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AWADmail Issue 104

From: Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)
Subject: Interesting stories from the net

Helping computer paraphrase:
trnmag.com

Dictionary of playground slang:
smh.com.au

Coining a synonym:
theatlantic.com

From: Kevin Beuret (745kevinATmaplenet.net)
Subject: Ananya and her pun

> Ananya: Where does a cow go to practice her Spanish?
> I: Where?
> Ananya: To Mooxico!

Please tell her for me that I found it so mooo-ving, so udderly delightful, that I will remember it for-heifer!

From: Amy Stratton (amslichterATshaw.ca)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--amigo

I made my guess, as I am often called upon to do by my 8 and 10 year old boys, without looking at the answer. I guessed the cow goes on vaca-tion to learn Spanish!

From: David Rubenstein (drubensteinATthoughtful-action.com)
Subject: multi-lingual cows

Please tell your daughter I met some of her bovine, linguaphile friends while I was touring Europe. One was studying in Mooroco and the other in Moonich.

From: Tracy Johnston (trackyjATacer-access.com)
Subject: a joke for your daughter

My daughter loves word plays, too. Here's one from her you can use on your daughter:

What cheese does a cow like to put on his pizza?
Moooozarella!

From: (annalalocaATaol.com)
Subject: Children's jokes

This reminds me of my seven-year-old son's recent gem:

Mark: What's the opposite of appetite?
Mom: I give up.
Mark: Appaloose :-D [And he doesn't even know about the horse yet.]

From: Brian Dorsk (invinoveritas1ATaol.com)
Subject: Cow & Spanish

Your daughter can find many communities in the US where Spanish is spoken generally, such as Mooami.

From: Herb Depew (hdepewATsquish.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--amigo

Does Ananya know of the existence of Acapulco, the large Mooxican resort? Please tell her that I saw a pool maintenance truck named AquaPoolCo.

From: Mary Bristow (mfbATcafes.net)
Subject: more fun with cows

Why don't bulls give milk?
They charge for it.

Courtesy of my 8 year old niece.

From: Paul C. Johnson, Jr. (pjohnsonATbbko.com)
Subject: Children and Wordplay

Your anecdote about your daughter reminded me of one involving my son when he was about 5 years old.

We were a local beach, which had "riprap," a sort of wall of big stones at the inland edge of the beach. Bunches of ground squirrels live in there. We had brought our lunch, and as soon as we started opening the bags of chips, the squirrels came out and approached us for handouts.

My son asked, "Dad, why do the squirrels come out when we're going to eat the chips?

I answered, "I guess they've been here so long that they know that the sound of the bags means there will be food around."

He said, "No, Dad, it's because they're chip-munks!"

From: Jim Friend (frienddjpATcomcast.net)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--amigo

My 45 year-old daughter is living proof of my longtime devotion to language, words, and puns. Her name is Amy Friend.

From: Manuel Sanchez (manuelsanATaol.com)
Subject: Raton

"Ratón" means "mouse" in Spanish, not "rat". The Spanish word for "rat" is "rata." In Spanish, Mighty Mouse is "Super Raton" and Mickey Mouse is "Raton Miguelito." You would think it would be the other way around, since -on is an augmentative ending in Spanish.

From: Romuald Anthony (rombob2ATaol.com)
Subject: twenty six letters

Last week end I was invited to visit Bart's Book store in Ojai, California. The place is wide open. with shelves and shelves of books, most are used. Shelves of used books are on large open shelves just off the sidewalk. An instruction sheet advises "when the doors are closed, select your book and deposit the amount inscribed on the book into the adjoining slot". How neat! It then dawned on me as my eyes strayed across the walls and walls of shelves filled with books. Every book is different. Same subjects different ideas, same political views but different descriptions. My imagination ran wild as I contemplated all the books written in the English language, and magazines, and newspapers all a function of 26 letters! Many used much less frequently then others... and it still goes on and on! Of course I have ignored the arrangement of words which contributes to the variety.

When I pointed this out to the manager, he slowly looked about him and replied, "You will not believe this, but it had never entered my mind. How amazing". One may gaze at the night sky full of stars and be impressed, but just survey the Library of Congress, a magazine stand, and visit the local library.

For me, words are a form of action, capable of influencing change. -Ingrid Bengis, writer and teacher (1944- )