Why did I select the five words that will be featured this week? Well, I can tell you at the beginning that they have nothing in common. Not in their meanings, not in their origins, not their pronunciations, or anything else. But there was a reason I chose them. What was it?
Put on your sleuthing caps and see if you can figure it out. If you think you've got it, email your answer to (puzzle at wordsmith.org). One answer per person, please. The first reader to uncover the plot will receive an autographed copy of my new book "The Dord, the Diglot, and an Avocado or Two: The Hidden Lives and Strange Origins of Common and Not-So-Common Words". So will another reader randomly selected from all the correct answers. anthropomorphize (an-thruh-puh-MOR-fyz) verb tr., intr. To attribute human qualities to things not human. [From Greek anthropo- (human) + morph (form).] Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=anthropomorphize -Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) "Yes, we love our pets and anthropomorphize them to the point where we think our cat might enjoy wearing the mouse hat Halloween costume." Natalie Angier; The Ambivalent Bond With a Ball of Fur; The New York Times; Oct 2, 2007. Sponsored by: Think-ets: an award-winning, kid's game that stimulates creativity, memory, and cognitive development. A great gift at $12.99! http://think-ets.com The perfect gift for the quirky geniuses on your list - check out the special offer on a year of mental_floss! http://www.mentalfloss.com/holidayspecial Bounce it! Stretch it! Tear it! Mold it! Make Thinking Putty your super stocking stuffer. Huge handfuls. Awesome colors. http://puttyworld.com/?a=awad Why don't we just talk, we chew the fat? Orijinz, a hilarious, fascinating new card game about word and phrase origins. Only $12.95. http://entspire.com ............................................................................ Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work. -Gustave Flaubert, novelist (1821-1880) Discuss this week's words on our bulletin board: http://wordsmith.org/board Remove, change address, gift subs: http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber.html Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/anthropomorphize.wav http://wordsmith.org/words/anthropomorphize.ram Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/anthropomorphize.html This message was sent to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]".
