Scott’s boyfriend had discovered the perfect way to annoy him
Working from home had apparently left Scott’s boyfriend with time to develop one extremely effective habit.
Whatever Scott said, the answer came back:
“You like that, don’t you?”
Scott mentioned waking up.
“You like waking up, don’t you?”
He ate Crunchy Nut.
“You like Crunchy Nut, don’t you?”
He washed up.
“You like washing up, don’t you?”
The phrase could attach itself to literally anything.
Scott knew his boyfriend was now doing it because it irritated him.
That made it impossible to stop.
Weird compliments became the day’s main theme
The previous show had introduced the idea of somebody being described as “long”.
Now listeners supplied more compliments which sounded positive only after several seconds of analysis.
Hannah’s fiancée had called her sturdy while they watched rugby.
The intention was that Hannah looked strong and capable.
The result sounded more like an evaluation of a tree or a garden shed.
Hannah was still unsure whether to say thank you.
Goofy was technically affectionate
Cameron had been called goofy by somebody he was dating.
The person insisted it meant cute and funny.
Cameron could only picture Disney’s Goofy, complete with teeth and cartoon mannerisms.
Scott argued that a goofy sense of humour could be attractive.
That did not make the word feel any more romantic.
Rugged sounded like outdoor equipment
Louise had been called rugged.
Scott looked up the definition and found descriptions suggesting something hardcore and capable of surviving extreme conditions.
Chris compared her to a mountain goat.
Again, technically the meaning could be flattering.
The delivery made it sound as though somebody was buying a waterproof boot.
Blow Your Own Trumpet celebrated ordinary victories
Tuesday’s fanfare returned for listeners pleased with themselves.
The feature sat perfectly beside the weird-compliment discussion.
Both were about the same thing:
taking ordinary language and giving it much more importance than anybody else would.
If nobody around you was going to celebrate the small victory properly, Radio 1 would.
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