Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-24
Behind the Mictophone
BY THE RADIO EDITOR.
IKE all great institutions, ra-
dio has contributed it's share

|v IKE all great institutions, ra-
dio has contributed it's share
to the speech of the modern
- age, While it may not as
yet claim a fully understood lam
guage, it has introduced many
new words into the everyday vo-
cabulary. And likewise it has CIV
en- an entirely new meaning TO
dozens of other words and phrases.
Listeners themselves have coined
many of the new radio words and
terms. Others have been origi-
mated by radio engineers and pro-
gram sponsors.
The word radio itself was very
little used not many years ago.
Broadcast is another word with
which the public has become &C
quainted in the last few years.
Both may now be found in the
dictionary, but they are seldom
looked up" so familiar is the
public with their meaning.
FrequencieS and kilocycleS also
are regular part of the verbal
intercourse, while microphone and
it's abbreviation, mike" is as we'll
known as milk and eggs. When
one mentioned "hookup" a few
years ago, it usually referred to
fastening a woman's dress. Today
it has no other meaning than
afflliation of two or more broad
casting stations in network -
network being more or less new
word.
A radio fan has many names
for any distortion or sound in the
receiver, which, as a rule, usually
comes under the general heading
of static-unknown before the ad-
vent of broadcasting. But when
he becomes specific the fan. among
other things, talks of fading
blasting" and "barreling."
In addition to these and many
other terms in common use by the
estimated 100000 radio listen
ers, the newest worldwide indus
try has developed hundreds of
technical terms. Many of these,
now in use by only those who
make radio broadcaSting possible,
will undoubtedly find their way
into the dictionary.
X y X
Many stories in connection with
the epochal broadcasting of Presi-
dent Hoover'S inaugural cere-
monies continue to drift into
Washington from all sections IF
the country, some of them in
tensely humorous and others of a
serious nature.
The latest is told by Washing
ton newspaper man, who received
a letter from his mother in Indi-
ana, describing how effective the
radio annOuncers had been in inn
pressing on her that rain was
drenching the inaugural process
sion and the spectators along the
line of march.
The mother of this reporter said
she heard the word rain" used so
often that before leaving the
house at the close of the inaugural
broadcast she donned a raincoat
and golosheS even though the sun
was shining as it does shine in In
diana on an early March after
noon.
A bird virtuoso with repertoire
of 300 songs is the latest artist ex-
traordinary to be signed up by the
National Broadcasting Co. A Sec
ond bird has been taken on as ac-
companist and underStudy.
blue Boy and big Boy" are
the names of this new pair of ra-
dio artists. Blue Boy" is said to
be a skilled soloist and virtuoso,
but he is not blue in color Ac-
cording to the N. B. c. he is indigo
in heritage and a thoroughbred
"Black Forest Roller" A "roller. y
lest you should not know, is bird
that purls his notes, permitting
them to reverberate in a liquid
sort of trill. He is of higher Or
der than the chopper"
big Boy" who is just young
ster, is slightly obstreperous and
chops on occasion, particularly
when he reSents change in the
theme of a composition. He also