A.Word.A.Day -- AWADmail Issue 1041

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AWADmail Issue 1041

A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Tidbits about Words and Language

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From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)
Subject: Interesting stories from the Net

France Bans English Gaming Tech Jargon in Push to Preserve Language Purity
The Guardian
Permalink

Lakota Elders Helped a White Man Preserve Their Language. Then He Tried to Sell It Back to Them.
NBC News
Permalink

Teen Spelling Bee Champion Commits to Spell for UCLA
The Onion
Permalink

From: Stephen L. Phillips (stephen_l_phillips.t21 btinternet.com)
Subject: Coronation Street

I used to watch it but never came to terms with the move to colour late 1969.

Stephen Phillips, Wrexham, UK

From: David Callender (david.callender gmx.net)
Subject: Coronation Street

The street exists not only in fiction but also in various towns in the UK, e.g. Coronation Street in the city of Blackpool.

My 2 penneth.

David Callender, Frankfurt, Germany

From: Michael Poole (michael puuru.co.nz)
Subject: Coro Street

Yes, it has many nicknames. I did once accidentally watch an episode at a friend’s place in England, famous hair net and all (Violet Carson, playing Ena Sharples long, long ago), but be you in England or New Zealand, you can’t ignore it.

Now here’s an interesting thing: the set’s architecture is decidedly mid to late 19th Century, circa 1880, I’d say. However, the latest coronation back then was Queen Victoria’s back in 1838, so the name seems a little odd. Never mind: the programme is wildly popular -- decent signature tune, too.

Michael Poole, Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand

From: Joe Genovese (joe_geno hotmail.com)
Subject: Stepney

The word is very much current in Malta, an island in the Med Sea, just south of Sicily.

Like India, Malta is an ex-British Colony.

Less current in the younger more educated generation, but much used in the older (educated even).

Joe Genovese, Birkirkara, Malta

From: Cengiz Günay (cengique users.sf.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--stepney

Stepne is also what we use for spare tires in Turkey. :)

Cengiz Günay, Atlanta, Georgia

From: Chico Jablonski (via website comments)
Subject: stepney

In Brazil we have the word estepe (which you can pronounce step) that has the same meaning as in (1) and (2).

Francisco Jablonski, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil

From: John D. Laskowski (john.laskowski mothman.org)
Subject: Jeepney is a stepney

There is no example of stepney greater than the recycling of WWII US Jeeps after they remained in the Philippine Islands. These elaborately painted and decorated Jeeps were the common mode of taxi transportation for over 70+ years. I rode them many times during the times I was flying typhoon penetration reconnaissance flights in the South Pacific region in the 1970s.

John D. Laskowski, Carsonville, Pennsylvania

From: Bob Carter (rfgcarter ntlworld.com)
Subject: Two countries separated by a common language

On a recent trip shared with Americans I was surprised to learn they lived in a duplex. I thought this was a printer that printed both sides of the paper. It appears they lived in a semi (UK meaning).

Bob Carter, Fareham, UK

Email of the Week -- Brought to you buy OLD’S COOL -- Smart T-shirts for smarty-pants.

From: John Wallace (via website comments)
Subject: UK streets

While stationed in the UK with the US Navy, we were intrigued by how often the street name “Adverse Camber” appeared during our drives around the countryside. It took us a while to learn that we were not dealing with a street name and that we’d best slow down.

John Wallace, San Diego, California

From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com)
Subject: Carnaby and Pepper Alley

Rail-thin teen fashion icon, Twiggy, the “it girl” of late-’60s pop-couture, with her daringly short hemlines, bold prints, and acid-colored outfits, fit seamlessly into the happening Carnaby scene. Glam rocker David Bowie stretched the boundaries of fashion (one might argue, costume), with his otherworldly ensembles, reflecting the outrageousness of his early ‘70s stage persona, Ziggy Stardust. Story goes that Bowie adopted the name Ziggy from a tailor shop marquee he’d seen, fleetingly, from a train window.

Recalling the arguably hackneyed notion, “I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley”, I conjured up this noirish scenario. Here, Pepper Alley lives up to its reputation as being one of the meaner streets in all of ye olde London town. Definitely, a walk on the wild side.

Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California

Anagrams


This week’s hard theme: British streets that became words 1. Coronation Street 2. Stepney 3. Pepper Alley 4. Carnaby 5. Acacia Avenue	=	1. Hoi polloi typecast 2. Bad spare tyre 3. Bash the secret state 4. Wear pantsuit -- chic weaves are back 5. Ordinary men’s tenement here	This week’s theme: British streets that became words 1. Coronation Street 2. Stepney 3. Pepper Alley 4. Carnaby 5. Acacia Avenue	=	1. I.e. perceived as any class that works 2. Spare wheels -- temporary too 3. Be beaten up 4. They see Brittannic cachet 5. Main Street	This week’s theme: British streets that became words 1. Coronation Street 2. Stepney 3. Pepper Alley 4. Carnaby 5. Acacia Avenue	=	1. The common laborer 2. Spare tyre (tire), the backup 3. Severely beaten 4. Natty - we see his chic waistcoat! 5. Pedestrian peasants
-Shyamal Mukherji, Mumbai, India (mukherjis hotmail.com)			-Julian Lofts, Auckland, New Zealand (jalofts xtra.co.nz)			-Dharam Khalsa, Burlington, North Carolina (dharamkk2 gmail.com)

Make your own anagrams and animations.

Limericks

Coronation Street

Coronation Street down to his clogs.
Has less breeding than one of my hogs,
And he’s asked for her hand ...
Is he still on my land?
Fetch my shotgun and unleash the dogs!
-Tony Holmes, Launceston, UK (tony_holmes btconnect.com)

In a toast, let us all raise a glass
to this lady. Her lifestyle’s first-class,
but she’s quick to confide
where she used to reside.
She’s a true Coronation Street lass!
-Anne Thomas, Sedona, Arizona (antom earthlink.net)

Coronation Street people will meet
For a pint in the pub down the street.
They’re the salt of the earth,
And for what it is worth,
Their companionship just can’t be beat.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

“Our life may be hard, but it’s sweet.”
I read on Coronation Street tweet.
Those blokes from the Corrie
Deserve all the glory.
Much more than the highbrow elite.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“An equerry’s mere Coronation Street;
We shall not on some tawdry occasion meet,”
Said the Queen. “Though I wave
At each skivvy and knave,
Unlike Di, I would not ‘neath my station cheat.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Stepney

Of a “stepney” I don’t think I’ve heard;
I’d say “spare”, but a puncture’s occurred
Or should it be “flat”?
Let’s forget about that
And start fixing the wheel, not the word.
-Duncan Howarth, Maidstone, UK (duncanhowarth aol.com)

“Be prepared!” we were told as boy scouts.
Care and forethought remove any doubts.
Keep a stepney to hand
And your trip is well-planned,
And you’ll laugh at the “Set off withouts”.
-Tony Holmes, Launceston, UK (tony_holmes btconnect.com)

Hello, I am stepney, the spare.
I suspect that you really don’t care
That I’m in this car’s trunk
Under all of that junk.
Does anyone know that I’m there?
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

Says she, “When my man gets a yen,
he leaves me. I never know when.
But I’ve got a stepney
who comes here to get me
as needed, again and again.”
-Anne Thomas, Sedona, Arizona (antom earthlink.net)

While William inherits the throne,
As stepney his brother is known.
The older’s the heir;
The other’s a spare --
A fate Harry greets with a groan.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

I feel like my marriage is cursed!
I’m a stepney; I never come first.
It’s the kids and his mom --
(Oh yeah, she’s the grand dame!)
Lemme tell ya; my role is the worst!
-Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com)

To my husband I try to say gently,
“You need to get rid of that stepney.
It could easily go
If you do cardio;
The spare tire must go ‘fore you pet me.”
-Janice Power, Cleveland, Ohio (powerjanice782 gmail.com)

While driving along in a Bentley,
Two detectives had need of the stepney.
“Where’s it kept?” one asked. “Shoot!”
Said the other, “The boot,
My dear Watson; it’s quite element’ry.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Pepper Alley

“Pepper Alley? Don’t. Nowhere is worse,
To go THAT way would be most perverse --
No one there ventures
Who values their dentures,
Their bones, their cell-phone, or their purse.”
-Duncan Howarth, Maidstone, UK (duncanhowarth aol.com)

“Two front teeth, swollen eye -- and look here.”
“Well, I’m blessed. That’s a cauliflower ear.”
“You’ve been down Pepper Alley,
My bumptious young scally,
And it won’t be the last time, I fear.”
-Tony Holmes, Launceston, UK (tony_holmes btconnect.com)

You had money once salted away
In stocks and in bonds ‘til that day
Of the stock market crash,
When you lost all your cash.
Wall Street’s Pepper Alley, I’d say.
-Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com)

A famous prize-fighter we knew
once sparred with a large kangaroo.
He never did rally
from that Pepper Alley.
His boxing career was all through.
-Anne Thomas, Sedona, Arizona (antom earthlink.net)

I pity poor Peter O’Malley,
That boxer who’s in Pepper Alley.
Those numerous blows
Have broken his nose --
He’s facing a bloody finale!
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

The critics were tough: Pepper Alley!
We thought we could get them to rally.
But as some of us know
With an off-Broadway show --
One “Boo!” And you’ve had your finale!
-Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com)

“Hey, look! It’s a comet!” said Halley,
“I’ll mark it as first in my tally.
And it orbits the sun,
So we’ll watch and have fun,
Not like dinosaurs, up Pepper Alley.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Carnaby

“I am strolling down memory lane,
Stopping off at my youth, once again.
Flares were Carnaby then
In those days, way back when ...
We should pray that is where they remain.”
-Tony Holmes, Launceston, UK (tony_holmes btconnect.com)

“You know what I’m going to do?
Gonna trade my old wardrobe for new.
And then,” says the wannabe,
“I will be Carnaby,
currently stylish, like you!”
-Anne Thomas, Sedona, Arizona (antom earthlink.net)

How chic is my Carnaby dress! I know that the boys I’ll impress.
But it’s so revealing,
My Dad’s hit the ceiling --
I’ll have to return it, I guess.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

If Warbucks had been, say, a Brit
That dress Annie wears would be quit!
She’d sport Carnaby gear
And those eyes (which are clear)
Would be covered with shades that befit!
-Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com)

A young fellow craved marital harmony,
And his wife said, “I want to be Carnaby!
This year’s color is teal!”
So he said, “I’ll make steel.”
And his name? Why, of course, Andrew Carnegie!
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Acacia Avenue

They’re the snootiest people I’ve met,
The Acacia Avenue set.
Having risen a class --
Thanks to grandpapa’s brass --
They’re convinced they can climb higher yet.
-Tony Holmes, Launceston, UK (tony_holmes btconnect.com)

Acacia Avenue is seen
Displaying its love for the Queen.
She’s done her job well
And folks think she’s swell --
Elizabeth’s fans are quite keen.
-Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com)

For his trips to Acacia Avenue,
St. Nick needed every last caribou.
“Just one family per house?
It’s exhausting!” he’d grouse.
“If I miss one, they make such a ballyhoo.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

Puns

The hοοker always wore a crown on her nightly rounds, so she was dubbed the Coronation Streetwalker.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

“Stepney, step!” shouted the athlete at his leg in encouragement following surgery for a torn ligament.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

The cheerleaders really spiced things up at the Pepper Alley for the football team.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

The defendant pleaded guilty to grand theft auto, explaining, “I was feeling kind of carnaby that day.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com)
Subject: What’s Up, Doc?

Here’s my new take on The Wizard of Oz, now starring Dr. Oz, GOP senate candidate in Pennsylvania, as the Tin Man, in search of a heart. Trump, the Scarecrow, is searching for a brain. Oz is a carpetbagger. While still residing in New Jersey (his longtime home state), last year he used his in-laws’ Bryn Athyn, PA, home address in order to register to vote. He’s also spread misinformation and quack remedies on his TV show... and cashing in bigtime. Let’s just say he’s been known to burn the midnight “snake oil”.

Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

I don’t believe that the big men, the politicians and the capitalists alone are guilty of the war. Oh, no, the little man is just as keen, otherwise the people of the world would have risen in revolt long ago! There is an urge and rage in people to destroy, to kill, to murder, and until all mankind, without exception, undergoes a great change, wars will be waged, everything that has been built up, cultivated, and grown, will be destroyed and disfigured, after which mankind will have to begin all over again. -Anne Frank, Holocaust diarist (12 Jun 1929-1945)

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