There was an old lady from Slough
Who developed a terrible cough.
She drank half a pint
Of warm honey and mint,
But, sadly, she didn’t pull through.
(Thanks, Rikki.)
Language
In a Word
muliebrity
n. the state of being a woman
Gesundheit!
Sneezes around the world:
- France: Atchoum!
- Finland: Atsiuh!
- Iceland: Atsjú!
- Sweden: Atjo!
- India: Akchhee!
- Denmark: Atju!
- Netherlands: Hatsjoe!
- Lithuania: Apchi!
- Germany: Hatschie!
- Hungary: Hapci!
- Poland: Apsik!
- Russia: Apchkhi!
- Italy: Etciù!
- Spain: ¡Achís!
- Portugal: Atchim!
- Romania: Hapciu!
- Philippines: Hatsing!
- Japan: Hakushon!
- South Korea: Achee!
- Vietnam: Hát-xì!
See also “Lides to Bary Jade.”
In a Word
exungulate
v. to pare the nails
onychophagy
n. nail-biting
Square Stanza
This verse by Lewis Carroll is remarkable for more than its melancholy:
It can be read both “across” and “down.”
As Advertised
The seven seas contain seven Cs:
A Chemical Compound
What’s unusual about this list of elements?
- Protactinium
- Radium
- Praseodymium
- Oxygen
- Iron
- Sulfur
- Silicon
- Oxygen
- Nitrogen
- Aluminum
- Sulfur
Assemble their symbols and you get PaRaPrOFeSSiONAlS.
Other long “chemistry words”: HYPoThAlAmICoHYPoPHYSeAlS and PNEuMoCYSTiS CArInII PNEuMoNiAs.
In a Word
temulence
n. drunkenness
Civic-Minded
COMMUNICATORIALLY contains COMMUNITY, COUNTRY, COUNTY, and CITY, each in the proper order.
Flash Flood
Write the word RAVINE and advance each letter 13 places through the alphabet, and you’ll get RAVINE spelled backward:
