It’s Wednesday, which means we watch an episode of the 1968 show The Prisoner. Without spoiling anything, it’s hard to consider either that we’re close to the end or that it hasn’t ended already. I won’t say anything more about that show for now.
Special nod to Calah for steering me toward CLOACA today. She reads the blog and knows the ones that I miss. If we worked together on these, we might get Queen Bee a lot of the time. Something to consider.
Yesterday I missed BABBLE, BABE, BLEACH, CELEB, HALE, HEAL, HEALABLE, HEEHAW, HEEL, WELL, WHEE, WHEW.
Meatier Misses
LECH: informal, derogatory A lecher.
(Bonus!) LECHER: A lecherous man.
(Double Bonus!) LECHEROUS: Having or showing excessive or offensive sexual desire. Oh. That wasn’t worth all that work. But good times.
WEAL: A red, swollen mark left on flesh by a blow or pressure. So like a welt?
From etymonline:
weal (n.2)
“raised mark on skin,” 1821, alteration of wale (q.v.).
wale (n.)
Old English walu “ridge, bank” of earth or stone, later “ridge made on flesh by a lash” (related to weal (n.2)); from Proto-Germanic *walu- (source also of Low German wale “weal,” Old Frisian walu “rod,” Old Norse völr “round piece of wood,” Gothic walus “a staff, stick,” Dutch wortel, German wurzel “root”), from PIE root *wel- (3) “to turn, revolve.” The common notion perhaps is “raised line.” Used in reference to the ridges of textile fabric from 1580s. Wales “horizontal planks which extend along a ship’s sides” is attested from late 13c.
So let’s see if I’m right.
welt (n.)
early 15c., a shoemaker’s term, perhaps related to Middle English welten “to overturn, roll over” (c. 1300), from Old Norse velta “to roll” (related to welter (v.)). Meaning “ridge on the skin from a wound” is first recorded 1800.
OK I think I’m right. That brings up the origin of etymonline. While it’s amazing and authoritative, it’s also run by a dude. Or the government. Or spies. I don’t know. Seems like a crazy undertaking for a solo individual.
Today’s summary
Final score: 55 words for 230 points.
Genius minimum: 226 points.
First word: ALCOHOL.
Last word: CHINCHILLA.
Pangram: ALCOHOLIC.
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