Crushed By The Jiggernaut

 Let Me Warn You -

 - if the phrases "spelling mistake" or "typographical error" even approach the front of your mind, I will reach down your internet connection and SLAP YOU.  HARD.

     For no, it is not a spelling mistake, it is an hilarious pun.  Your Humble Scribe has once again taken on the challenge of doing a 1,000 piece jigsaw, which this time is confirmed complete, as Wonder Wifey has already completed it.  Art?

Humble beginnings

     An.  Hilarious.  Pun.  So there.

     Conrad being as he is, of course, I couldn't simply read "Jigger" without looking it up in my Collins Concise.  "Someone who jigs" is one definition, which is fair enough.  It is also, as I conceived, a small glass used for serving spirits*.

Also one of these

     It's also the name for a Number 4 golfing iron, whatever the heck that is.  Then, too, it is a generic name for any industrial device that has a vibratory motion.  I think there's one in "The Satan Bug", in that iconic Sixties laboratory they have installed at Station Six.

Somewhere to port, I think

     In New Zealand this is the name for a variety of hand- or motor-powered light rail vehicle.

Capable of off-rail travel, too.

     And there was something about billiards that I can't be bothered to look up.

     Of course there is always "Jiggery-pokery", which is practically the definition of BOOJUM! in written form.

     Motley!  You have to dance whilst holding two jiggers of whisky, and not spill any, whilst balancing on a laboratory jigger and balancing a golf club on your head.

Further Heard Of The Crossword

More fun with words!  The clue was "Put up in reconstructed coal furnace (6)".  Of course I immediately reckoned that we were dealing with an anagram of "coal" and it had to include "up", and "CUPOLA" would fit.

     Except - allow me to demonstrate what the kind of cupola I am familiar with looks like.  Art?

The cupola, ringed in red

     The cupola as seen above is a means of viewing in 360o for the tank commander, without having to stick his highly vulnerable head out of the turret in order to see all around - that being the sort of activity to attract snipers.

     Where, then, did that leave me with the last word, "Furnace"?  There didn't seem to be any way to link the two, until I had a nosy in my Collins Concise.  There, they explained that there is a type of furnace, used to remelt iron, called a 'Cupola'.  Art?

Voila.

     There you go, another fascinating factoid from BOOJUM! and you're welcome**.

O Marketa!

We once again dip our mis-shapen be-taloned toes into the waters of Central European languages, under the tutelage of our favourite Angry Young Czech.  What unusual yet useful word(s) do you have for us today, Marketa?

"Tatinkova princezna": Daddy's little princess.

     Hmmmm yes, Conrad has encountered a few of those in real life.  However -

King George VI and Princess Elizabeth (waving)

     - here Ol' Georgie has every reason to call Lilibet (her pet name) "Tatinkova princezna", because she is, except that he didn't speak Czech.

     Back on track!  So, they have spoiled little girls in Czechia, do they?  Ha!  Human nature knows no geographical borders, hmmm?

Bendis Recommends -

And so to the second title on the list I drew up several months ago, to wit: a list of comics recommended by Brian Michael Bendis.  I wish I knew I'd got it with me when I was last in Travelling Man; although I'd have probably spent several hundred pounds <wallet squeaks in fright>.

     The second entry is "Planetary", written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by John Cassaday, coloured by Laura Martin.  Art?

Thus

     This one appears more conventional than "Black Hammer", concerning a trio of superheroes who travel the globe to investigate the unusual and exotic, coming into contact or conflict with, including spoofs of other fictional comic characters.

     It seems to have ended with 27 issues in 2009, so - a limited and finite run.  Conrad will keep his sclerotic and reddened eyes on this one.

     Here an aside.  Checking out "Black Hammer", one sees that the titular superhero seemed to be armed with - Art?

A whacking great hammer

     This, Your Humble Scribe ventures to say, is not really the most versatile nor effective of weapons.  Mjolnir and Thor aside, giant hammers are very unwieldy, as they require a lot of room to swing - o, aside from Wulf Sternhammer, too - and their mass makes them pretty awkward when trying to parry an attack.  Plus, if your opponent is able to shoot laser blasts from his fingers and you need to cross five hundred yards of open ground to lambast him with your hammer - I think you get my drift.

Wulf.  Looking pretty stern.

     We shall gloss over "Hammer's Slammers" as they used plasma bolide weapons I seem to recall.

Finally -

The shades of night are drawing in.  Hang on <goes to bathroom, swills mouth out with Listerine> sorry about that, I may have been quoting Shakespeare.  It's about two months now since the longest day, which film I need to get back on the DVD player in order to illustrate a few pertinent points (kit and logistics).  Thus it will tend to get darker earlier, true, and all the more so since today has been woefully overcast.  I feel virtuous for taking Edna for a trot earlier this afternoon between torrential downpours <buffs up his halo>.

Some Teutons are in for a very bad hair day.

     And with that we are done!

*  Humourless pun avoided here.  You're welcome.

**  We shall gloss over their NOT splitting a clue into (5,8), instead leaving it at (13) which is very annoying.  VERY ANNOYING.  You compilers are not doing yourselves any favours.  When I take over ...