Evening star., 1925-01-11

Il car do you happen to know
the name of an Arabian
feudal ruler in five letters?''
Yes" / said, 20 a shiek."
He wrote the word down in a note
book that was spread out upon his
knee. Then he said:
And what's a Hottentot house on
the move in five letters?"
"a Kraal," ] answered.
"Oh-yes, Kraal!" he said. II could
only think of bungalow, and here's
another that's a regular bowler, what
is an extinct graminiferous lizard in
13 letters?'
''Ichthyosaurus,'' I said.
'How's that?' he asked. My, |
wish I'd had a college education--Iet
me write IL down-wait now-I-c-h-t t
say, 1 believe it's going to get it
yes, sir. it's getting it-By Geel It's
got it. 1t all fits in now except
there's a dirty little hitch in this cor
ner. Say, could there be any word
in three letters that would be eke?'
Yes" 1 said, 'eke,' II means also "
Then I've got the whole thing
just in time-here's my station. Say
I'm ever SO much obliged. 1 guess |
will have one on the wife when
show her this. That's a peach, that
|ichthy-what dye call 1t. od-bye."
ne leLI HE anu L knS" Indl UStu
been dealing with another of the new
victims of the crossword puzzle
mania I knew that as soon as he
got into his house he would work the
ichthyosaurus on his wife; indeed he
would probably find her seated with
paper and pencil trying to figure
out whether Icelandish S-K-O-L will
fit in with a form of religion called
'Tosh." The thing generally runs in
families.
This crossword puzzle is said to
have originated in Thibet. From there
1t was transferred to the Mongolians,
who introduced 1t to the Hairy Anus
of Japan, who were delighted with
1t, as they naturally would be. From
them it crossed the ocean to the
Siwash Indians who passed it on to
the Dog Ribs and to the Flat Heads,
and In this way it got to the Ameri-
can Colleges.
The mania has now assumed inter-
national dimensions. 1t Is estimated
that If the crossword puzzle soIvers
were stood up in line (either hori-
zontally or vertically, they wouldn't
care which,. they would reach half
way to Havana. Some might even
get there.
X x x X
PUT the greatest thing about the
cross word puzzle is the way in
which 1t is Frightening up our Ian
guage. Old words that had been for
gotten for 500 years are being pol
ished up as bright as new. A man
no longer says, Good morning. How
are your He says. GOOD morn.
! How fare you?" And the other man
answers that he feels yardly and eke
his wife. especially as they expect
eft soon to take a holy day and make
a cast to Atlantic City.
Before this thing began there were
lots Of people so ignorant that they
didn't know what "Yost" meant, OF
what a "farrago' is, or which part
of dog is it's "withers." Now these
are family words Any one would
say quite naturally, "Just give that
dog a kick in the farrago and put
him out"
I notice especially the general i'm
provement in exact knowledge fol
the names of animals and parts OF
animals. Who used to know what
a marsupial was2 Who could have
told where the dewlap of an OK is
How many people had heard of the
carapace of the mud turtle, or knew
how to give a proper name to the
east ear of an elephant?
Many cross word puzzle experts &C
further. When engaged in conversa-
tion they don't even need to use the
very words they mean. They merely
indicate them in crossword puzzle
fashion and the expert listening tc
| them can solve their conversation al
once. Here is sample of the new
crossword puzzle conversation:
Good morning, Short-for-Peter."
"HullO Diminutiya of William
How do you experiences e-a-sensatior
| in four letters this morning."
Worse than a word in four letters
| rhyming with bell and tell.'
"Oh, / am sorry to hear it. What
| is the substance, body or cubic con-
tent of space in six letters with your
cold in the bronchial tunnels
passages or English name for sub
| way"
Possessing or exhibiting grac,
| with the PERSONAL possessive pro
noun! And what are you doing fol
it, Who is treating your.