When the Pennysaver came in the mail a few days ago, I was at our kitchen table working on a crossword puzzle from The Catonsville Times that was proving to be too much of a challenge for my inexperienced little brain. Eager to move on to something a bit less strenuous, I turned to the crossword in the Pennysaver. The great thing about this crossword is - it has the answers upside-down on the bottom of the page so that when I've exhausted all the answers I can come up with, I can give a quick check, fill in a word or two, and see if those extra letters help me figure out other words.
Let me take this moment to say - I'm not very good at crossword puzzles, so when I come to a clue that I definitely know, it's really exciting for me. This was the case with 8-across: a four-letter word for "The radiant glow around the head of a saint." I confidently penned in "HALO" and moved on.
Later, while trying to figure out the answer to 11-down - a three-letter word for "helps small business" (or something like that) - which shares its last letter with "HALO" of 8-across, I take a peek at the answer key. "SBA" it says...and I pause. Halo doesn't end in an A...
So I check their answer for 8-across. They've put "AURA."
...What?!
I apologize, Pennysaver-crossword authors, but auras are not "the radiant glow around the head of a saint." That would be the definition of a halo, and though similar to an aura, the two are not alike enough to share the same crossword clue.
To be sure, I checked Dictionary.com and they have defined an aura as:
| 1. | a distinctive and pervasive quality or character; air; atmosphere: an aura of respectability; an aura of friendliness. |
| 2. | a subtly pervasive quality or atmosphere seen as emanating from a person, place, or thing. |
| 3. | Pathology. a sensation, as of lights or a current of warm or cold air, preceding an attack of migraine or epilepsy. |
But maybe that's just me.
3 comments:
1) You already know that I agree with you on the crossword puzzle thing.
b) You should update here more often.
iii) Are you aware that someone on Flickr is infatuated with you?
Just thought I'd let you know. :D
OH WOW ! ! !
The adventures return like the phoenix from the ashes ? Do those ashes come from embers of the SoCal fires; or perhaps from dreams of Burning Man.
But then again, maybe THE ADVENTURER was scared by some clowns on the American return route.
Whatever, 'tis good to have updates again (Of course, they'll now stop )
And onward:
Using Miriam-Webster Online you will find that the 2nd entry for aura is linked to NIMBUS and the 2nd entry for halo is linked to NIMBUS. Aura and halo are synonyms how can they not "alike enough to share the same crossword clue."
It is called a PUZZLE eh?
Having enjoyed SUPERSTAR, I recommend the movie HAIR - though written for the Vietnam War; it plays well today for Iraq :(
but most of all it is soooooooooo TRIBAL
And i'll run off with this:
Look closely - the biggest part of "kill" is .....ill :)
..
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