Diabolically Arcane

Puzzles, posts, news and general word-chat.

August 27 2010

Word of the Week: Virga

VIRGA: wispy strands of rain that evaporate before reaching the ground, especially when the humidity is low. [Latin: rod, streak]

Comments

May Brit — 22 February at 05:31PM

David, love your SMH column, and enjoy Letters and Numbers - I love language, I'm a translator. But I often find that your crosswords try too hard; they can be selfish, in the sense that they’re too clever for their own good now and then.

Just two examples: A little while ago, the clue was 'the antonym of comedy’, the answer was ‘drama’, which is simply wrong. The answer is ‘tragedy’ – comedy and tragedy are both drama.

Friday 18th: ‘neonate’s milk’ is usually called ‘galactorrhea’, or “milk secretion from a newborn baby”; ‘colostrum’ is the mother’s milk, “produced by the mammary glands of mammals in late pregnancy”.

Still, I'm deeply impressed with your knowledge of language!

Best wishes, May Brit

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