SIT BACK DOWN!
For Lo! we are indeed back on the subject of Conrad's Codeword conundrums, for I have yet to fully expound on this apoplexy-inducing hobby.
Actually, before I do, let's take a closer look at a couple of those words as used by pseuds. "Conundrum"; where does that one come from?
The archaeopteryx!
Hmmmm according to my Collins Concise, it originated in the 16th century from no known source, although it's original use was as a term of abuse for pedants (guilty as charged, your honour), changing over time to refer to a riddle or puzzle involving punnery or word play (er, yes, guilty again). As for "Apoplexy", I bet that one has a Greek root. Let's check.
Conrad being ragingly apoplectic
Now this one comes from Old French "Apoplexie" which in turn derives from Late Latin and thus from the Greek (told you so!) "Apoplexion", meaning "To have a stroke" - by which we mean the brain aneurism, not rowing in a boat.
Where was I? O yes being furiously angry. That <insert long swear here> Codeword!
"SAMOSA": HOW is that fair use of language? HOW! One does not expect to encounter Indian cooking in a Codeword. Although the pikers did wilfully use "MACARONI" so they obviously have no sense of fair play. Art!
They are delicous, mind
"IDEATE": Excuse me? Ah. "To form an idea or to conceive". That's from teh Interwebz because it's not in my Collins Concise, which will allow you to ideate on how incredibly obscure this word is. Bah!
"STADIA": Which is the plural of "Stadium" and yet ANOTHER word you never hear in conversation nor read in print "O yes I've visited lots of stadia in my ballfoot fandom days" would merely get you funny looks from other fans.
To prove that I'm not blathering witlessly about nothing of particular import, allow me to adduce evidence. Art!
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| Yes, that's Sanjeev Bhaskar. No, nothing to do with the Codewords. And stop being so nosy. |
Go through the lot of those and you'll not find any foreign words, nor exotic obscurantae from the sixteenth century. That's how it's done
Motley! The antidote to the poison is in the somosas. Yes, I know there's a hundred of them. They each contain enough antidote to counteract one per cent of the poison. Good luck!
Time, methinks, for a pot of tea. Excuse Conrad for 5 minutes.
Thanks for your patience. Next!
(Not) The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General
As you should surely know by now, Conrad likes to give you occasional reports on what he's reading at that very moment, so you now have a firm knowledge base about the establishment of the Arthurian mythos. I am now reading "Fighting In Normandy" edited by David C. Isby. 'Ho hum,' I hear you quothing, 'Another book about D-Day'. Yes, except this one is lots of short articles by Teuton officers; a view from the other side of the hill, as that gossip, fibber and traducer Liddell-Hart put it. Art!
One narrative stuck with me, by that unrepentant Nazi Fritz Kramer. He describes the overwhelming Allied superiority in the air thus: "German military agencies could not judge whether or not they delivered correct and adequate reports on the situation. It may be that they were having more fun chasing German vehicles along the roads." Catty miaow! Then, a little further on, he suddenly throws in a real non sequiteur: "The 'tactics of orders' (Befehlstaktik), outlined in the French General Staff precepts, proved a drawback here as they did during the subsequent course of the war. Events proved that the 'tactics of military tasks' (Auftragstaktiks) were decidedly superior." O no they didn't matey; Kramer seems to be labouring under the misapprehension that he won the war, and why he brings in the "French General Staff" when they hadn't fought a battle in 4 years is also rather puzzling.
Ah, that explains a lot.
Then, after his assertion above, he goes on to list a litany of woe with Teuton formations being shot apart, inextricably mixed up and being pounded by naval gunfire; let's see yer Auftragstaktiks sort that out, hmmm?
"Batwoman" And Yet More Schadenfreude
After last week but one's ratings blip - which nobody can explain - that saw viewing figures RISE!!* after months of steady, relentless falling, we are back in more familiar territory, with another sixteen thousand viewers jumping ship, bringing it down to 532,000. I think there are only 5 more episodes to run, so we shall see how low it goes - 300,000 viewers, anyone?
To say that the writers are desperate is to say water is wet. They are now grasping at reflections that look like they may be straws, with talk of re-casting Kate Kane. Art!
Close enough
If you're not up to speed with the soap opera that is this show's behind the scenes story, Ruby Rose quit as Kate Kane a couple of episodes short of the end of Season One. She gave deliberately vague reasons for leaving, though being an a combination dumpster-fire-cum-train-wreck might be one. There is no way on this planet that she will come back, so the writers are going to re-cast another actress who is paycheck desperate.
Rube getting into character
The producers swore on the grave of their holy mothers that they weren't going to do a re-cast. Obviously they were invented, not born. Go get a bucket or two of popcorn!
Finally -
From where Conrad sits in his Sekrit Layr, he can see the Post Office van when it draws up on the other side of the road, directly opposite The Mansion. This is usually a prelude to our Four-Legged Alarm barking her lungs raw as the postie draws near to our letterbox, which is what she's just done. So, my legal drugs may have arrived, or "American Diaries" by the hilariously droll Sergei Sputnikoff. Better go see. If the latter I shall probably sit down and read it all at once, because that's the kind of alien person I am.
You didn't ask, so I shall just tell you that, yes, I'm enjoying my pot of Darjeeling.
* Yes, two exclamation marks because it really is that remarkable
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