is What Land? And to play it we have Josh Sucher and Diana Quick.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Have you guys ever wondered where certain places get their names? Nope.

DIANA QUICK: Yes.

EISENBERG: Well, after this game, lucky for you, you'll still have no idea; you'll learn nothing. But what we're going to do is we're going to give you fake origins for the names of real geographic locations that end in the letters L-A-N-D. For an example, don't worry, let's go to John Chaneski.

JOHN CHANESKI, BYLINE: If we said this country was named after the author of "The Tell-Tale Heart," you would answer Poland as in Edgar Allan Poe.

JONATHAN COULTON, BYLINE: Right, you can boo. You can boo if you want to.

(LAUGHTER)

CHANESKI: I'm used to it by now, really.

EISENBERG: I know, and it's like these games will go in our groaner edition.

CHANESKI: I know.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: All right, so ring in when you know the geographical location, and of course the winner will move on to our Ask Me One More final round at the end of the show. This U.S. city is known for its craft beers, but named after a fortified wine that you might buy in Lisbon.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Diana.

QUICK: Portland.

EISENBERG: Portland is correct, exactly.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: This Asian nation is very formal, which is why it's named after the article of clothing that men wear around their necks.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Diana.

QUICK: Thailand.

COULTON: Thailand is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: You know what place sucks? Bolo tie-land.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: This semiautonomous region was founded by people with the last names Brown, Baio and Bakula.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Josh.

JOSH SUCHER: Scotland.

EISENBERG: Scotland.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: This island nation took its name from a type of paperboy featured in a 1992 movie and a 2012 Broadway musical. A type of paperboy, a type of singing paperboy - extra, extra.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Yes, Josh.

SUCHER: New Zealand.

COULTON: New Zealand is right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: The inhabitants thought about naming this place Myrtle or Moss or Mint, but they simplified it because those were all shades of this.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Josh.

SUCHER: Greenland.

EISENBERG: Greenland is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: Rise and shine, this U.S. peninsula was named after the vowel sound in words like rise and shine.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Diana.

QUICK: Long Island.

COULTON: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Beautiful accents.

COULTON: Yes, beautiful accents.

EISENBERG: Beautiful description, great drink.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Oh, their iced tea.

EISENBERG: Their iced tea.

COULTON: It's a very good iced tea.

EISENBERG: Yes, very high-brow. If this Australian state had an anthem, it would be "Bohemian Rhapsody" as it was founded by a group of Freddie Mercury impersonators, which would be amazing.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Josh.

SUCHER: Queensland.

EISENBERG: Queensland is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Home of the We Will Rocky Mountains.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Puzzle guru John Chaneski, how did our contestants do?

CHANESKI: They're going to declare national holiday in Joshland because Josh is the winner. Congratulations.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Congratulations, Josh. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.