Going Gangbusters on Personal Health and More

 Main Topic: The Word "Gangbusters"

• The episode centers on the meaning, usage, and origin of the word "gangbusters," prompted by a listener request.
• The hosts initially discuss their own understanding, associating "gangbusters" with something that is very successful, energetic, or goes "all out."
• Dictionary definitions are referenced:
  • (1) A police officer or person who breaks up criminal gangs.
  • (2) Something very successful or performed exceptionally well.
• The term is noted as informal and primarily North American in usage.

Etymology and Historical Usage

• "Gangbusters" originated from a popular 1930s–1950s radio show called "Gangbusters," famous for its dramatic, loud sound effects designed to create excitement.
• The phrase "like gangbusters" became associated with the show's energy and abruptness, later generalizing to describe anything that starts or progresses quickly and strongly.
• Usage of the word increased sharply from the 1940s through the 2000s, according to Ngram data.

Modern Usage and Personal Examples

• The hosts discuss how "gangbusters" is used today, primarily to describe high-energy, successful outcomes.
• They mention going "gangbusters" in their own lives in June, focusing on:
  • Learning musical instruments
  • Studying Japanese using Duolingo, and discussing challenges with articles, gender, and sentence structure in Japanese compared to English.
  • Adopting healthy habits, such as:
    • Using the Bloom device to reduce smartphone distractions
    • Starting the keto diet (with variations between hosts)
    • Implementing morning workouts and cold showers
    • Taking supplements like magnesium and ashwagandha for sleep and health
    • Aiming for earlier bedtimes.
• The hosts note their "all or nothing" personalities, often making multiple life changes at once.

Additional Discussion

• The episode touches on the differences in language learning, particularly the nuances of Japanese grammar and the impact of using non-native speakers in language apps.
• The hosts reflect on the need for tools like Bloom to manage digital habits and the importance of modeling healthy behaviors for their children.

Conclusion

• The episode provides both an exploration of the word "gangbusters" and a personal update on the hosts' efforts to make positive, energetic changes in various aspects of their lives during June.

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Any views expressed on this podcast are those solely of the hosts and is for entertainment purposes only. None of the content is medical advice or financial advice.

Special thanks to Tim Wright aka CoLD SToRAGE for his permission to use the song Operatique.

Transcript

I Hate Talking: 0:29

Welcome to episode 62 of I Hate Talking. Hi everyone. Now, this particular word or phrase of the episode comes from a listener request and that word is gangbusters, gangbusters. So we have not looked up this word and I have some idea of the definition. But perhaps I'll let you go first and you can give your thoughts on the word gangbusters and what it means. Yeah, I mean, just from context, I feel like I only hear it when people are like, this party went off like gangbusters. Like, it went off really big and really successful, or very popular or positive. Yeah, that's good. I think that's actually perhaps even a better definition that what came to my mind because what comes to my mind is not necessarily a definition itself, but more of synonyms and those synonyms are other phrases like all out or full tilt or that you're going with reckless abandoned. So probably not great definitions in and of themselves, but really just describing gangbusters with other phrases that have that similar intent. Yes, like you said, something that goes off with a Largeness to it or a positive outcome. So, that is what comes to my mind when the term gangbusters is used. Can you use it in any other way than that, like going off in like Game busters? I guess from like the literal perspective if you're like a police officer and you're busting gangs or something. Right. Cause even when I was giving my idea, I was like, no, this can't be right. I guess game busting, breaking up games is positive. So, we did look this up in the dictionary and it does appear in the Oxford language dictionary, which did surprise me, however, there is a note here in the definition. That it is an informal term used by North America. OK. So the definition given according to the Oxford language dictionary is #1, a police officer or other person who takes part in breaking up criminal gangs. OK, yeah. Or #2, very successful. So, to continue on that, it gives more information that it is a term that means to be very successful or to perform exceptionally well. And it makes sense, right? Like, if the police were to break up again. Be so that they don't hurt anyone. That is successful and very positive. Do other countries use the word gain like we do? Am I saying it right? Can other people understand the word I'm saying? Gang, I think so. OK. I would suppose that other countries that are English speaking would use the word gang. I think that would be. Maybe somewhat use more within. American English than quote unquote standard English, but I think that other English speakers across the world would be familiar with the term gang as like a group of people and maybe Of ill repute. OK. So the Ngram viewer on Gangbusters shows that this was really only used in the 1940s and then during the 1950s, 1960s, really all the way up through 2000, had a very steep incline and then it sort of is flat since that time. So not a very old word per se, but actually got a lot of popularity. In a very steep incline from 1950 to 2000. So it started, like you said in the 40s. Correct. Yeah, it looks actually, if I zoom in to the time period, it looks like 1930 would have actually been the very start of the incline. 1930 to like 1950 and then it sort of flattens out and then 1960 it takes off through the 2000s. Is that kind of when like quote unquote games took place? I think of like the newsies or like all those kind of, you know, read all about it, you know, like the guy on the corner with the newspapers and stuff, like all those old school kind of games, that would be around that time frame, right? Or am I mistaken? Yeah, I think Gangs of New York would have been around that time as well, so perhaps, but that is actually, according to the research that we did right now, not the origin of gangbusters. What is it? So it actually came about because of a radio show. OK. So there was a popular radio show in the 1930s that aired from the 1930s to the late 1950s, known as Gangbusters, and it was known for dramatic and abrupt sound effects, especially at the beginning of each episode, such as police sirens, gunshots, and other loud noises. which were intended to create a sense of drama and excitement, and then basically that phrase gangbusters or quote unquote like gangbusters became associated with that show's energy and suddenness of its use of sound effects, and then it later became generalized to describe any situation that starts or progresses quickly and strongly. And then like we read in the definition of the modern usage where it is referring to something that is done as a success or something that is done exceptionally well, but I think does still have a lot of those same things in mind with a high energy or abruptness perhaps as well. Right, yeah, like the shock, like, oh, that was very successful. I'm very shocked. Indeed, so that is the etymology of the word gangbusters. It actually is completely derived from the name of the radio show. Interesting. OK, so how can we use it in modern day? Well, perhaps someday, I hate Talking will be just a phrase that people use to indicate that they like talking about words and phrases and etymology and a variety of random subjects. When it's sort of counterintuitive that I hate talking would be a phrase to indicate that because perhaps really they do love talking. All right. But in terms of how gangbusters would be used today, I think it really would be perhaps some of that high energy successful outcome. But I don't really use that particular word in everyday usage, but at least maybe we know a little bit more now about what it means and where it comes from when someone else uses that particular term. Yeah. So we are going gangbusters in the month of June. We alluded to some of those things, or at least one of those things in our last episode with you beginning to learn guitar and all of our kids learning some form of instrument for the summer break. So that is one of the things that we're going gangbusters on and then perhaps learning languages is something that I'm catching up on, but You and our oldest have been involved with for the last few months or even longer. Yeah, I mean, it's been several years, but like intentionally very purposefully daily. It's been a couple months now, and we're learning Japanese, and it is so hard, and it's really fun. It's starting to click in some ways. I'm learning enough, I, I can't carry conversation. But I'm learning enough now that I can say a phrase in the appropriate context. And so that's exciting. Indeed. So, and I started that process, I guess 2 or 3 weeks ago now and have been trying to catch up with you and our oldest. So, For that particular thing, we are all using Duolingo, which seems to be beneficial so far and learning some words and a little bit of phraseology, but I'm really just on the vocabulary stage right now, I suppose. And I still don't understand articles. I don't understand when they translated it with a or the versus the article not being present at all. It looks the exact same to me on. Whether it shows up or not. Well, I think it's gonna make more sense as you're going on. You haven't learned like Adamson, like, you haven't learned that yet, right? Not all of that, but No, I hear some of these words in there, but I don't understand the structure or articles. So we should just move on because I'm not an expert either. But when you're talking about like the articles, it's very different from our English because There and those. And um here, like those sort of words are all very different. And whether that word there is present, will mean whether like the word A is present in English. It's not there in their language. We have to add it to English to make it sense. Does that make sense? I suppose so. I'll have to find an example where like the exact same phrase is sometimes translated as she's this thing and then where it's translated as he's a this thing. Yeah, OK, I'm could be super wrong. I don't think they differentiate between he and she. And that is confusing. It's like, when I've even asked our kid about it who's farther along, he's like, you just do it from context. So, OK. And that may actually be the difference because I think all of the examples that I think of that I get wrong in this article issue is a difference in gender. Hm, interesting. They might run, so maybe not because I don't believe I've ever gotten a gender one, Ron. But there's a different thing like the word son. So Adamson, right? That's your name? But if I translated to English, you would just say Adam. Yes, I did notice that, that you don't use the song to refer to yourself. But do you know that if you're using someone's last name? You would do their last name and then son, and then that translates to mister last name or Mrs last name. Interesting. It sort of makes sense. It actually probably has some. Positives and things that it does better in Japanese than English, but other things that are not. And then the other thing I do like super fast about Japanese, when you're learning it is a lot ending this, like, basically, you put that down. After every sentence, and it's like the period almost like done this or discuss, and then that's a question mark instead. And I like that visual, because you're a visual person, I guess, right? Or is that my auditory? I don't know. I like how you can hear the actual question mark or period based on whether it's a question or sentence. That's true. That would be more appropriate as a benefit to you as an auditory learner. Probably doesn't make much difference to me, but I think that is a thing that is true for a lot of Asian languages where that will be sort of the end of the sentence as sort of the whatever you're describing that type of subject. For us, we do a by inflection, right? If you're speaking. And you ask a question. You know, it's a question cause my voice went up. But in their language, in Japanese, you know, it's a question because you ask the ka at the end. I suppose so. That is something I have to pay attention to to see if they use any type of inflection because there certainly are still inflections within. Japanese speaking, but probably different than English. Right, because I mean I'm I am enjoying Duolingo, I think it's good. But they're not native Japanese speakers that are we're listening to. I think that's gonna impact. Our learning overall in real life. Probably true. So that is something that we are going gangbusters on with the musical instruments and learning languages and then probably you don't even know this, but I'm going gangbusters on a bunch of different, hopefully healthy habits, some of those you are doing at the same time. So, for example, we are now using Bloom for our personal mobile devices as a Way to try to reduce screen time and distractions from said mobile devices and you may have heard of Bloom, there's other similar things that are out there. One of the more popular ones is called Brick, but it's basically a physical object that you scan with your phone and then that locks. Whatever applications you have selected or scheduled so that you can literally not access them. Mhm. Yeah, we can still use our phones for phone calls or text messages. Uh, yeah, you choose what apps. are distracting, and it helps me cause often I'll sit down and I'll have a moment or two. A free time, and I pull up my phone, and how many times I've gone to like Instagram or something, and then it won't let me click on it. And then I do something else that's more productive instead. Indeed, and I'm still in the early phases of using it, but I do have a mode on there that I call essential and it basically limits my smartphone to that of a 1990s flip phone style phone where I can basically do call and text. I do have some of the other things that are related to security and things like that, emergency services, yes, all that still turned on, but. Essentially turns my smartphone into a flip phone. Yeah. I mean, it's kind of sad in a way that we need these items, cause we're so addicted to these apps. But I was trying to tell our kids recently, they didn't like that I was putting a lemon on their video game. And I understand you want to keep playing. But like, my job is to protect you and your brain. And I'm like, I also have to protect my brain, and this is the way I'm having to do it is by bloom. Precisely. So another example of another thing that we are going gangbusters on and doing some monumental change and then I think you're doing keto, I'm doing keto. Started out with basically the egg diet, supplemented with some salt and nuts to get to the ketogenic diet and then trying to adhere to that. For at least a month of June, there's some camping that we have going on that may preclude that diet for those particular days, but other than that, trying to adhere to the keto diet for the foreseeable future. Yeah, I'm doing keto too. It's been a couple of years since I've done it, and I'm not doing exactly the same format you are, cause y'all, I don't like eggs. I like our chickens, I don't like eggs. So, I didn't go through the egg diet routine, which is easier to get into ketosis. So it'll take me longer, but I am staying within my macros and no carbs, like no bread, and Rice and all that. Indeed. And then I've also set an alarm for daily workouts to wake up early and start doing morning workouts. Yeah, I was confused the first time it happened. I was like, I thought you just had an early meeting at work. Usually you tell me if you do. And I was awake, but I was kind of just laying in bed, slowly waking up. And you got up. I thought that was weird. And normally you go shower, but instead, you went into our gym and I was concerned something was wrong, and so I went and looked and you were working out and I'm so proud of you. And not because he doesn't work out, y'all, but waking up early and doing that is a sacrifice for you. Yes, that is true. I am certainly not a morning person. And then speaking of showers, followed that workout with cold showers. Did you? Oh, that's horrible. Do you like it? Yeah, I actually still retained some. Ability to do it -- and -- a cold shower. With no heated water and actually our shower dial doesn't even really. Get that precise. So you have to like be like really careful. You have to turn it like just a tiny 1/8 of an inch to get just full cold. But that is something that I have done in the past and apparently still have some ability to do it because it actually wasn't that bad the first time that I did it in the month of June. Did you ease into it, like your feet first or something, or did you just like full body, head to toe? Now, I usually do body and then ease into the head. That is another thing. And then Haven't done this completely and routinely yet, but trying to take some magnesium and Ashawaga as part of the bedtime routine for the sleep benefits and some of the heavy metal cleansing and other benefits of those particular supplements. So, lots of things, I guess I'm going gangbusters with my health in the month of June. Yeah. I think it's also our personality. We're like all or nothing type of people. So, we're like we're gonna change something. Let's change it all up, makes it all around. That's true. So, and then I guess accordingly, I'm trying to go to bed earlier as well, so that that supports the Early morning routine and then bloom will help with that because basically my phone gets. Essentially turned off except for, like I said, the critical communication features and emergency services -- at 10 p.m. -- Yeah, well, that's so weird because anyone who knows me personally knows I don't stay up late. I just can't do it. But with this job I have with the community, I've been staying up way later than normal lately because I'm responding to people and doing the work. And so that's pushed me far out of my comfort zone, like, I just have to do it, so I'm staying up late to get it done. And several nights now, I've been up later than you, and that's super rare. Because you're going to bed even, maybe not as early as I normally go to bed. But normally you're up way later than this, and you're going to bed. So it's almost this weird sensation. Most of our marriage, you always stay up later than me. So, it's a weird dynamic we have now of you going to bed first. And even on some days waking up before you. Yeah, you woke up. That's really switching it around. It's not bad, but it's different than we've ever had before. So, that's my list of things. Anything else that you're doing in your personal life to go gangbusters this month or in the future? You're doing summer smarts, that's something that's different, I guess. Oh yeah, that's just a catchy phrase I created, so our kids won't walk at summer school. So you created that? Yeah, that phrase, do we need to trademark it? Is it going to become famous now? I was like, wait, what? Didn't I? I don't know. I don't think I heard it anywhere. I think I created it myself. I'm sure somebody -- trademark -- trademarks. I don't think I took it from anyone. I just was writing our calendar down and put that down. So in summer smarts, no one can have electronics or TV. Or anything like that until they're done. Some of our kids are working on cursive, at different levels like advanced cursive or immediate or a beginner. And then our youngest is just printing. So, they have sheets they have to do for cursive for printing work. We have safety and we're going through as a family, which is like fire safety, safety around others, you know, just like a general, uh there's a whole bunch of different units, and our musical instruments. And I'm making everyone journal. I'm giving them a question, and they have to write or draw a picture based on their age of the question, like, what was your favorite thing about vacation? And then they have to write about that. And then we do the rating. And our library is doing an event right now about different cultures, and if you study for different cultures, they created passports, and you have to fill it out and turn it in for a prize. And so we've been doing that too. So, right now we're learning about France and filling all that out. For our French passport punch. So, those are our summer smarts, and I know our kids are a little bummed. They're trying to talk me down, saying that it's summer, but we're in a routine now. I think they've accepted that this is what we're doing. And there's no math involved, so I think they're happy. Well there you go. So, I guess one final thing that I can think of for the month of June, our church is doing 30 days of prayer and a fast at the end of the month, which is something new that I don't know if we've done in a long time in any of our religious particular. Interactions, but We are doing a particular prayer topic each day for the month of June, and then that will conclude with a day of fasting followed by. A party and eating because like good Baptists, they always have food at the particular events. So we're gonna fast and then we're gonna feast. Indeed, and I think it'd be the kids' first time attempting that now that they're old enough to be able to do it fast. Yeah, I don't think we've ever had them fast before. We've been talking to them about it since then. And prepping them. Different ages have different uh requirement. Obviously, they're kids, so we're not gonna say fast fully, that would be healthy for them, but we have different requirements for different kids' ages and their capabilities. So yeah, I think as we're talking about it and why, why do we fast and what's fast mean and stuff, I think it's gonna be a really good experience for them. Precisely, so, certainly no fast food on fasting day. Which is hard. I feel like in the past when we have passed, that would be a tendency to do, because that way you don't have to cook. And think about food, just stop and get food somewhere for them, and then you and I fast. But having it actually be a full family event now, I think it's good, but it's gonna be another level of challenging when they're saying they're hungry or they want something special to eat. I'm hungry and want something neat too. Precisely. So those are some of the things that we are doing this particular month to go gangbusters, so to speak. So perhaps you've gotten some inspiration and perhaps plan on doing one or many of those things as well, or you would like to hear more about our personal experience with any of these particular topics and if that's the case, you can always leave a comment, send us a text or send us an email. Mhm. So, from your friends at I hate Talking, until next time, remember, it is only through talking that we begin the journey to understanding.