WORD FACT “Female” and “male” have different origins. “Female” comes, via Old French “femelle”, from Latin “femella” (young woman), a diminutive of “femina” (woman; linked to a root meaning “to suckle”). [1/2]

WORD FACT “Female” and “male” have different origins. “Female” comes, via Old French “femelle”, from Latin “femella” (young woman), a diminutive of “femina” (woman; linked to a root meaning “to suckle”). [1/2]

Detail a terror retaliated. #palindrome

Detail a terror retaliated. #palindrome

FOOTBALL (Palindrome) See referees idle, if dim. A deep’s too far…. A ball! A cross! I’m onside. Sure. Peek a busied art: It's open on one post. I trade: I sub a keeper. Used is no miss or call. A bar! A footspeed! A midfield! I see referees.

FOOTBALL (Palindrome) See referees idle, if dim. A deep’s too far…. A ball! A cross! I’m onside. Sure. Peek a busied art: It's open on one post. I trade: I sub a keeper. Used is no miss or call. A bar! A footspeed! A midfield! I see referees.

CASSEROLE (Anagrammed Lines) The perfect casserole: Cereal of the spectres. Ether of secret places.

CASSEROLE (Anagrammed Lines) The perfect casserole: Cereal of the spectres. Ether of secret places.

I made robots "ef" in a manifesto. Bored am I. #palindrome

May a root, atop a moor, groom a potato or a yam? #palindrome

I made robots "ef" in a manifesto. Bored am I. #palindrome

WORD FACT “Dubious” and “doubt” ultimately trace back to Latin “dubius” and “dubitare”, meaning “wavering, moving two ways”. These terms are related to Latin “duo” (two), reflecting the idea of uncertainty as a mental split between two options. [1/2]

May a root, atop a moor, groom a potato or a yam? #palindrome

WORD FACT “Dubious” and “doubt” ultimately trace back to Latin “dubius” and “dubitare”, meaning “wavering, moving two ways”. These terms are related to Latin “duo” (two), reflecting the idea of uncertainty as a mental split between two options. [1/2]

THEATRE (Palindrome-by-Pairs) See a play I'm in — Adhere! A theatre! A theatre! Head in — I may please....

WORD FACT Words derived from Latin “tempus”, meaning “time”: Temporal Tempo Temporary Contemporary — from “com-” (together, with) + tempus → occurring or existing at the same time Extemporaneous — from “ex-” (out, out of, outside) + tempus → literally, “out of time” → made at the time

WORD FACT Words derived from Latin “tempus”, meaning “time”: Temporal Tempo Temporary Contemporary — from “com-” (together, with) + tempus → occurring or existing at the same time Extemporaneous — from “ex-” (out, out of, outside) + tempus → literally, “out of time” → made at the time

THEATRE (Palindrome-by-Pairs) See a play I'm in — Adhere! A theatre! A theatre! Head in — I may please....

WORD FACT “Quintessence” literally means “fifth essence”. The idea goes back to ancient Greek philosophy and Aristotle, who proposed that in addition to the four classical elements (earth, air, fire, and water), there must be a fifth (aether) making up the heavens. [1/2]

DISTANT MUSIC (Palindrome) Emote to me. Refill a note. By eking, I sedate my awe. Now all I give, lines dash, promote, to visit inward — rose, yet raw. Art eyes, or drawn it is. I vote to morph sad, senile vigil. Law, one way, met a design I key. Be tonal, life remote to me!

WORD FACT “Quintessence” literally means “fifth essence”. The idea goes back to ancient Greek philosophy and Aristotle, who proposed that in addition to the four classical elements (earth, air, fire, and water), there must be a fifth (aether) making up the heavens. [1/2]

DISTANT MUSIC (Palindrome) Emote to me. Refill a note. By eking, I sedate my awe. Now all I give, lines dash, promote, to visit inward — rose, yet raw. Art eyes, or drawn it is. I vote to morph sad, senile vigil. Law, one way, met a design I key. Be tonal, life remote to me!

I'm back in Stratford-upon-Avon with my old mate Falstaff, looking forward to tonight's performance of The Tempest.

I'm back in Stratford-upon-Avon with my old mate Falstaff, looking forward to tonight's performance of The Tempest.

LUCIFER (Palindrome by Pairs) Seraphic one, my divine sire, fate fires in ivy, demonic phrase.

WORD FACT Despite its modern flavour, “confab” — as a shortening of confabulation — has been in use since the early 1700s.

WORD FACT Despite its modern flavour, “confab” — as a shortening of confabulation — has been in use since the early 1700s.

LUCIFER (Palindrome by Pairs) Seraphic one, my divine sire, fate fires in ivy, demonic phrase.

NIGHTLIFE (Palindrome) Nightlife’s able to make esteemed art Soho’s trade: Meet, seek a motel — base filth, gin....

WORD FACT Words derived from Latin “ludere” (“to play, frolic, or tease”): Prelude → “played before” → an introductory piece Interlude → “played between” → an intervening episode Ludicrous → originally “playful” → now meaning absurd or ridiculous [1/2]

NIGHTLIFE (Palindrome) Nightlife’s able to make esteemed art Soho’s trade: Meet, seek a motel — base filth, gin....

WORD FACT Words derived from Latin “ludere” (“to play, frolic, or tease”): Prelude → “played before” → an introductory piece Interlude → “played between” → an intervening episode Ludicrous → originally “playful” → now meaning absurd or ridiculous [1/2]

Be disc side B. #palindrome

WORD FACT The word “pecuniary”, meaning “relating to money” comes from Latin “pecūnia” (meaning property) and ultimately from “pecū”, meaning “cattle” — in Roman times, a person’s wealth was often measured by the number of cattle they owned. [1/2]

WORD FACT The word “pecuniary”, meaning “relating to money” comes from Latin “pecūnia” (meaning property) and ultimately from “pecū”, meaning “cattle” — in Roman times, a person’s wealth was often measured by the number of cattle they owned. [1/2]

Be disc side B. #palindrome

WORD FACT A “minced oath” is a mild or altered version of a blasphemous or taboo word, used to avoid saying something offensive outright. Hence, Damn → Darn Hell → Heck Damnation → tarnation God → Gosh Jesus → Geez Shit → Shoot Fuck → Frick Cunt → Berk (via Cockney rhyming slang “Berkeley Hunt”)

BLOOD FOR THE MUMMY A sonnet in amphibrachic tetrameter, also employing the principles of alliterative verse: The two beats in each hemistich (or half-line) alliterate. Thus, in line 1, ‘read’ alliterates with ‘rite’, and ‘form-’ alliterates with ‘frees’.

WORD FACT A “minced oath” is a mild or altered version of a blasphemous or taboo word, used to avoid saying something offensive outright. Hence, Damn → Darn Hell → Heck Damnation → tarnation God → Gosh Jesus → Geez Shit → Shoot Fuck → Frick Cunt → Berk (via Cockney rhyming slang “Berkeley Hunt”)

BLOOD FOR THE MUMMY A sonnet in amphibrachic tetrameter, also employing the principles of alliterative verse: The two beats in each hemistich (or half-line) alliterate. Thus, in line 1, ‘read’ alliterates with ‘rite’, and ‘form-’ alliterates with ‘frees’.

BUILD A SUN (Anagrammed Lines) I build a sun. Feted, it rises. Inside its beautiful reds, in its dust, a blue fire dies.

Word nerds, Check out Dryphtwords, a fun new word puzzle invented by my friend Philipp Blume: dryphtwords.com/puzzles/e4c6...

BUILD A SUN (Anagrammed Lines) I build a sun. Feted, it rises. Inside its beautiful reds, in its dust, a blue fire dies.

SALOONS (Words w/ oo) Saloon doors unhook. Rookie troops flood wooden floors. Crooked barroom hoodlums, choosing pontoon, hoodwink fools. Hoofing barstools, toothless boozers shoot.... Poor boozers loot. Saloons look bloody, soon.

WORD FACT Words derived from Greek “lyein” (to loosen): Analysis — ana- (“up, back”) + lysis (“loosening”) → “a breaking up, separation” → resolution of something complex into simpler parts Dialysis — dia- (“through/apart”) + lysis → “a separation through a medium (like a membrane)” [1/2]

WORD FACT Words derived from Greek “lyein” (to loosen): Analysis — ana- (“up, back”) + lysis (“loosening”) → “a breaking up, separation” → resolution of something complex into simpler parts Dialysis — dia- (“through/apart”) + lysis → “a separation through a medium (like a membrane)” [1/2]

SALOONS (Words w/ oo) Saloon doors unhook. Rookie troops flood wooden floors. Crooked barroom hoodlums, choosing pontoon, hoodwink fools. Hoofing barstools, toothless boozers shoot.... Poor boozers loot. Saloons look bloody, soon.

To last, I hymn my hits a lot. #palindrome

To last, I hymn my hits a lot. #palindrome

Drat! Suck lime. Lap a pale milk custard. #palindrome