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Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

HTDE: Crushes and Smells

15 Apr 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.031 - 19.677 Unknown

We've all been there. Maybe somebody tells you too much about the twist ending of a movie, or they tell you who dies at the end. In other words, you've run into a spoiler. How should you handle spoilers? And what even counts as a spoiler? We'll tell you how we handle spoilers as critics on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour. Listen via the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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21.563 - 37.447 Peter Sagal

Hey guys, it's Peter once again in your Wait, Wait feed. I am so pleased to present to you another episode of How to Do Everything by Wait, Wait producers Ian and Mike. Now remember, you can only get these episodes of How to Do Everything in our feed for a short while.

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37.507 - 48.364 Peter Sagal

So if you love the kind of mysteries that Mike and Ian are revealing, make sure you subscribe to How to Do Everything at their own feed. Thanks. Hey Liesl, what can we help you with?

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48.58 - 51.805 Liesl

Well, let me get Darcy. Hang on a second. She's the one with the question.

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52.185 - 52.947 Mike Danforth

Okay.

53.047 - 55.711 Liesl

Make sure we can get into a spot where you can hear us all right.

60.638 - 64.304 Unknown

Is she getting Darcy out of the back of a cupboard?

64.544 - 69.772 Liesl

Okay. She just ran in here. All right, Darcy, do you want to introduce yourself and tell Mike and Ian what your question is?

70.773 - 75.28 Darcy

I'm Darcy, and my question is, how do you tell a boy that you like him?

Chapter 2: How can I tell my crush that I like them?

200.351 - 205.979 Unknown

That's right. And that is, like, a thing to sort of go into it with. Because bravery is, like, everything.

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209.704 - 212.007 Mike Danforth

Okay. Did you want us to call Aiden right now?

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212.027 - 213.289 Unknown

Yeah, do you want us to just call him?

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213.329 - 214.11 Mike Danforth

We'll do it.

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215.457 - 217.232 Liesl

Do you have his phone number? No.

219.389 - 226.72 Unknown

Good. Wait, was that no, you don't have his phone number? Or no, you don't want Mike and Ian to call him? Both of them would be fine.

226.74 - 228.042 Darcy

Both of those things.

228.062 - 233.69 Mike Danforth

Yeah, okay. Good. Darcy, I see really good judgment here. You're making all the right calls.

233.73 - 264.17 Unknown

All right, we are going to see if we can find somebody who can help Darcy find love. But in the meantime, I have a question that I have been wondering about recently. Can a smell get stuck in your nose? Yeah. I know what you're talking about. I've been there. You smell a smell, and then you get away from the smell, and you're still kind of smelling it. Claire Dumarc is online with us now.

Chapter 3: What advice is given for expressing feelings to a crush?

379.388 - 381.192 Claire Dumarc

It seems to be more something like this.

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381.452 - 391.551 Mike Danforth

Can I ask, Ian, can I ask you a question? What is the smell when you think about this? Because I feel like I'm going to guess what it is, but why don't you tell us what it is?

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391.868 - 404.315 Unknown

I can't actually remember what made me start thinking about this, but I think what Mike is referring to is I have a child who is still in diapers.

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404.635 - 405.076 Mike Danforth

Exactly.

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405.357 - 429.814 Unknown

Yeah. Occasionally, you will change a diaper, and half an hour later, you will think... Did I do the job as well as I thought I did? And you find that you did. And so this made me wonder, is it hanging out in my nose? And now I know it was just the trauma of changing the diapers.

429.834 - 434.139 Ian Chillag

So it does happen most of the time for unpleasant odor, unfortunately. Yeah.

434.159 - 435.441 Unknown

Yeah. Yeah.

435.461 - 454.377 Mike Danforth

Yeah. Earlier, Claire, you said that you were I think you were joking that a small molecule of smell would be hiding in your nose and that it would find it. Is it possible for a molecule of smell somehow be hidden under something or, you know, just be, you know, laying in wait?

455.437 - 461.288 Claire Dumarc

No, it is not possible that a molecule hide in your nose and wait to arrive.

Chapter 4: What signs indicate that a crush might like me back?

585.667 - 588.972 Claire Dumarc

Thank you.

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603.059 - 617.58 Mike Danforth

Hey, if you have any questions or if anything's lingering in your nose, like the cesspool that is Ian's two nostrils, go ahead and send it to us. Send it to us as a question at howtoatnpr.org.

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618.221 - 627.675 Unknown

It's the reason why our promos, our calls for questions need to be hurtful. But whatever gets you sending those emails so that we can help you as soon as possible.

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628.476 - 636.601 Mike Danforth

I'm sorry I did that. That's not fair. Your nose is terrific. And I'm sure it smells good. I'm sure your nose smells good.

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636.621 - 654.862 Unknown

I will also say howtoatnpr.org. Our email has been flooded with many, many of you trying to help out Kevin and Rebecca, the people we helped out last week who had a mysterious blanket and sheet mystery.

655.022 - 662.871 Mike Danforth

Both. Most of you or a lot of you are suggesting they get two separate sheets, separate comforters or separate blankets.

663.131 - 683.353 Unknown

This is a good solution. I just want to say some names. I'm just going to go through the email box. People that wrote in either with kind words for Kevin and Rebecca or a solution. We heard from Mara. We heard from Nina, Christina, Katie, Kitsie. Got it. I was about to say Chris, but that's another email. Chris offered no help.

683.333 - 688.181 Mike Danforth

Monica. Did you say Monica yet? So many people. The list is endless.

688.641 - 708.195 Unknown

Jodi, Andrea, there's someone saying, what's wrong with you guys? Anyway, I will say it truly warms the heart to see everyone chipping in to help Kevin and Rebecca. Kevin and Rebecca, I hope you hear from all these people who almost unanimously have decided to You need to get separate blankets.

Chapter 5: How does the psychology of smell affect our perception?

797.992 - 804.06 Darcy

I don't know.

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804.766 - 809.433 Mike Danforth

Yeah. Let me ask you this question, because I know you're in fourth grade, right?

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811.135 - 813.158 Mike Danforth

So do you guys go out and do stuff?

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Chapter 6: Can a smell get stuck in your nose?

813.238 - 817.223 Mike Danforth

Do you go to the movies? Do you go out to dinner? What happens?

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817.724 - 819.707 Darcy

We don't do that stuff.

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819.727 - 819.947 Mike Danforth

Yeah.

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820.608 - 822.711 Darcy

We pass notes to each other in class.

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824.033 - 826.196 Mike Danforth

Really? Do you get in trouble for that? Because you should.

826.216 - 829.801 Darcy

No. We don't get in trouble for that.

830.923 - 831.904 Unknown

Okay. Okay.

832.61 - 835.193 Darcy

Right next to each other, so it's easy.

835.213 - 842.803 Unknown

So is this like, so would you say, are you boyfriend and girlfriend now? Is that how it works?

Chapter 7: What scientific explanations exist for lingering smells?

926.368 - 950.644 Unknown

Is that right? I'm often the only one. Yeah. And I do think that what Claire said about how maybe the reason we love vanilla is because the compounds in vanilla... also exist in breast milk. I feel like that makes me feel a little weird about my preference for vanilla over chocolate ice cream. I don't want to... There's certain bags you don't want unpacked.

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951.065 - 957.454 Mike Danforth

Yeah, I think that's right. That's one of them. That's the kind of information, now that I have it, and I know...

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957.434 - 981.67 Unknown

what you're gonna order the next time we go to the ice cream store i'll just make sure when we're done eating done drinking i'll just bring you over close to just gently burp you i also found interesting what claire told us that when you smell a smell when you inhale a smell your body destroys that smell yeah it tears it apart so it cannot be smelled again

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981.903 - 1001.667 Mike Danforth

Wait, okay, so if that's what's happening and you're in a place where there is a terrible smell, is that the right approach then to just go after it like use your nose like a vacuum cleaner? And just like, this smells terrible. The only way out is through. I got to suck it all in.

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1001.647 - 1012.363 Unknown

and destroy, destroy those bad odors. I like the idea of just taking one for the team. Just, I will inhale all of these molecules. I will destroy them. Yeah.

1012.743 - 1027.305 Mike Danforth

Do you have a match? I just need to get rid of the smell. Don't worry, I got it. Give me a few minutes. Yeah, I am the match. How to Do Everything is produced by Skylar Swenson with technical direction from Lorna White.

1027.665 - 1041.365 Unknown

We also want to tell you to check out the NPR app. That's an application for your telephone. The NPR app brings you the best of public radio personalized for you. The best of public radio and us.

Chapter 8: How do our brains process and eliminate smells?

1041.725 - 1051.678 Mike Danforth

The NPR app has your favorite podcasts, even your local public radio station, and the world's biggest stories. Size-wise, these are the biggest stories.

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1052.239 - 1062.412 Unknown

It's going to be hard to get from one side of the story to the other in a single day. So you're going to want to pack snacks and something to... Sleep in a change of clothes.

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1062.713 - 1063.574 Mike Danforth

Bring a charger.

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1063.834 - 1068.299 Unknown

As you attempt to traverse these almost insurmountably large stories.

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1068.599 - 1074.146 Mike Danforth

Yep, this is going to be huge. You're going to love it. Download the NPR app in your app store today.

1074.626 - 1079.612 Unknown

Exhaustingly large stories from NPR. I'm Ian. And I'm Mike.

1085.058 - 1085.198

Thanks.

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