148 - Word Centipede (w/ Carrie Aizley)

Summary

SmartLess Presents ClueLess: Episode 148 - Word Centipede (w/ Carrie Aizley) Summary

Release Date: April 28, 2025

Introduction

In episode 148 of SmartLess Presents Clueless, host Elliott Kalan teams up with returning contestant Sean Hayes and special guest Carrie Aizley to tackle the intriguing puzzle game "Word Centipede." This biweekly, bite-sized episode delves into wordplay, creativity, and competitive spirit as the trio navigates through a series of challenging word puzzles.

Game Explanation: Word Centipede

Elliott Kalan kickstarts the episode by introducing the core game mechanic of "Word Centipede." The objective is straightforward yet demanding: given a trio of seemingly unrelated words, participants must identify a single word that can be prefixed or suffixed to each to form new, meaningful words.

Example Provided:

• Words: Over, Fore, Seeing
• Solution: Sight (Oversight, Foresight, Sightseeing)

This setup not only tests the contestants' vocabulary but also their ability to identify subtle connections between disparate terms.

Round-by-Round Breakdown

1. Round 1: Hill, Make, Date

   • Solution: Up
     • Uphill, Makeup, Update
   • Insight: Sean Hayes swiftly connects the dots, showcasing his quick thinking.
   • Notable Quote:
     Sean Hayes [01:46]: "Well, you know my Dyson hair dryer."
     Carrie Aizley [01:49]: "Okay, great. Terrific. Everybody should get one."

2. Round 2: Ding, Ting, Man

   • Solution: Bat
     • Batting, Batman, Batbrain (a playful twist combining "bat" and "brain")
   • Insight: The mention of Batman introduces a thematic element that becomes pivotal later in the episode.
   • Notable Quote:
     Elliott Kalan [08:12]: "It's a character's name and it's an animal."

3. Round 3: Luna, King, Arc

   • Solution: Tick
     • Lunatic, Ticking, Arctic
   • Insight: Elliott provides a helpful clue, narrowing down the possibilities with the hint that the solution is an animal's name.
   • Notable Quote:
     Elliott Kalan [07:41]: "One of these new words is a name. And also, this is the big clue. The word you want to add is the name of an animal."

4. Round 4: Ham, For, Ten

   • Solution: Got
     • Ham-got, Forgot, Gotham
   • Insight: The recurring Batman theme surfaces as "Gotham" ties back to the earlier mention of Batman.
   • Notable Quote:
     Carrie Aizley [11:07]: "I love that. Elliot, really, they didn't really want us to suffer."

5. Round 5: Brain, Black, Snow

   • Solution: Bird
     • Brainstorm, Blackbird, Snowbird
   • Insight: The final round reinforces the bird theme, seamlessly connecting all solutions.
   • Notable Quote:
     Sean Hayes [11:47]: "Brainstorm. Snowstorm. Blackstorm."

Megaclue Puzzle: Unveiling the Theme

Following the completion of individual rounds, Elliott presents the "Megaclue" puzzle, synthesizing one solution from each round to uncover an overarching theme.

• Selected Words: Makeup, Batman, Arctic, Gotham, Birdbrain

• Solution: The Penguin
  The Penguin, a classic villain from the Batman universe, ties all the selected words together. His association with makeup (disguises), Gotham (his base), and his avian characteristics align perfectly with the solutions from the rounds.

• Notable Quote:
  Elliott Kalan [13:08]: "It's the Penguin. He also wears makeup. The Penguin. The Joker does, too. That's what can throw you off."

Cliffhanger Puzzle: A Challenge for Next Time

As the episode nears its conclusion, Elliott introduces a tantalizing cliffhanger puzzle designed to engage listeners until the next episode.

• Puzzle Words: Revive, Banana, Grammar, Voodoo, Assess, Potato, Dresser, Uneven
• Clue: "There's something unusual which can be done to all these words which we know backwards and forwards."
• Purpose: To stimulate listeners' critical thinking and encourage engagement by challenging them to identify the unique pattern or manipulation applicable to each word.

Notable Quote:
Elliott Kalan [14:48]: "What's unusual about the following Revive banana grammar, voodoo, assess, potato, dresser, and uneven. There's something unusual which can be done to all these words which we know backwards and forwards."

Conclusion

Elliott wraps up the episode by commending Carrie Aizley and Sean Hayes for their stellar performance in the "Word Centipede" game. The combined efforts of the participants not only entertained but also showcased the intricate dance between language and problem-solving inherent in the podcast’s format.

• Final Remarks:
  Elliott Kalan [15:30]: "Thank you for hearing no evil while you were here because hopefully you weren't listening to the show that closely."

Listeners are left both satisfied with the episode's content and eagerly anticipating the resolution of the cliffhanger puzzle in the next installment.

Takeaways and Insights

• Engagement Through Gameplay: The "Word Centipede" game exemplifies how interactive games can enhance listener engagement and make learning enjoyable.
• Thematic Cohesion: The recurring Batman theme, especially centered around The Penguin, adds a layer of depth and continuity that enriches the listening experience.
• Community Building: By involving returning guests and introducing challenging puzzles, the podcast fosters a sense of community and encourages active participation from its audience.

Final Note

SmartLess Presents Clueless successfully blends humor, intellect, and competition, making each episode a delightful journey for fans of puzzles and pop culture alike. Episode 148 stands as a testament to the show's ability to entertain while stimulating the mind, ensuring listeners are both entertained and intellectually engaged.

Transcript

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[Sean Hayes]

Smart.

[Elliot Kaelin]

It was 250 years ago that Paul Revere went on his midnight ride. When he looked up to Boston's Old North Church, he knew that one lantern meant the British were coming by land, two lanterns meant the British were coming by sea, and three lanterns meant the church had gotten a really good price on lanterns. This is Clueless.

[Keri Aisley]

Ah, very good.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Clueless.

[Keri Aisley]

I'm glueless.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Welcome to Smartless Presents. Clueless, the puzzle podcast that's a priceless part of our people's cultural heritage. Now, I'm no fancy big city lawyer, but I am your host, Elliot Kaelin. And now please welcome the man who's not here to make friends because he brings his own with him, Sean Hayes. Thanks for being here, Sean.

[Keri Aisley]

Oh, should I hold for applause or just talk through it?

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah, yeah. Oh, they're still applauding. They're still applauding.

[Keri Aisley]

Okay, so I'll just talk through. I'll talk over it. Thank you, Elliot. That's so nice of you to have me. I love being here. Hi, everybody. Welcome to Clueless. Today. I have a very special friend with us who's been on before. She's quite lovely. She's so talented. And boy, am I lucky to witness her comedy. Her name is Keri Aisley.

[Sean Hayes]

Thank you for having me.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yes, thank you for joining us again, Carrie.

[Sean Hayes]

It's always, always loved being here.

[Keri Aisley]

Carrie, do you want to give us just a really quick kind of like life lesson or something you've learned recently that you can share with everybody else about how to live our lives a little better?

[Sean Hayes]

Me?

[Keri Aisley]

Yes.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, you know my Dyson hair dryer.

[Keri Aisley]

Okay, great. Terrific. Everybody should get one.

[Sean Hayes]

Yep.

[Keri Aisley]

Okay, terrific. Let's start.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Words to live by. Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? We've got another guest here as well. The listener. Listener, can I offer you coffee, tea, or perhaps the answer to last episode's cliffhanger puzzles? As you may remember, this cliffhanger was part of a new sub series of cliffhanger games called Samesies. It's the cliffhanger game series that's going to take the world by storm. And this one goes thusly. I gave you three seemingly unrelated things we're looking for. What secret connection makes them Samesies? What is it about them that makes them samesies? Ready? The three things were a Straw, the color blue and a goose. What three things makes them seems.

[Sean Hayes]

Well, I wonder if it has to do with a cocktail like gray goose.

[Keri Aisley]

And a straw and blue Elliot might tell us if we're on the rights track or not at all.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I'm going to tell you are not on the right track. That was imaginative thinking. I like the way you're thinking.

[Sean Hayes]

A hat. Is it a kind of hat?

[Elliot Kaelin]

A blue straw hat? Blue hat. Goose hat. You're almost there. Yes, almost. I've never seen a goose wearing a hat, but maybe that just speaks to the bubble I live in, you know, a straw hat.

[Keri Aisley]

I bet you goose isn't the word. I bet you it's like goose something, right? No, wait.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Oh, like it's a trick. Like it's goo.

[Keri Aisley]

No, no.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah. No, it's actually goose. It's actually. Actually.

[Keri Aisley]

All right. Kind of like blue goose.

[Sean Hayes]

Berry. Berry.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yes, exactly. Strawberry, blueberry. They're all berries. All kinds of berries.

[Sean Hayes]

Good. They are.

[Keri Aisley]

How did you get that, Carrie?

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, I really started to break it down.

[Keri Aisley]

That's amazing.

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[Elliot Kaelin]

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[Keri Aisley]

Centipede.

[Elliot Kaelin]

In this game, I'm going to give you a set of three words, and you must tell me what single word can be placed before or after each of those three words to make three new words. For example, if I gave you the set over four F O R E and seeing, the answer would be.

[Sean Hayes]

Skin. No, not skin.

[Keri Aisley]

Porn skin.

[Elliot Kaelin]

That works for one of them.

[Sean Hayes]

Yeah.

[Keri Aisley]

This is the example, by the way. Correct.

[Elliot Kaelin]

This is the example. Yeah. So you don't need to worry about it, too.

[Sean Hayes]

Okay.

[Keri Aisley]

Yeah.

[Elliot Kaelin]

If you don't get that, I'll just tell you what it is. The answer is sight oversight. Foresight.

[Keri Aisley]

Sightseeing.

[Sean Hayes]

Sightseeing.

[Elliot Kaelin]

But that was the example. That's the hard one. You guys are gonna do great on.

[Keri Aisley]

The rest of the.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Oh, boy. Okay, first round of words. Hill. Make. Date. Hill as in climb a hill. Make as in make this for me. Date as in go on a date. What word can you add either before or after each of those words to make three new words? Shift.

[Sean Hayes]

Shift. No. Make. Shift.

[Keri Aisley]

Date. Line. Make.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh. Maker. Make.

[Keri Aisley]

Oh, you got it up.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yes. Makeup words.

[Keri Aisley]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Uphill update.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Uphill. Makeup update. Very good. Yep.

[Sean Hayes]

Yep.

[Elliot Kaelin]

The answer was up for round one. For round two, the words are ding, D I n G. Ting T I n G. And man.

[Sean Hayes]

Man.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yes. What word can you add to man?

[Keri Aisley]

Is like. Only narrows it down to 800 billion words.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Right. But there's also ding and tingling.

[Keri Aisley]

Yeah, sure.

[Sean Hayes]

Ting.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Made.

[Sean Hayes]

Made. Made. Man Made.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I'm gonna give you.

[Keri Aisley]

What if it was a manhole holting. Like I'm holding you tightly.

[Sean Hayes]

Holding. Tingholt.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Holding.

[Keri Aisley]

Oh, you were gonna give us a clue, which I love.

[Elliot Kaelin]

One of these new words is a name. And also, this is the big clue. The word you want to add is. Is the name of an animal.

[Sean Hayes]

It's an animal that we've heard of.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah, that's my point. It's. It's not. It's not an animal. It's not like a pangolin or A tapir or, you know, one of those animals that you may not be familiar with. And it's also. The name is one that. Is that one that you're familiar with too.

[Sean Hayes]

Tiger Man. Tiger. Lion.

[Keri Aisley]

Like a man? Like a person's, like, formal name?

[Elliot Kaelin]

No, no, like. Like a. I'll just say it's like a character's name.

[Keri Aisley]

Yeah, I'm not gonna get it.

[Sean Hayes]

It's a character's name and it's an animal.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yes.

[Sean Hayes]

Lion Man. Catman.

[Elliot Kaelin]

To be honest, it's a. Be honest. Catman is a character who exists in the same world in the same universe as this one.

[Sean Hayes]

Catman exists in this world in the.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Same world as a character.

[Keri Aisley]

It must be an animated show that I don't watch.

[Sean Hayes]

Right.

[Keri Aisley]

Catman, Chicken man.

[Sean Hayes]

Sponge man. Man.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Clown man. And again, it has to go with ding and ting. Also this word. So don't forget that aspect of it.

[Keri Aisley]

I have no idea.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Okay, this is a tough one. Carrie, do you also give up?

[Sean Hayes]

I don't think I know it.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Okay. Ignominious defeat. But I understand. I would have had trouble with this one also if I didn't literally have the answers right in front of me, which I do, which makes it a lot easier, let me tell you. The answer is bat. Ding. Bat.

[Keri Aisley]

Batman.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Batting. And Batman.

[Sean Hayes]

Oh, geez.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You've heard of that character, right, John?

[Keri Aisley]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Wow.

[Keri Aisley]

But in our house, we say Batman.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Oh, I understand. That's why.

[Keri Aisley]

Yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Batman.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Batman.

[Keri Aisley]

Batman. Spiderman.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Dingbag.

[Keri Aisley]

Birdman.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Let's go on to round three. Your words are. Luna. L, U, N, A L, U, N, A. King. And arc. Luna, King and arc. A R, C, A, R, C. What little word can you add to each of these to make three new words? Word. Centipedes. You might call them kingdom.

[Sean Hayes]

No.

[Keri Aisley]

These are so hard today.

[Sean Hayes]

Arc. Arc. Arc. It's a little word you said.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yeah, it's a little word. It's also. It's a three letter word.

[Keri Aisley]

Yes. Oh. Tick.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Tick.

[Sean Hayes]

Arcing. Tack.

[Keri Aisley]

Arc, ting.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Tick.

[Sean Hayes]

Luna.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Lunatic.

[Sean Hayes]

Lunatic. Lunatic.

[Elliot Kaelin]

You got it. It's tick, lunatic. Ticking. And arctic. Yes, very good. Round number four. The words are ham. For F O, R and 10.

[Sean Hayes]

Ham. Ham. H A M. Yes.

[Elliot Kaelin]

H a M. Like the meat. Four. F O, R. Like, what's this for? And 10. T, E, N. Like there's 10 of that.

[Keri Aisley]

Mm, mm. Go back to the middle example. What's this for? Do you sometimes feel that way? Ham. Four. Ten. Okay.

[Elliot Kaelin]

What word can you add to those words to make new words?

[Keri Aisley]

Why are these so much harder? Are these harder Than the ones we played in the past.

[Elliot Kaelin]

These are both harder than ones we played in the past. And also, I feel like all of our minds are not at their best at this stage in history, and so that's making it more difficult. Yeah, yeah.

[Sean Hayes]

Forgotten. Got.

[Keri Aisley]

Gotham. Gotham, Gotham, Gotham.

[Sean Hayes]

Forgot. Gotten.

[Keri Aisley]

Is that it? Is it Gotham?

[Elliot Kaelin]

That's it. It's got.

[Keri Aisley]

I love that. Elliot, really, they didn't really want us to suffer.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I wanted to see you put the words together. I wanted to see you do. Yes, it is Gothen forgotten. Gotham and Gotham. Continuing the surprising Batman theme of some of the questions in this one. And finally, our final group of words for this game. Brain, black and snow. Brain, like the brain in your head. Black as in black as night. Snow as in snow as night. That was a test. There's no phrase. Snow as night.

[Sean Hayes]

Storm. Brainstorm. Snowstorm. Blackstorm. Blackstorm.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I've never heard of blackstorm, but it sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.

[Keri Aisley]

Yeah. Brain farm. Black farm. Bird.

[Sean Hayes]

Bird. Brain. Blackbird. Snowbird.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Yes. Bird. Exactly right. Very good, Carrie. There are all kinds. Those two kinds of birds and one kind of brain.

[Keri Aisley]

I love that.

[Elliot Kaelin]

And so the score right now, after just a little bit of help, but not very much, you got four out of those five questions. That's a lot of word centipedes, which is great. Unfortunately, we gotta do something else with all these words now. They're just hanging around in our house. Let's see if we can get rid of some of them with today's megaclue. Mega clue question. Today's megaclue. We're gonna take the words that you helped create, one from each round, and we're going to put them together and see what the theme of that. What they. What brings them together. And it's a theme that we may have already identified earlier in the game. Let's see if you pick it up again. Here are the words you helped create. Makeup Batman, Arctic Gotham, and birdbrain. What theme could connect each of those words?

[Keri Aisley]

A word or just a theme?

[Elliot Kaelin]

It's kind of. I'm going to tell you, this is a name. There's a name that connects each of these makeup, Batman, Arctic Gotham, and birdbrain.

[Sean Hayes]

Make a penguin.

[Elliot Kaelin]

Carrie Got it right. It's the Penguin. That's right. It's the Penguin. He also wears makeup. The Penguin. The Joker does, too. That's what can throw you off. Right. It's the Penguin. The Batman villain who is a bird. Brain again, because he's a penguin. Cold lives in Gotham.

[Keri Aisley]

I love it.

[Sean Hayes]

That makes sense.

[Elliot Kaelin]

I feel like there are several layers to this, several layers hidden underneath that very small sentence. Listeners at home, did you do as well as Sean and Carrie? If so, yes. You have learned all that I can teach you, and it's time for you to leave this place and make your own way in the world. No, wait. Hold on. There's one more thing I can teach you. It's today's cliffhanger puzzle. Today's cliffhanger puzzle comes from Cliffhanger Industries of Cliffhanger, Oklahoma. Cliffhanger, Oklahoma, where the best cliffhangers come from. Don't bother going there. You might fall off a cliff. And here's the cliffhanger puzzle. It goes thusly. What's unusual about the following Revive banana grammar, voodoo, assess, potato dresser, uneven. There is something unusual which can be done to all these words which we know backwards and forwards. And I'll tell you again. I'll read it to you again. What's unusual about the following Revive banana grammar, voodoo, assess, potato, dresser, and uneven. There's something unusual which can be done to all these words which we know backwards and forwards. That is the cliffhanger for next time.

[Keri Aisley]

Oh, fancy. No clue.

[Elliot Kaelin]

It's a very. This is a fancy one. A lot of words in there. A lot of words. But luckily we've got time to deal with it because, oh, boy, will you look at the clock. I'd love to stay longer for this episode, but I gotta get up early for work tomorrow. But before I go, I'd like to thank Carey Aisley for seeing no evil while she was here. I'd like to thank Sean Hayes for mostly speaking no evil while he was here. And most of all, I'd like to thank you, the listener, for hearing no evil while you were here because hopefully you weren't listening to the show that closely. There was probably some evil in there, but I hope you didn't hear it. Join us next episode for more Smartless presents Clueless. Until then, I've been your host, Elliot Kaelin, and I'll be your host again next episode. But in between those two episodes, you're gonna have to find another host. Thank you.

[Sean Hayes]

Thanks for having me.

[Keri Aisley]

Thanks. Bye, everybody.

[Devin Tory Bryant]

Clueless, you have been listening to Smartless presents Clueless, a Smartless media production in association with Sirius xm. Your host is Elliot Kaelin, who also writes our scripts. Your constant contestant is Sean Hayes, who does like candy. Your producer, editor and engineer is Devin Tory Bryant, who is me. I also write all the music and sound effects. Assistant Engineer, Kyle McGraw, D Today's puzzles were written by Kevin Lehman and myself. Talent producer is Anne Harris Associate Producer Matty McCann Social media producer Tommy Galgano. Executive producers are Elliot Kaelin, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman. Executive producers for Smartless Media are Richard Korson and Bernie Kaminski. Remember to follow, subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps. That's all for now. We will see you again for more smart Bless me.

[Sean Hayes]

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[Elliot Kaelin]

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