ERE is an outdated synonym for before, relegated in the twentieth century to verse and not often used in everyday speech. It was more commonly used in colonial times and in many cases was followed by the word “long.” Benjamin Franklin was quoted as having said, “Buy what thou hast no need of and ere long thou shalt sell thy necessities.” Erelong, without the space between ere and long is regarded as an archaic synonym for soon.
A famous example of a palindrome (a sentence reading the same forward and backward) is “Able were I ere I saw Elba.” The sentence refers to Napoleon’s loss of status after his exile to the island of Elba. Some regard this palindrome as more pure than others because it both has meaning and its halves (both letters and spaces) perfectly mirror each other.
Another famous palindrome with a historical bent is “A man, a plan, a canal: Panama!” In the twenty-first century, computers have assisted with the creation of long palindromes of thousands of words, but these can often be faulted for merely listing words in sequence and not conveying a logical thought or a storyline.
Ere itself is a palindrome. The fear of palindromes has been coined aibohphobia by musician and author Stan Kelly-Bootle. While the fear of palindromes is not a generally accepted phobia, siderodromophobia (the fear of railroads and train travel), automatonophobia (the fear of ventriloquist dummies, animatronic creatures, and wax statues), and porphyrophobia (the color purple) all are. If you are in the mood for a triple feature to honor this blog entry this weekend, why not rent the movies Palindromes (directed by Todd Solondz), Arachnaphobia, and The Color Purple.
Ere is also a homophone for other familiar crossword words air, err, and heir.If you are logophobic (fearful of words), stop reading now.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
2. area
A. AREA refers to a region or space. In the mathematical field of geometry, area is the number of square units that a two-dimensional space occupies. Surface area is determined by measuring the areas of the individual sides of a solid object and adding them together.
Square footage is a figure that is often important in determining the value of a residence for real estate agents. There are several debatable points about determining residential square footage, one of which is the generally accepted guideline that prevents the square footage of a basement, regardless of its suitability as livable space, from being counted in the square footage figure. Attics and garages are not figured into square footage either.
As of 2007, commercial buildings in the world with the largest square footage of usable space were the Aalsmeer Flower Auction in the Netherlands, the Venetian Macao casino-resort in Macau, and the Asian Terminal Ltd. Logistics Centre in Hong Kong.With regard to geography, the smallest country in terms of area is Vatican City/The Holy See, the seat of power for Pope Benedict XVI and the Roman Catholic Church. The next four, from smallest to largest, are Monaco, Nauru, Tuvalu, and San Marino. Working in the other direction, the largest countries are Russia, Canada, the United States, China, and Brazil.
B. One famous regarded area in the United States is Area 51. Area 51 is the name provided to a remote section of southern Nevada often associated by conspiracy theorists with UFOs and other supernatural activity. While the U.S. military admits to operating Nellis Air Force Base in the area purported to be Area 51, they do not dignify inquiries into alien activity in the region. The secretive location is heavily patrolled by private security agents who routinely contact the local sheriff’s office to pick up trespassers who are curious enough to visit and take photographs, recordings, and video of the area.
C. “Area Man” is often used in the satirical newspaper The Onion, to spotlight fictional people involved in mundane, non-newsworthy events. Examples include “Area Man Consults Internet Whenever Possible,” “Area Man Well-Versed in First Thirds of Great Literature,” and “Area Man Confounded by Buffet Procedure.”
Square footage is a figure that is often important in determining the value of a residence for real estate agents. There are several debatable points about determining residential square footage, one of which is the generally accepted guideline that prevents the square footage of a basement, regardless of its suitability as livable space, from being counted in the square footage figure. Attics and garages are not figured into square footage either.
As of 2007, commercial buildings in the world with the largest square footage of usable space were the Aalsmeer Flower Auction in the Netherlands, the Venetian Macao casino-resort in Macau, and the Asian Terminal Ltd. Logistics Centre in Hong Kong.With regard to geography, the smallest country in terms of area is Vatican City/The Holy See, the seat of power for Pope Benedict XVI and the Roman Catholic Church. The next four, from smallest to largest, are Monaco, Nauru, Tuvalu, and San Marino. Working in the other direction, the largest countries are Russia, Canada, the United States, China, and Brazil.
B. One famous regarded area in the United States is Area 51. Area 51 is the name provided to a remote section of southern Nevada often associated by conspiracy theorists with UFOs and other supernatural activity. While the U.S. military admits to operating Nellis Air Force Base in the area purported to be Area 51, they do not dignify inquiries into alien activity in the region. The secretive location is heavily patrolled by private security agents who routinely contact the local sheriff’s office to pick up trespassers who are curious enough to visit and take photographs, recordings, and video of the area.
C. “Area Man” is often used in the satirical newspaper The Onion, to spotlight fictional people involved in mundane, non-newsworthy events. Examples include “Area Man Consults Internet Whenever Possible,” “Area Man Well-Versed in First Thirds of Great Literature,” and “Area Man Confounded by Buffet Procedure.”
1. era
A. Loosely speaking, an ERA is any referenced time period. In the discipline of history, eras define periods such as the Roman era, when Rome was the considered the world center of culture and influence, and the Victorian era in Great Britain, running proximate to the reign of Queen Victoria I (from 1837 to 1901). Cultural enthusiasts also make use of the term era to define socio-cultural periods, especially in music, such as the Big Band era and the Motown era.
B. When culturally significant television shows go off the air or seminal figures in the arts pass away, it is common for commentaries or obituaries to reference “the end of an era.”
C. The time related words era, eon (also spelled aeon), and age are common crossword words. All three words allow for easier placement in a grid because they are short and contain more vowels than consonants.
D. The longest geologic time spans are eons, which are further divided into eras. Eras are comprised of periods, and periods are further divided into epochs. Epochs are comprised of stages. We are currently living in the Cenozoic era of the Phanerozoic eon. The Cenozoic era dates back 65.5 million years to when mammals became the dominant creatures on Earth.
E. ERA is an acronym for the Equal Rights Amendment. The earliest incarnation of the Equal Rights Amendment was written by suffragist Alice Paul and submitted to Congress for consideration in 1923. Over the course of the next fifty years, the amendment was routinely submitted for approval by Congress.
The ERA came closest to acceptance by the United States in the early 1970s. The amendment, a section of which stated, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex,” passed the House of Representatives in 1971 and the Senate in 1972 at which time it was submitted to the states for approval.
Only 35 of the 38 states required had approved the amendment by the deadline seven years later on March 22, 1979. Additionally, five of the states that had approved subsequently withdrew their support for the amendment before the deadline. An extension for ratifying the amendment within 39 months did not spur further interest from the states. The general objection to its adoption seemed to be that women’s rights had advanced through various other pieces of legislation to the point where a formal amendment was unnecessary.
The ERA continues to be submitted to sessions of Congress for approval.
F. ERA is an acronym for the baseball statistic known as the earned run average. The earned run average is calculated as the mean number of runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings. Runs are not earned if they occur as the result of an error or a passed ball (a ball that is deemed catchable by the official scorer but is missed by the catcher).
When a relief pitcher enters the game, any players on base belong to the departing pitcher, so runs scored by them contribute to the departing pitcher’s ERA, not to the reliever’s.
G. Era has occasionally been used as a brand name or as part of a brand name. Era laundry detergent is a product of Procter & Gamble, the same manufacturer that produces Tide.
New Era potato chips were popular in the 1950s and 1960s and were often sold in tins on which dubious claims were printed. These blurbs were paired with silhouettes of thin, athletic people, an approach that would earn scorn from critics in contemporary society given the association between snack food and obesity. At the time, the chips were marketed as “A Healthy Food … on the Alkaline Side” and “Scientifically Processed.” Here is a blurb from one of the cans:
SCIENCE SAYS … THE ALKALINE SIDE IS THE HEALTHY SIDENEW ERA
Potato Chips are partially starch dextrinized and therefore more easily digested….
Chemical analyses have proven NEW ERA Potato Chips to be a highly concentrated energy producing food, 95% digestible and of greater alkalinity than even fresh raw potatoes.FEAST WITHOUT FEAR
I can’t be sure. Are dextrinization and alkalinity good for you?
B. When culturally significant television shows go off the air or seminal figures in the arts pass away, it is common for commentaries or obituaries to reference “the end of an era.”
C. The time related words era, eon (also spelled aeon), and age are common crossword words. All three words allow for easier placement in a grid because they are short and contain more vowels than consonants.
D. The longest geologic time spans are eons, which are further divided into eras. Eras are comprised of periods, and periods are further divided into epochs. Epochs are comprised of stages. We are currently living in the Cenozoic era of the Phanerozoic eon. The Cenozoic era dates back 65.5 million years to when mammals became the dominant creatures on Earth.
E. ERA is an acronym for the Equal Rights Amendment. The earliest incarnation of the Equal Rights Amendment was written by suffragist Alice Paul and submitted to Congress for consideration in 1923. Over the course of the next fifty years, the amendment was routinely submitted for approval by Congress.
The ERA came closest to acceptance by the United States in the early 1970s. The amendment, a section of which stated, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex,” passed the House of Representatives in 1971 and the Senate in 1972 at which time it was submitted to the states for approval.
Only 35 of the 38 states required had approved the amendment by the deadline seven years later on March 22, 1979. Additionally, five of the states that had approved subsequently withdrew their support for the amendment before the deadline. An extension for ratifying the amendment within 39 months did not spur further interest from the states. The general objection to its adoption seemed to be that women’s rights had advanced through various other pieces of legislation to the point where a formal amendment was unnecessary.
The ERA continues to be submitted to sessions of Congress for approval.
F. ERA is an acronym for the baseball statistic known as the earned run average. The earned run average is calculated as the mean number of runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings. Runs are not earned if they occur as the result of an error or a passed ball (a ball that is deemed catchable by the official scorer but is missed by the catcher).
When a relief pitcher enters the game, any players on base belong to the departing pitcher, so runs scored by them contribute to the departing pitcher’s ERA, not to the reliever’s.
G. Era has occasionally been used as a brand name or as part of a brand name. Era laundry detergent is a product of Procter & Gamble, the same manufacturer that produces Tide.
New Era potato chips were popular in the 1950s and 1960s and were often sold in tins on which dubious claims were printed. These blurbs were paired with silhouettes of thin, athletic people, an approach that would earn scorn from critics in contemporary society given the association between snack food and obesity. At the time, the chips were marketed as “A Healthy Food … on the Alkaline Side” and “Scientifically Processed.” Here is a blurb from one of the cans:
SCIENCE SAYS … THE ALKALINE SIDE IS THE HEALTHY SIDENEW ERA
Potato Chips are partially starch dextrinized and therefore more easily digested….
Chemical analyses have proven NEW ERA Potato Chips to be a highly concentrated energy producing food, 95% digestible and of greater alkalinity than even fresh raw potatoes.FEAST WITHOUT FEAR
I can’t be sure. Are dextrinization and alkalinity good for you?
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Let's Start at the Very Beginning ...
I regularly do crossword puzzles. I've enjoyed the puzzles of the New York Times and the New York Sun. I have subscriptions to the Crosswords Club and the Uptown Puzzle Club. I've routinely enjoyed the time that I spend on them. I feel like a good puzzle can take you places. Touching on history and literature and culture and the arts, offering new ways of looking at language, testing your lateral thinking. Great puzzles do all of this.
I have my favorite crossword puzzle constructors. Merl Reagle led the charge for me, introducing me to puzzles with his book series. Others followed. Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, Joe DiPietro, Frank Longo, Randolph Ross, Michael S. Maurer, Trip Payne, Mike Shenk, Peter Gordon, and Wayne Robert Williams all come to mind. Henry Hook would be there too, but many of his puzzles have been too tough for me, so maybe I'm holding a grudge. For insight into the craft of crossword puzzle making specifically and crossword puzzles in general, buy or rent the documentary Wordplay.
I have my favorite crossword puzzle constructors. Merl Reagle led the charge for me, introducing me to puzzles with his book series. Others followed. Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, Joe DiPietro, Frank Longo, Randolph Ross, Michael S. Maurer, Trip Payne, Mike Shenk, Peter Gordon, and Wayne Robert Williams all come to mind. Henry Hook would be there too, but many of his puzzles have been too tough for me, so maybe I'm holding a grudge. For insight into the craft of crossword puzzle making specifically and crossword puzzles in general, buy or rent the documentary Wordplay.I routinely hate puzzles that feature quotes from celebrities, but I am coming around on themeless puzzles, which feature a mix of vocabulary but no discernible theme. Primarily, I enjoy puzzles that carry a consistent theme through each of the longer answers in the puzzle. Usually, these puzzles focus on some aspect of wordplay--puns, multiple letters in a single square, words inside of words. Just when I think that I've seen every variation on a theme, someone comes along and introduces a new gimmick that keeps things interesting.
Wednesday puzzles generally give me the most satisfaction. For those not in the know, crossword puzzles in several newspapers follow the course of getting more difficult as the work-week progresses. Monday puzzles are easier than Friday puzzles in both the New York Times and the New York Sun. Will Shortz, editor of the New York Times puzzle, and Peter Gordon, editor of the New York Sun puzzle, do a masterful job of matching the difficulty of their puzzles to the day of the week. The difficulty of the famed Sunday New York Times puzzle, which is larger than the 15 square by 15 square daily puzzle, is commonly thought to be comparable to a Thursday puzzle.
Although I do not do Reagle's puzzles on a daily basis, the ones collected in his books seem to carry a Wednesday level of difficulty. Sometimes they are a little harder; sometimes a little easier. He advertises them as "twisted but fair," and I generally find that to be true--at least for my skill level.
I'm not quite good enough yet to do more than a few puzzles a week, and I worry about the space on my bookshelf occupied by crosswords that I might never complete as I near my fortieth birthday.
There are some very good crossword blogs out there. Rex Parker discusses the New York Times crossword puzzle daily, and Orange writes very entertainingly about all of the puzzles that she keeps up with every day. They both hold sway in the crossword community and are noteworthy for their dedication and commitment to the craft of cruciverbalism. I'm just another one of the many on the Internet who appreciates their work.
I intend to take a slightly different approach to crosswords. Most days, I will post an "explainer" on a crossword word or phrase, beginning with the answers that most regularly appear in crosswords, as determined by the cruciverb Web site, an indispensable resource for crossword constructors. Even the most common crossword answers can yield some pretty interesting information for the curious.
An explainer is like an encyclopedic dictionary entry: it provides further insight into the word or phrase and discusses many of the possible meanings and uses of the term. My girlfriend, who has been very supportive of this project and has prodded me to start this blog, will be contributing some of the entries.
My background in reference publishing has me crafting and editing these in a pretty straightforward manner, but some entries might require a less conventional approach and the tone might evolve over time. You will likely gain some insight into our lives and our way of thinking based on where we decide to put our focus in these entries.
I welcome your comments, discussion, and feedback, and I'll accept corrections or further clarifications if I make some error that needs attention.
So with that in mind, we'll begin with the most common crossword answer, ERA.
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