Podcasts
G20 explained, India rocket heads to sun, slang word “slay,” gravy wrestling
Sep 6, 2023 Episode 156
G20 world leaders head to India, Indian rocket heads to the sun, popular slang word “slay” explained, gravy wrestling in the UK
Episode Transcript
EPIOSDE–156
LEELA: This week… G20 world leaders descend on Delhi, India goes beyond the moon, the slang word slay explained and some tasty wrestling.
OPENING STING – LEELA: “Hey, hey, hey. Listen up. New, new, newsy – Newsy Pooloozi!”
THEME MUSIC
LEELA: Hello and welcome to Newsy Pooloozi – the news pool for curious kids and adults! I’m your host Leela Sivasankar Prickitt and…
MAMA: I’m Lyndee Prickitt – sidekick, sound engineer and Leela’s mom. So, guess what? We’re still catching up with business from our summer break and this is a big better news.
LEELA: I’m gonna let Mama sing, that’s how big this is, guys.
MAMA: Happy belated birthday to us! Happy belated birthday to us!
LEELA: OK, OK…
MAMA: Oh, come on Leela! You won’t get any cake unless you sing…
BOTH: Happy belated birthday to Newsy Pooloozi, happy belated birthday to us!
LEELA: Yes, we’re officially 3-years-old!
MAMA: We’ve been bringing you the most important and weirdest stories from around the world every Wednesday –
LEELA: With the exception of our recent summer break.
MAMA: Still, we’ve been at it for over THREE YEARS. This in fact is our 156th episode. Epic or what?
LEELA: Slay.
MAMA: Slay, yes… Speaking of slay slang can I say it like that?
LEELA: Uhhh, not really…
MAMA: Still, as a birthday treat to y’all, we’re adding a new segment to our podcast.
LEELA: Yep! At least once a month – but maybe more often – we’ll be brining you a new segment called, “Slang Explained – the stories behind trendy words and phrases.”
MAMA: We’re still working on the sting, but you know you get the drift. And this week – we’ll kick it off with Leela’s new favorite word, “slay.”
MUSIC UP
LEELA: As for the rest of the podcast this week…
World leaders pour into India this week as the South Asian nation gets ready to host the G20. No idea what that is? Well we’ll tell you.
Speaking of India, a couple weeks ago its space agency, ISRO, landed a vessel on the moon and now it’s reaching for the stars. Well, OUR star – the Sun – that is.
In our new segment, “Slang Explained,” we’ll give you the fascinating – and surprisingly old – story of the slang word, slay.
And ever felt like wrestling in a pool of tasty gravy? Of course, you haven’t! Because that’s totally crazy. But not for people from a certain quirky country. Which one? Well, you gotta listen to the end to find out.
OK – let’s dive on in. First up is the…
BIG NEWS STORY STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “The big news story of the week!”
MAMA: Well, as many listeners know we are broadcasting from New Delhi, India – as that’s where we live and this week, well, things are a little different here.
LEELA: Oh, yeah, I’ve got to go back to online classes for three days because the roads will be closed to cars near my school.
MAMA: Yes, many parts of the city are being given over to dozens of VIPs as in very important people for the G20 summit.
LEELA: And just what is the G20 summit? First of all, it stands for Group of 20. Twenty of the most powerful countries on earth, that is, who, meet every year to talk about the world’s problems.
MAMA: Right, especially those related to the world economy. But – a little history lesson here. Long before the G20 there was the G6. Which was a summit way back in 1975 –
LEELA: Soooo long ago!
MAMA: Easy, girl. So, when oil prices back then went through the roof, creating a domino effect on the cost of just about everything else all over the world –
LEELA: As in global inflation?
MAMA: That’s right. Well, France hosted leaders from Germany, Italy, the UK, the US and Japan so they could discuss it.
LEELA: Hence the name Group of Six or G6.
MAMA: Though the next year the club expanded, as they invited Canada into the fold.
LEELA: Poor Canada – being left out of the first party!
MAMA: I know, right? So, when Canada was invited then it was called the –
LEELA: G7. But did they stop there? No, siree.
MAMA: Well, the G7 did last a fairly long time – over 20 years. Until 1997 – a few years after the collapse of the Soviet Union – when they decided they’d better invite Russia to the party too.
LEELA: Eeeeenter: G8, everyone!
MAMA: Correct. No, it’s not a vegetable drink – that’s V8.
LEELA: Ewww, But then.
MAMA: Well, you know what parties are like. Friends get fed up with each other and try to flex their muscles and show off… Well, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, the group was not happy, first it suspended Russia from the G8 and Russia said well I don’t want to be part of your party anyway and so…
LEELA: Back to G7, everyone.
MAMA: Exactly, meanwhile… some of the other rapidly growing countries in the world as in their economies are growing –
LEELA: You mean, they’re getting richer and so more powerful, and they also want a seat at the party table!
MAMA: Bingo! Well, actually, the G7 still meets but the G20 was created in 1999 after another financial crisis – this time in Asia rocked the whole world. Yes, we’re talking about countries like China, South Korea, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Indonesia, Saudia Arabia, Turkey, the European Union who also go to the G7 meetings by the way and of course India.
LEELA: Hang on… (counts)… that’s 19, not 20.
MAMA: Oh, yeah, guess who’s still in THIS club?
LEELA: Ummmm… Russia?
MAMA: Indeed. Now here’s what’s so interesting there are officially 195 countries in the world. But the G20 countries alone are responsible for most of the economic output of the world. And when I say most, I mean 85%!
LEELA: (Sings) “Money, money, money” (coughs) is what they discuss by any cahnce?
MAMA: Haha very good, mostly. But you can’t discuss the global economy without discussing politics – because they’re all intertwined or mixed together. Aren’t they?
LEELA: So, no doubt Ukraine will be high on the agenda.
MAMA: Oh, yes. But India – who is this year’s G20 president and so gets to host the annual meeting – is going to try and make other important issues get on the agenda too – like climate change, sustainable growth and generally more attention being given to developing countries.
LEELA: Good luck with that!
MAMA: Exactly. It’s a very Western-based club, it might be hard to get other issues on the table.
LEELA: Well, watch this space, folks! Speaking of “space…”
[SOURCE: https://2009-2017.state.gov/e/eb/ecosum/2012g8/about/index.htm
https://www.g20.org/en/about-g20/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Group-of-Eight
SPACE NEWS STING – MAMA/LEELA: “Now let’s have the latest… space news!”
MAMA: And now staying with India but heading to the stars…
LEELA: Well, the biggest star in our galaxy, that is – as in The Sun.
MAMA: Yes, India is at it again. Two weeks ago, it was the fourth country on Earth to land a spacecraft on the moon and now they want to send another spacecraft even further.
LEELA: Let’s cut across to Bangalore, near the Indian Space Research Organization’s headquarters, where Adhyant and Nirbhay Singh Chauhan have the story. Take it away boys.
ADHYANT: That’s right Leela, India has just launched Aditya L1 – our first observation mission to the Sun – It’s expected to travel 1.5 million km from the Earth and take 4 months to do that
NIRBHAY: Here’s a fun fact about its name – Aditya is one of the names for the Hindu God of Sun and L1 stands for Lagrange point 1 – the exact place between Sun and Earth where the Indian spacecraft is heading.
ADHYANT: Do you know that a Lagrange point is a spot where gravitational forces of two large objects – like the Sun and the Earth – cancel each other out and that allows a spacecraft to hover.
NIRBHAY: Once Aditya-L1 reaches this “parking spot”, it would be able to orbit the Sun at the same rate as the Earth. From this position, it’ll be able to watch the Sun constantly – even when it is hidden during an eclipse – and carry out lots of scientific studies.
ADHYANT: But before being launched towards L1 it will travel several times around the Earth.
NIRBHAY: I think it’s so cool that we will soon get to learn so much more about the star that all our lives depend upon.
ADHYANT: Yeah, and this just a few days after India’s Chandrayaan 3 made a historic landing near the Moon’s south pole.
NIRBHAY: India’s space research organization is sure making us all proud.
ADHYANT: Reporting from Bangalore – which is also ISRO’s headquarters – this is Adhyant
NIRBHAY: and Nirbhay signing off.
MAMA: Thanks a lot, you guys. And news just in the Chandrayaan 3 expedition is exceeding expectations too. Just as the lunar day was coming to an end and the Vikram lander was about to go to sleep, mission control decided – since it had enough fuel to see if it could do a little hop off the ground. And it did! So, next time it wants to return to Earth with soil samples or something… like even an astronaut!… it could hop back up into space and return home. Okay, it was only a little hop this time… But even that takes tons of math intelligence to make it happen. Impressive!
WORLD WRAP STING – LEELA: “What’s that? I’ll tell you what. That’s the halftime bell! Which means… it’s time to hear what’s making news around the rest of the world. Hold on tight, it’s around the world in 80 seconds.”
MAMA: In the US the former leader of the far-right group, the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio is jailed for 22 years for his part as a ringleader in the attack on the US Capitol. This is the longest sentence handed down in the January 6th in 2021 attacks.
It’s official, the world has just experienced the hottest summer since weather records began in 1940. This is unlikely to let those still facing heat waves around the world feel any better though.
Off the coast of Australia three men on board an inflatable catamaran were rescued from the sea after “several shark attacks” left their vessel partially sunk off Australia’s northeastern coast.
And a US teenager and her teacher unearthed a 34-million-year-old skull of a whale from her family’s Alabama timber farm. They were digging as part of a summer school project, since the high school student had already found fossilized shark teeth there.
LEELA: Well, thank you so much for that whippity-whappity-zippity-zappity wrap of what’s making headlines elsewhere in the world, Mama.
MAMA: My pleasure. And now to a new segment, “Slang Explained.” This one is for adults and children alike.
LEELA: Maybe more for adults to be honest.
MAMA: Well, you say that. But how often have you heard some weird phrase from a new kid in school who’s maybe come from another city or even country or just picked up something an older sibling has said, and you’ve wondered, what does that even mean?
LEELA: Yeah, you’re right. Or like hearing some new phrases over and over on a video. But, you know, usually we – as in kids – we figure it out.
MAMA: That’s true. Which is why this segment is not just about defining the slang word but telling the story behind it. Like “Rick Roll,” which is so bizarre and fascinating story.
LEELA: So true. But that’s next month’s phrase mama.
MAMA: Yes. I’m getting ahead of myself. So – without further ado – here’s the story behind slay.
MUSIC
MAMA: So, we all know the word slay literally – or denotatively.
LEELA: Aah, whatty?
MAMA: Ah well – here are two great words for you to impress your English teachers with: denotative means the main dictionary definition of the word, not the ideas or feelings or new meanings associated with it. That’s the connotative definition of a word. I always remember it because denotative starts with a D like dictionary. Denotative is the main dictionary definition, while connotative is the latest understanding of a word. So denotatively slay means to kill someone.
LEELA: And rather dramatically, as in “go, slay the dragons!”
MAMA: But connotatively it means…
LEELA: Well, so many things! But mostly, cool, sick, wicked, righteous – you get the drift.
MAMA: So, the question is when did this evolution of the word take place? Well, it’s not a relatively recent phenomenon, but it goes all the way back to the 1970s in Harlem, New York – specifically the LGBTQ Black and Latine drag queen dancers’ scene. Basically, they had these private nightclubs, which they referred to as “houses” where they held beauty pageants and balls or dances.
LEELA: And a little like the expression, “You’re killing it,” when you crush the competition in something or just do something really well, slay was born in these Harlem LGBTQ houses.
MAMA: Exactly, So, when someone looked or danced amazingly, they would be told,
LEELA: “You slayed it!” or “you look so slay”
MAMA: Which became popular again in early 90s with a movie about the whole scene called Paris is Burning.
LEELA: But… fast-forward 25 years…
FASTFORWARD SOUNDS
LEELA: And it came back into popular culture with none other than Beyonce with her 2016 song Formation.
MAMA: Which took slay out of the ballroom houses and into non-queer, feminist conversation which is perhaps why it’s predominantly said by girls and women just about everywhere.
LEELA: Even India! Slay.
MAMA: And that’s the very colorful story of this slang word. So – what do you think? Did you like this new segment? Was it slay?
LEELA: Well, why not send us a note and say so. Better still – why don’t YOU suggest some “slay” slang – either words or phrases – you’d like explained!
MAMA: Great idea. You can send an email to us at contact@newsypooloozi.com. Or of course shout out to us on any of our social media outlets @newsypooloozi.
LEELA: That’s Newsy Pooloozi like a swimming pool, because we are a news pool for kids, of course.
That’s: n-e-w-s-y p-o-o-l-o-o-z-i.
[SOURCE: https://dailycal.org/2022/06/26/the-origins-of-slay
Understand the origins of ‘slay’ before using it in your vocabulary
https://www.distractify.com/p/what-does-slay-mean]
MAMA: And finally, let’s see what the lucky dip machine has for us this week.
ODDBALL STING – VARIOUS VOICES: “Step right up, step right up… Have a go at the lucky dip machine… What’s it gonna be today, eh? An oddball, no doubt!”
LEELA: Well, this story takes the cake, as the saying goes. Or, actually, I should say takes the gravy! Or actually, now that I think about it, this story brings a new meaning to the expression of exasperation, “good gravy!”
MAMA: Excuse me? What exactly have you the oddball machine spit ou this week?
LEELA: Well, it’s more slippery than spitty, but no less weird or gross. Yes, I’m talking about wrestling in a pool of…… gravy.
MAMA: Gravy – like the stuff you put on meat and potatoes?
LEELA: Or in a curry. Yes. The gloopy stuff, which most people enjoy eating. But some rather foolish folks from a corner of the world known for its eccentricities… especially in the name of raising money for charity… yes, I’m talking about the British, they enjoy wrestling around in the stuff.
MAMA: OK, what?
LEELA: Yep. Let’s cut across to none other than Jackson Hosking, our UK correspondent, for the details.
JACKSON: Thanks, Leela.
Hundreds of people flocked to a small English village up in the county of Lancashire for a wrestling tournament…with a twist.
Yes, this was wrestling all right.
But NOT as we normally know it.
For a start, the contestants all had to wear fancy dress – as in, put on some sort of costume or, well, fancy dress.
But – as you know – that’s not the weird bit.
No, it was the temporary and rather large pool set up in the back of a pub that was filled with GRAVY that was a… little… odd.
Even for Britain, a country that hosts a wide range of crazy competitions – from an annual toe-wrestling championship to a cheeseball rolling contest.
The 15th annual World Gravy Wrestling Championship contestants included an Elvis impersonator and a woman dressed as an Italian mobster.
The event is a knockout style competition where the winner of each 2-minute bout is decided by three judges.
But they’re not just judged on their wrestling ability, oh no.
Extra points are given not only for their fancy dress, but their comedic timing and, well, just how entertaining they were.
Of course, like most kooky competitions in the UK, this wacky wrestling is all done in the name of… yes… raising money for charity.
It remains unclear just how the gravy tasted.
But so far, no contestant has complained that it was too lumpy.
The same, however, can’t be said about the wrestlers…!
In England, eating gravy – and certainly NOT wrestling in it – I’m Jackson Hosking, reporting for Newsy Pooloozi.
LEELA: I should think not! Thanks a lot, Jackson for that, uh, disgustingly delectable report!
MAMA: Well, you know life is good if you can waste tasty gravy on that! It’s all gravy, as the saying goes.
LEELA: Uh, excuse me? That’s a saying?
MAMA: Yes, in England. And in case you need THIS slang explained – that’s a phrase from a traditional English saying that compares ordinary life to meat and potatoes, while the luxuries are gravy.
[SOURCE: ODD: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-66645681
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJqZJE0W38U&t=93s]
FAB FACTS STING – LEELA: “And it’s time to wrap up the podcast with the top five fab facts heard today. Here goes…”
MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 1 – World leaders are meeting in New Delhi, India this week for the G20 annual summit. What year did the G20 form?
1999
LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 2 – And what’s the G in G20 stand for anyway?
G stands for Group – Group of 20
MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 3 – But before G20, which is mainly set up to discuss global economies, a smaller club was created as a place for the most powerful countries to discuss peace and politics. What’s the name?
First if was G6, then G7, then G8, and now G7 again.
LEELA: FAB FACT NUMBER 4 – The India Space Research Organization just launched Aditya L1 – its first observation mission to the Sun. What’s Aditya mean?
It’s one of the names for the Hindu God of Sun
MAMA: FAB FACT NUMBER 5 – The word slay has become so popular it has a new, slang meaning that’s different from its denotative meaning. What’s denotative mean?
The main dictionary definition of the word, not the ideas or feelings or new meanings associated with the word.
And if you’re an educator and you want to test your kids’ listening skillsor you just wanna test yourself… then have a look at our quiz online. Go to the Lucky Dip page of our website, newsypooloozi.com, that’s pool-o-o-z-i, and let the kids take this quiz online or surprise them with an in-class pop quiz!
LEELA: And that almost brings us to the end of this episode of Newsy Pooloozi! But first…
MAMA: For those of you who like to listen to storytelling podcasts – we have one for you!
LEELA: And for those who don’t – why the heck not? They’re great! They got me through the lockdown, let me tell you…
MAMA: And here’s one that – like us at Newsy Pooloozi – has an international flavor as its stories are from all over the world…
PLAY STORYPILLAR PROMO (not transcribed)
http://www.storypillar.com
THEME MUSIC
LEELA: If you enjoyed this dip in the coolest pool of news and information then HIT that subscribe button on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Alexa or wherever you get your podcasts.
MAMA: While you’re at it… Give us a good rating. Or better still, leave us a review! Go on – we’ll read it out loud if you do… One last thing – we have a retraction to the 630 people who immediately downloaded our Space Race episode before we were able to correct our first fab fact – when I said the largest island in Hawaii is reeling from the devastation of wildfires… The answer was Maui but that should have been Maui – the second largest island.
LEELA: Ooops – well, good for correcting that, Mama.
MAMA: Indeed.
LEELA: Alrighty then, see you next week in the happy, splashy giant Newsy Pooloozi!
-ends-
