Hello Cornerites!
Theme: Get in shape!
sumdaze here. Today is shaping up to be another good day thanks to constructor John Michael Currie and his delightful puzzle!
There are four starred clues:
6 Down. *West Wing workplace: OVAL OFFICE. The OVAL OFFICE is located in the West Wing of the White House. 
24. *Pet's post-surgery device, facetiously: CONE OF SHAME. 
28. *Two, to four, e.g.: SQUARE ROOT. The SQUARE ROOT of a number x is a number that, when multiplied by itself, equals the number x. So, in this clue, 2 is a SQUARE ROOT of 4 because 2 x 2=4. Likewise, 3 is a SQUARE ROOT of 9 because 3 x 3=9.
The unifier sketches it out for us:
10 Down. Exceptional physical health, and a feature of the answer to each of this puzzle's starred clues: TIP TOP SHAPE.
Each of these answers is written vertically, making the SHAPE (OVAL, PYRAMID, CONE, SQUARE) appear at the TIP TOP of the answer. I also noticed that two of the shapes are 2-dimensional (oval & square) and the other two shapes are 3-dimensional (pyramid & cone). No outliers. Well done, JMC!
Let's see what else we can round up.
Across:
1. 1997 crime drama "Donnie __": BRASCO. "Osmond" also fit.
1. 1997 crime drama "Donnie __": BRASCO. "Osmond" also fit.
This mob-themed movie starred Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Here is the trailer:
7. Demo stuff: TNT. "Demo" is short for "demolition" and TNT is short for TriNitroToluene.
7. Demo stuff: TNT. "Demo" is short for "demolition" and TNT is short for TriNitroToluene.
Poor Wile E.! His ideas always 'backfire' on him!
10. Egyptian boy king: TUT. I heard he was involved in a PYRAMID SCHEME.
13. Boxing film co-starring Sage Stallone: ROCKY V. "Stallone" told me it would be one of the Rocky films. I was not surprised to learn that Sage is Sylvester's son.
14. Experts: PROS.
15. German pronoun: ICH.
16. Light-sensitive eye layer: RETINA.
17. Mixed breed lapdog: YORKIPOO. They are a cross between a Yorkshire Terrier and a Toy Poodle. They typically weigh 5-15 pounds.
19. Role in a Thanksgiving pageant: PILGRIM.
21. The Rockies, e.g.: Abbr.: MTNS. MounTaiNS
22. Some soft drinks: COCA-COLAS.
25. Hearty steak: T-BONE.
26. Parka part: HOOD.
27. Sibs, 'rents, etc.: FAM. Siblings and parents are FAMily.
28. Dish eaten with a spoon: SOUP. Didn't the dish run away with a spoon?
29. Large coffee dispensers: URNS.
30. Thur. follower: FRI. days of the week
17. Mixed breed lapdog: YORKIPOO. They are a cross between a Yorkshire Terrier and a Toy Poodle. They typically weigh 5-15 pounds.
19. Role in a Thanksgiving pageant: PILGRIM.
21. The Rockies, e.g.: Abbr.: MTNS. MounTaiNS
22. Some soft drinks: COCA-COLAS.
25. Hearty steak: T-BONE.
26. Parka part: HOOD.
 |
| Artic gear, such as the fur-lined PARKA (to the left), is being tested by personnel at the Natick Army Labs, Boston, MA, 1940's. The Complete History of the Parka |
27. Sibs, 'rents, etc.: FAM. Siblings and parents are FAMily.
28. Dish eaten with a spoon: SOUP. Didn't the dish run away with a spoon?
29. Large coffee dispensers: URNS.
30. Thur. follower: FRI. days of the week
 |
| This cat looks like it might eat a Yorkipoo for brekky. |
31. Knightly missions: QUESTS. They say the knight who was only allowed to be on the edge of the round table was Sir Cumference.
34. "Feel Good" creator/star Martin: MAE. ESP for this Netflix-less blogger. more info.
35. Went extinct: DIED OUT.
38. Irrationally afraid: PHOBIC.
In this clip from A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965),
Lucy tries to help Charlie Brown identify his fears. (1 min.)
40. Doo-wop syllable: SHA. In 1957, The Silhouettes released the song Get a Job. It began:
Yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip, bmm
Sha-na-na-na, sha-na-na-na-na-, ahh-do (repeat 3 more times)
Twelve years later, a group of Columbia University students who shared a passion for 1950's Doo-wop formed a group and called themselves Sha Na Na.
41. Frilly fabric: LACE.
42. __ and fortune: FAME.
43. Automobile: CAR.
44. Knowledgeable about: UP ON.
45. Track legend Owens: JESSE.
41. Frilly fabric: LACE.
42. __ and fortune: FAME.
43. Automobile: CAR.
44. Knowledgeable about: UP ON.
45. Track legend Owens: JESSE.
From @Olympics: At the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, JESSE Owens won gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m, and Long Jump -- all in front of the watching Adolf Hitler.
As an African-American athlete, Owens set three world records, shattering Hitler's theories of Aryan superiority.
47. Most cunning: SHREWDEST.
49. Tylenol target: ACHE.
50. Picked up with a toothpick: SPEARED.
51. Honey-glazed entree: ROAST HAM.
53. "Booksmart" director Wilde: OLIVIA. Booksmart is a 2019 teen comedy movie. Looking at the cast list just now, I noticed that an actress named Beanie played a character named Molly and an actress named Molly played a character named Annabelle.
57. Shade tree: ELM.
58. "9-1-1: Lone Star" star Rob: LOWE. This TV show originally aired on FOX in January 2020. Last month they announced that the show has been renewed for a 5th season.
59. Sea creatures with multiple arms: OCTOPI. This link goes to the Giant Pacific Octopus cam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (Note: depending on the hour you visit the site, you might need to scroll down a bit and click the play arrow.)
60. Lousy grade: DEE.
61. Chili __ carne: CON. translates to "with" in English
62. Political nomination, informally: THE NOD.
Down:
1. [Shiver]: BRR.
 |
| Get it? He's a stick figure. Haha! |
2. Caviar: ROE.
3. Step into character: ACT.
4. Click past promos: SKIP ADS. This might be a debut answer. I did not find it on the one sight where I know to look. Perhaps someone can double-check that and let us know.
5. Skeptical sort: CYNIC.
 | |
|
7. Un et deux: TROIS. French 
8. Name shouted on "Cheers": NORM. Three weeks ago I included a "NORM" clip from the 1982-1993 TV show Cheers. Let me see if I can find a different one....
9. Sound of disapproval: TSK.
9. Sound of disapproval: TSK.
11. The Huskies of the NCAA's Big East: UCONN.
12. This and that: THOSE.
18. Fill (with): IMBUE. From M-W dictionary: Like its synonym infuse, imbue implies the introduction of one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. Someone's voice can be imbued with pride, for example, or a photograph might be imbued with a sense of melancholy.
20. Cause of squinting: GLARE. No worries! Put on a pair of cool sunnies! 😎
22. __ change: CHUMP. a small or insignificant amount of money
23. Marine Corps battle cry: OORAH. CSO to Wilbur Charles and DH!
12. This and that: THOSE.
18. Fill (with): IMBUE. From M-W dictionary: Like its synonym infuse, imbue implies the introduction of one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. Someone's voice can be imbued with pride, for example, or a photograph might be imbued with a sense of melancholy.
20. Cause of squinting: GLARE. No worries! Put on a pair of cool sunnies! 😎
22. __ change: CHUMP. a small or insignificant amount of money
23. Marine Corps battle cry: OORAH. CSO to Wilbur Charles and DH!
25. Promote aggressively: TOUT.
32. Food truck snacks: TACOS.
33. Surgical tube: STENT.
35. Thin coin: DIME. See 22D.
36. Catherine of "Best in Show": O'HARA. This movie is my fav of Christopher Guest's mocumentaries. Catherine O'HARA & Eugene Levy play a married couple, Cookie & Gerry Fleck. Here is the 2000 trailer (2 min.) You will likely recognize many of the cast members.
39. Fenway Park corners: BASES. Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, MA. The Red Sox have been playing there since it opened in 1912. It is the oldest park currently in use by a MLB team. BTW, Fenway Park is 21.4 miles away from Natick, MA.
41. Technology shunner: LUDDITE. NPR's Planet Money did an interesting podcast on LUDDITEs. If you are curious, and have some time later today, try this link. It will take you to that episode where you can click the "20-minute listen" icon.
45. "Guns, Germs, and Steel" writer Diamond: JARED. Goodreads link
46. French school: ÉCOLE. I am currently reading The Sympathizer (I think some of you recommended it recently because the author's name was in a puzzle). The word lycée appears often in that book so I patted myself on the back for knowing that one. Bzzzt! Eventually perps recued me. After researching this today, I learned that ÉCOLE is used for all the school years and lycée is more like "high school".
32. Food truck snacks: TACOS.
 |
| While on my bike ride yesterday, I stopped at The Choke Coach to eat artichoke TACOS. |
33. Surgical tube: STENT.
35. Thin coin: DIME. See 22D.
36. Catherine of "Best in Show": O'HARA. This movie is my fav of Christopher Guest's mocumentaries. Catherine O'HARA & Eugene Levy play a married couple, Cookie & Gerry Fleck. Here is the 2000 trailer (2 min.) You will likely recognize many of the cast members.
39. Fenway Park corners: BASES. Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, MA. The Red Sox have been playing there since it opened in 1912. It is the oldest park currently in use by a MLB team. BTW, Fenway Park is 21.4 miles away from Natick, MA.
41. Technology shunner: LUDDITE. NPR's Planet Money did an interesting podcast on LUDDITEs. If you are curious, and have some time later today, try this link. It will take you to that episode where you can click the "20-minute listen" icon.
45. "Guns, Germs, and Steel" writer Diamond: JARED. Goodreads link
46. French school: ÉCOLE. I am currently reading The Sympathizer (I think some of you recommended it recently because the author's name was in a puzzle). The word lycée appears often in that book so I patted myself on the back for knowing that one. Bzzzt! Eventually perps recued me. After researching this today, I learned that ÉCOLE is used for all the school years and lycée is more like "high school".
48. Big name in grape products: WELCH.
 |
| Well, the font used for the name does look bigger.... |
52. Extra-special attn.: TLC. "Attention" is abbreviated, so is Tender Loving Care.
54. The __ Trapps: "The Sound of Music" family: VON.
55. Wall St. investment opportunity: IPO. "Street" is abbreviated, so is Initial Public Offering.
56. Help: AID. In case you were wondering, many GoFundMe donations are not tax deductible. Only charitable donations given to a 501(c)(3) organization are tax deductible. Likewise, political campaign contributions are not tax deductible.
Here's the grid:
That's all for today. Catch you again next week. Be there or be SQUARE!
This puzzle started off in such a way that I thought it would be more difficult than the “standard “ Monday puzzle. However, it soon settled down and became the usual Monday “walk in the park.” FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteD-o learned today that parental units are now referred to as "'rents." Was working primarily with the across c/a's, and completely missed seeing PYRAMID SCHEME -- it filled itself. Thanx, sumdaze, for 'splainin' my SKI PADS. Back in '57 the Rays sang Silhouettes, and the Silhouettes sang Get A Job. Confusing. Thanx for the cute pzl JMC, and for an exceptional tour, sumdaze. (Sir Cumference -- very cute, and works well with the shape theme.)
Is it fair to start a Monday CW with an obscure name? DNK BRASCO, needed all perps. Then ROCKYV also in the NW. Oy. 22D I wanted SPARE; 51A I wanted DOUGHNUT. 44A = W/O INON:UPON. All in all this was a time consuming Monday CW. I did eventually FIR but found this to be a Wednesday or Thursday level CW. Quite the challenge, JMC. Thanx for the nice write-up, Sumdaze.
ReplyDeleteFIR, but erased jessy for JESSE. I can even misspel proper nouns!
ReplyDeleteD-O beat me to SKI PADS.
Get some cool sunnies for GLARE? They come in two classes, fashion shades and Cheap Sunglasses.
For me, the funniest part of Best In Show was Fred Willard playing Joe Garagiola. I wonder if the movie had legs after Joe left the Westminster show in 2003. Fred and Joe have both passed.
Uncle Fred and I usually have similar perceptions of puzzle difficulty, but I found this one to be easy. Just shows to go you, as my dad used to say.
Thanks to John and Sum Daze for the fun.
They say the PILGRIMS were on a QUEST.
ReplyDeleteFor religious freedom? I don't guess.
I've a hunch
Intolerance
Is what they really did the best.
Commercials for actives may be knee pads
And other such stuff, if you don't SKIP ADS.
I have no use
(That's my excuse!)
Eschewing tee-HOODS or SKI PADS!
FIR, bur it seemed a bit chewy for a Monday CW. Case in point, the word luddite.
ReplyDeleteThe theme was clever even though it took me a while to see it. Vertical puzzles always addle me. But in the end I got 'er done.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteAny puzzle with Yorkipoo, Cone of Shame, and a reference to Best In Show has my attention! I thought the cluing and fill were both Monday friendly until I hit Jared and Mae, neither of which I knew, as clued. Luddite didn’t bother me, but it might be troublesome for a newbie, as Oorah might be, as well. (CSO to my late brother, John Michael.) In my neck of the woods, we have Baked Ham, not Roast Ham, a matter of regional differences, I guess. I really like an occasional down-themed grid, but today I saw the reveal clue almost immediately, so that lessened the challenge a tad early. The three letter word count (20) is on the cusp of too many, but we’ve seen much higher numbers.
Thanks, John Michael, for a very enjoyable solve and thanks, sumdaze, for a fun and fact-filled review. You had me at the opening comic of the Panda shape (I’m partial to bears, Teddies, that is), then the Cone of Shame which made me laugh out loud, continuing with the Best In Show video, the photo of the adorable Yorkipoo, plus the Grumpy Cat, the Naiveosaurus, the Cheers video, etc. All good stuff to brighten this gloomy Monday morning. 👏
We’re in for a soggy week, according to the weatherman’s forecast. Judging from the past several weeks, the prospect of a nice summer seems bleak. Let’s hope Mother Nature proves me wrong.
Have a great day.
IM, I'll gladly swap you your soggy week for our 100+ temps.
ReplyDeleteSumdaze was a big help in my understanding the TIP TOP part of the answer. At first I thought a PYRAMID and a CONE have a tip, but the OVAL and the SQUARE don’t, so that didn’t work and I didn’t delve any farther.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of a few unknowns, I FIR.
I too hesitated on ROAST HAM. It didn’t sound right. In this part of the country it’s baked.
That YORKIPOO is adorable. A T BONE would be way too big for him.
I too would trade our heat for a good soaking rain. This morning’s weather report did give us a glimmer of hope by announcing some clouds and maybe a little bit of rain. Even though I bought Wave petunias which are supposed to be resistant to heat, they just about DIED OUT.
Thank you John for a funchy Monday FIR. Not as easy as I expect for the start of the week, but doable.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you sumdaze for a cute and clever review. I always look forward to a little levity after the weekend SLOGS.
A few favs:
7A TNT. Cleverest clue. Clever toon too.
10A TUT. The alternative to TSK in Cwds.
15A ICH. With the sie, Sie, and sie you have to listen carefully. If Spitz were here he'd explain it.
26A HOOD. PARKAS are called ANORAKS on the other side of the pond and the Brits also use the latter as slang for "GEEK". The wry-humored tech in the GIL MAYO mystery stories was named ANORAK.
30A FRI. I'M sure some solvers thought that FRI had arrived early today.
32D TACOS. Choke Coach is an odd name for a food truck. Do they serve feathers with their meals?
41D LUDDITE. My IT career turned me into a confirmed LUDDITE and all the chatGPT hype hasn't convinced me otherwise.
Cheers,
Bill
Sir Cumference, LOL!
ReplyDeleteLearning moment: Luddite.
I have a friend who refuses to carry a cell phone, now I know what to call him.
(If I could call him...)
Yes sir! I'm in tip top shape!
Musings
ReplyDelete-On this day in 1963, JFK made a bold statement in Berlin starting with the word ICH
-Pythagoras: The distance from home plate to second BASE is the SQUARE ROOT of 90^2+ 90^2
-JESSE OWENS: “Hitler didn't snub me—it was our president who snubbed me… The president didn't even send me a telegram.”
-ROB LOWE’s character Sam Seaton was in the OVAL OFFICE a lot on The West Wing
-Another Wilde starting with an “O” said, A CYNIC is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
-Dumas’ book would be pronounced TRES Mousquetaires in his country
-We went to Omaha yesterday and had fabulous Lobster TACOS
-LUDDITE: A former colleague considered it a point of pride that he would never touch a computer
-Our orioles, cardinals and finches love WELCH’S Grape Jelly but turned up their beaks at a plain label variety
-Fun/informative write-up, Renee.
Approx. 127.28 ft
Deletet seemed more Wednesday like to me. I had to eke out some of the answers. I saw the theme only after the reveal.
ReplyDeleteSKI PADS quickly changed to SKIP ADS in my mind.
Wile E., no matter how damaged he becomes, he bounces right back in perfect health. We know it is not real life. Now some are saying fairy tales are bad for children. Hansel and Gretel's parents abandon them. They push the evil witch into the oven. We and contemporary children all know it is only make believe.
I always worry about the sanitation on food trucks. Are they safe?
I am short and so the sun visor in the car protects me less. Even with sunglasses I have to sit up and stretch as high as possible to get more coverage at a certain point at sunrise and sunset.
I read Guns, Germs and Steel twice. It tries to explain why some societies endure and others falter or fail. "Diamond concludes that from the end of the Ice Age, geography ensured that different societies around the world would develop at different speeds. If Yali's people had had all the geographic advantages of Europeans, perhaps they could have conquered the world." Very interesting point of view.
Sundaze, thanks for the interesting review with great cartoons and illustrations.
We have been alternating almost every day between drizzle, heavy downpours with thunder and lightning, and bright 80 degree sunshine. This pattern is to continue for the rest of the week. We need the rain so I gladly run between the raindrops. Yesterday we had a broad, bright section of a rainbow that lasted for 20 minutes as I was driving towards it. So lovely.
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteWEES - not your father's Monday grid.
Thank you John M. Currie for the weekly wake-up call.
Sumdaze - OMG! That was a fantastic expo. Lively and witty - Sir Cumference was LOL.
WOs: How many z's are in Ponzi? Oh, Pyrmid.
ESPs: most every name
Fav: CONE of SHAME [@1:16]
{A+, B}
BRASCO - I kept thinking Brazzos which is Steve Martin's fictional TV FAME in Only Murders in the Building (also fictional).
//If you don't have it, subscribe to Hulu for a month and binge Only Murders. You'll thank me later.
Love me some Z.Z. Top to start the week. Thanks Jinx! //Fred Willard was LOL aside Martin Mull on Fernwood 2 Night.
Neo LUDDITES aren't as fun as SteamPunks.
//As I get older, I eschew new tech - unless I can break it.
IM - I'll second D-O's swapping weather proposal (Pop wants it too - no rain in a month, him). This Texas heat is stifling. I grilled yesterday and was thankful for the A/C as we ate.
Cheers, -T
HG @ 10:09 ~ Wouldn’t it be Trois?
ReplyDeleteDO @ 9:23 and Anon T @ 10:15 ~ I sympathize with you both every time I hear the temps in Texas. I guess I’m guilty of that old adage, the grass is always greener . . . At some point, we’ll have hotter weather than I’d like and you folks will get your share of rain, hopefully not from any bad storms. 🤞
Hola!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Michael and sumdaze. Today was fast and fairly easy which I appreciate since it's my counting day and I have to leave in a few minutes.
I ran through this puzzle like a knight on a QUEST.
OLIVIA is one of my favorite names.
ROAST HAM? I would definitely say Baked Ham.
Time to go. I'll catch you all later. Have a wonderful day!
Or, cooked ham, as in the deli.
DeleteAt 9:02 it's 87 degrees here and headed higher.
ReplyDeleteAnother puzzle to slip into the "good one" column. The obligatory A&E entries perped easily. I fall completely into the luddite category when it comes to social media. It's one of those problems easy to avoid....just stay off it if you don't like it! Great recap, Sumdaze. Loved Wiley Coyote and the Naiveosaurus, who seems to be making a comeback in human form. (Mother Nature will probably treat them the same old way)
ReplyDeleteAs a math guy I enjoyed the geometrical SHAPE theme.
ReplyDeletesumdaze Thanks for all the amusing illustrations. Especially the SQUARE ROOT. Our Solstice theme this year was ROOTS.
Apparently there are other SOURPI when it comes to the persistently incorrect plural OCTOPI seen with our new editor.
This beautiful chalk painting at our Mission last month displays the correct plural of OCTOPUS>
We were grateful to see the Monterey Bay OCTOPODES active this past year.
From Yesterday:
PK, Jinx, AnonT, Jayce, Lucina Thank you for the very kind words about my Solstice videos and my costume and unicycling. Yes, that mushroom hat was much more wieldy than the giant morel!
Thanks, everyone, for your kind words and for the added info. & links! It's always fun to read what the puzzle inspired in others.
ReplyDeleteLucina, the first time I drove into Las Vegas from LA (circa 7/4/77), I reached the strip just at dawn. I knew it was already hot, but I was amazed to see a bank sign declaring the temperature - 102 degrees! But, as y'all say in Phoenix, it's dry heat.
ReplyDeleteDelightful Monday puzzle, many thanks, John. And your commentary is always a pleasure, thanks for that too, Sumdaze.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I always look for food in puzzles and this one gave us some SOUP pretty soon, along with some TACOS and a T BONE steak. That required some drinks but we got COCA COLAS and maybe even an URN of coffee.
Not too many pets, but we did get that cute YORKIPOO, that was nice. No, no OCTOPI--SHOO!
Have a great week ahead, everybody.
Well, the weather report was correct, we had a long downpour with lightning and thunder aplenty and me trying to leave the gym and no umbrella. That’s OK. We needed that rain so the temps are in the low 90s now instead of 99 as they could have been.
ReplyDeleteJinx
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, I will take the dry heat any day over high humidity. Besides in Ohio, the most humidity I've ever experienced was in Hong Kong. I was literally drenched every time I went outside.
Picard @ 11:53, according to my on-line dictionary, the plural of octopus can either be octopuses or octopi. No mention of octopode, which, BTW, doesn't sound or look like it would be correct.
ReplyDeleteRunning late today but FIR. Have always liked the word luddite, having been in the IT and tech world during my career in engineering.
ReplyDeleteSaw a preview of the movie, Donnie Brasco on a DVD, never saw the movie. Drink Coca Cola all the time, never Pepsi. Can always eat a T-bone or ribeye steak, lamb chops too. Always up for soup, especially in cold weather. Humidity is what is wrong with hot summer weather.
Wasn't sure if it was going to be yorkapoo or yorkipoo. Perps fixed it.
Thanks John for your puzzle submission and sumdaze for the nice review.
unclefred Thank you for your due diligence. Most online dictionaries are not real dictionaries written by language experts. They are bots driven by popularity algorithms.
ReplyDeleteHere is an excellent explanation of the proper plural of OCTOPUS.
OCTOPUS is a Greek word. That incorrect plural is what it would be if it were a Latin word.
It makes just as much sense as saying SOURPI as the plural of SOURPUS. Does that make sense?
The Doors have a verse:
I'm going to love you
'Til the stars fall from the sky
For you and I
This repeats the often spoken incorrect phrase "you and I" in the objective case that should be "you and me". It is repeated millions of times a day. It is still wrong. Just as the following would be wrong:
I'm going to love you
'Til the stars fall from the sky
For I
Thanks again for your interest!
OK, @BobLee - you piqued my interest... What kind of IT / tech.
ReplyDeleteI do CyberSec but did networking (DoD), desktop, and server stuff. I like to break things to figure out how they work. Why I get paid for this is still a mystery.
Don't diss Jim Morrison, Picard. ++it scans better in lyrically ;-)
OK, nobody went there, so I guess I must - King TUT [Steve Martin]
Cheers, -T
AnonT Jim Morrison is a god. Our editor is not!
ReplyDeleteThanx Picard for that reference. So "octopuses" is the correct plural then. I didn't see a mention of "octopodes" in the reference, though. Did I miss it? Or is that a joke that sailed over my head, which wouldn't surprise me, as it seems the older I get the more things fly over my head!!
ReplyDeleteunclefred Thank you for taking the time to read that article. The "octopodes" bit is pretty far down in the article. Here it is:
ReplyDelete"But as explained above, octopus comes from ancient Greek, where its plural is octopodes."
Regarding your question, here is their conclusion:
"Even though the word octopuses is somewhat bland, it is correct."
Thank you again!
Yep. That’s what the ancient Greeks called them, but we’re not ancient Greeks. Anyway, whatever the plural form one uses, it’s gonna be understood. Thanx for the input, Picard!
DeleteA Currie PZL, introduced by sumdaze...
ReplyDeleteHmmm, ROAST HAM? I see that Irish Miss reacted as I did. "Baked" would seem to be the common adjective for a honey-glazed pork butt. She is generously allowing for a regional difference. But I dunno. I have lived in a lot of regions, and I haven't found that one yet.
It rather begs the question: how would the recipe be any different?
So, anyway... I looked it up, and I see different answers, struggling to explain that, well, maybe there is a difference--in temperature, or maybe it's between enclosing the meat or using an open flame.
Nobody seems all that sure--except that "Honey-glazed" seems to belong to a BAKED Ham.
I guess we're just "Nit-SPEARing" now...
~ OMK
___________
DR: One diagonal, near side.
BUT it only has ONE vowel, hardly enough for a decent anagram.
Still, I put all the letters through "Word Unscrambler," just to check the options.
I couldn't get more than a 6-letter word. A whole raft of 5-letters showed up.
Putting them together, I forged an 11-letter anagram (!) for an orchestra maestro's musical notation, a reminder to himself to cue a medieval Welsh stringed instrument, to...
"PROMPT CRWFT"!
IMBUE?
ReplyDeleteI came across this word in an essay last night. It is a word that looks common enough, one I thought I knew. But it is actually rarely used, and given its context I decided to look it up.
It means to inspire with.
But now I find one of those weird coincidences, to see it again this morning.
~ OMK
-T@2:54. I have not seen that SM clip in years. So fun!!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I cringe when I hear grammatical structures that go against what I was taught in school but then I tell myself that language evolves. If it did not, we would be speaking like "The Canterbury Tales". A change that I have embraced is that it is now OK to end a sentence in a preposition. Apparently is was always OK but someone once said it wasn't and that took off like a wildfire. They now actually discourage that practice when it makes a sentence unnecessarily cumbersome -- something for which I am thankful!!
Yes, Irish! It should have been TROIS Mousquetaires not TRES Mousquetaires! However, they were TRES magnifique! Thanks for the gentle correction!
ReplyDeletesumdaze I agree that languages evolve.
ReplyDeleteI cringe when people try to sound sophisticated by using incorrect words or grammar. Words are tools. Use the right ones for the job. Sometimes the right ones are so simple that people think they are wrong.
Picard@2:47. It’s not just online dictionaries with dubious reputations and origins, that accept octopi as a plural noun for that fascinating animal, my old Random House Unabridged dictionary, second edition, also accepts as a second choice octopi as a plural.
ReplyDeleteAs Sumdaze mentions language changes through usage, “correct” or not. Some dictionaries lean more toward being descriptive others toward being more prescriptive.
As the Grammarist you quote in formal writing we should use the “proper” form.
I still want to use loan as a noun only and lend as a verb, but that ship has finally sailed without me.
Language is fun.
Tante Nique @ 4:00. Descriptive vs. Prescriptive. Very interesting! I will be rolling that around in my brain for the rest of the day.
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Once I learned how smart Octop<insert plural here> are, I stopped eating them.
ReplyDeleteI hope we don't learn cows are as smart as Far Side made 'em out to be.
At least chickens are descendants of Naiveosaurus :-)
And pigs - sorry Arnold*, no matter how smart you are, you're delish.
Sumdaze - years ago DW taught me the difference between definition & connotation / description & prescription. She's quick on the uptake, her.
Didn't a Will Somebody coin a bucket-load of new words back in the '16-hundreds? We all play with the language every day and as long as it conveys meaning and falls w/in the symbolic construct - it be good. #EnglishIsFun!
-T
*Green Acres reference ;-)
I liked the tip-top theme.
ReplyDeleteI see today the number 1 in French is UN; yesterday it was (incorrectly) UNE.
I won't add to the discussion of the plural of octopus other than to repeat an old joke:
A child was writing a letter to Santa Claus.
"Dear Santa, please send me two mongeese."
The kid thought that didn't look right so he scratched that out and wrote:
"Dear Santa, please send me two mongooses."
The kid thought that didn't look right either, so he scratched that out and wrote:
"Dear Santa, please send me a mongoose. And while you're at it, please send me another one."
Good wishes to you all.
A-t@5:00 There’s a lovely book titled Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt that depicts the intelligence of those animals.
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry to say i can’t forgive you for eating Babe. 😜
By the way thanks for the repeat of Martin’s King Tut routine. I can’t get enough of it.
Lucina, while you are in Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco), Mexico, I recommend you have a meal at The Blue Marlin (El Marlin Azul) restaurant.
ReplyDeletesumdaze, thank you for your humorous and informative write-up.
Funny, we say "the king and I will run Thailand," but "Everyone has seen that movie except the king and me."
ReplyDeleteTante - I had a roommate who would say "borrow me $5 'til payday." I knew he was just fooling around, but it still grated. (I still would loan him the do-re-mi. He always paid without being reminded.)
Jayce, I taught project management to hundreds of adults. I used dice to introduce probabilities and statistics. I was amazed at how many didn't know that "dice" was the plural of "die". Also, I remember when mouse pointers came out with Apple computers and Xerox 5520 document management system (that we called "Twinkle" because it made our presentations and reports sparkle.) Some folks wanted the plural to be "mouses," but I think "mice" won out.
Hand up for loving Rocky Point. I was last there before the spread of legal gambling beyond Nevada, and there was a fun restaurant/bar/sports book with lots of satellite dishes and TVs. This was before DirecTV and Dish, so the dishes were big and impressive. This place was right bu the airport (or runway - not sure there really was an airport per se.) I was also surprised at how many expat Americans lived there - an enclave full of them. Unlike a lot of the other places where Americans run away from home, folks in the enclave I visited were living an austere retirement.
Jayce, "we will run Thailand" and, everyone has seen that movie "except us". Sounds good?
ReplyDeleteSorry. I meant Jinx.
ReplyDeleteThat Choke Coach is looking pretty good.
ReplyDeleteMerriam Webster's take: The Many Plurals of 'Octopus' - Which is correct?
ReplyDeleteShould I say my neighbor owns not one Lexus but two Lexi? That’s funny.
ReplyDeleteJayce
ReplyDeleteThank you for that recommendation. I'll keep it in mind.
The online dictionary offers octopuses as the plural as does my Random House dictionary.
It's ironic, that Picard's reference says, "Still, while the use of octopi can’t be justified on an etymological basis, it is not wrong. It is old enough and common enough to be considered an accepted variant." (As agrees Webster's Collegate.)
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