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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread sphinx #85497 11/03/2002 4:06 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 News to me that it comes from Greek verb meaning to strangle. The circular muscle so socially indispensible at external lower termination of intestinal tract is called a sphincter. So the Sphinx was said to kill victims by strangulation. "sphinx - c.1421, from L. Sphinx, from Gk. Sphinx, lit." the strangler," a back-formation from sphingein "to squeeze, bind." Monster, having a lion's (winged) body and a woman's head, that waylaid travellers around Thebes and devoured those who could not answer its questions; slain by Oedipus. The proper plural would be sphinges. " Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sphinx #85498 11/03/2002 11:24 PM Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... I'm glad this didn't come up when I taught Oedipus Rex. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sphinx #85499 01/31/2004 8:47 PM Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 11 North East England ElizaD stranger ElizaD stranger Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 11 North East England SOED (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary) says the plural is either sphinges or sphinxes. There's a family of butterflies with the name sphinx - "so called from the attitude frequently assumed by the caterpillar". Attitude? A caterpillar with attitude? Must have been reading Alice. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sphinx #85500 01/31/2004 9:35 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 I used to see sphinx moths near my beehives. At times my first thought was that they were hummingbirds. Here's a URL with a lot of pictures. My vision isn't good enough to see if there are moths in the pictures.Scroll down 1 inch. http://uite101.com/article.cfm/butterfly_gardening/77004 Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sphinx #85501 02/02/2004 1:41 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 A caterpillar with attitude? A company I used to work for had a division that made equipment that sensed and controlled the posititioning of orbital satellites. Their motto was 'Attitude is Everything!' Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sphinx #85502 02/02/2004 1:45 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Dear Faldage: I hope you had the Right Attitude. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sphinx #85503 02/04/2004 7:54 AM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 Jakarta Bingley Carpal Tunnel Bingley Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 Jakarta Correction to Dr. Bill's url: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/butterfly_gardening/77004 Bingley Bingley Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: sphinx #85504 02/04/2004 3:08 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 Thanks, Bingley. I don't understand how the link got mangled. Thanks for correcting it. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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