Monday, March 3, 2008

I Did Not Know - but I'm glad I do

I do a lot of crossword puzzles. I watch Jeopardy! (The exclamation mark is part of the name, not an editorial statement.) I read widely. Part of the attraction, especially of the puzzles, is the opportunity to exercise what I know and another part is the opportunity to learn more.

Usefulness isn't the point: hepatomancy is a wonderful word, yet the topic scarcely arises. It's entertaining to know the connections among a rabbit's scut, an armadillo's scute, a Roman soldier's scutum, your family escutcheon, and the nearby Scutra restaurant. If I ever make it on Jeopardy!, I'll be ready.

I plan to blog about words and facts that catch my interest. Peripeteia and ostents might make the cut, while J.Lo and the Hiltons never will.

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