More Or Less

Transcript

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

Say hello to our next contestants, Christopher Rogers and Camelia Stan.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: So the game we're going to play is called More Or Less. So I'm going to ask you, Camelia, what's something in your life you want more of and something you want less of?

CAMELIA STAN: So I'm a graduate student, and we get paid on a federal stipend, so technically I'm at work right now.

EISENBERG: Nice.

STAN: So I guess I would like more vacation and less work.

EISENBERG: Yeah. I'm agreeing with you right now. That's a good plan.

EISENBERG: How about you, Christopher?

CHRISTOPHER ROGERS: I don't know. Maybe - just in, like, a general theme - like more honesty and more directness. You know, let's all just hug.

EISENBERG: Oh, yeah.

STAN: Oh, man.

EISENBERG: Wait a second - more honesty, more directness, less what?

STAN: Less Instagram sunsets.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: I am totally with you there. Our next game is called a More Or Less. We'll give you the clues to some common words that end in L-E-S-S, but the clues won't exactly be according to the Wiktionary.

JONATHAN COULTON, BYLINE: For example, if I said, after my car got a flat on the highway, I had to walk forever to get to the nearest gas station. The answer would be tireless, which doesn't really mean without a tire, but we're pretending it does because otherwise it would be a very boring game.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: So the clues will incorporate both the real definition of the word and the hint to the first part of the word. Are you confused?

ROGERS: I don't think so.

EISENBERG: No? Great. All right, let's play.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: I looked everywhere for my missing mangoes, oranges and pears, but my search was in vain.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Camelia.

STAN: Fruitless.

EISENBERG: Fruitless, exactly.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: Who removed the binding of my book? What cowards.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Camelia.

STAN: Spineless.

COULTON: Spineless is right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: If the Supreme Court lost Justice Ginsburg, it would have no compassion.

Lost Justice Ginsburg...

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Christopher.

ROGERS: Heartless?

EISENBERG: No. No, no. The one that got drunk at the State of the Union. There's your hint.

(LAUGHTER)

STAN: I have no idea. I'm sorry.

EISENBERG: That's OK. We were looking for ruthless as in Justice Ruth Ginsburg.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: I thought that baseball movie was so boring. It had no soundtrack, and the final game ended in a 0-0 tie.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Christopher.

ROGERS: Scoreless.

COULTON: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: I went to the grocery store without a plan, and now I've got no energy to do anything.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Camelia.

STAN: Listless.

EISENBERG: Listless. That is correct, yes.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: They removed the stairs. Well, how do I get to the second floor? I don't have wings.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Christopher.

ROGERS: Flightless.

COULTON: Flightless, you got it.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: When Dracula moved out of Transylvania, it left the country with innumerable opportunities.

EISENBERG: Camelia.

STAN: Bloodless.

EISENBERG: Say that again.

STAN: Bloodless.

EISENBERG: No, not bloodless. Good idea. Can you steal, Christopher?

ROGERS: Is it really as simple as jobless?

EISENBERG: No. We were looking for countless.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Countless.

COULTON: Yeah, that's the correct response.

EISENBERG: Yep.

COULTON: Uneasy groaning.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) I know.

COULTON: All right, this is your last clue. Continuously playing my violin without a break makes me fidgety.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Camelia.

STAN: I'm going to guess restless.

COULTON: Restless. Yeah, that's right.

EISENBERG: That's how you get to Carnegie Hall, Camelia. That's how you do it. Puzzle guru Art Chung, how did our contestants do?

ART CHUNG, BYLINE: They got all of them right, more or less, but Camelia's moving on to the final round. Congratulations.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WEST END GIRLS")

PET SHOP BOYS: (Singing) In a West End town, a dead-end world, the East End boys and West End girls... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.