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Diabolically Arcane

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Rocky Road

27 May, 2011

Why did the chicken cross the boulevard? Because crossing a street was beneath her dignity. Or that’s one claim inferred by Standards Australia, a body out to clarify our roadmap. According to a Herald piece this morning, the group has listed some 52 road types, from crescent to cul-de-sac, from parade to promenade, from close to no cigar….

Things are getting too flaky, they say. Land developers are keener to opt for grove versus road, coz it just seems to warrant a higher price-tag. Must an avenue have trees? Does promenade presuppose pedestrians only? Is a lane the same as an alley? All these curly suburban questions, and more.

So what’s your take on this whole dilemma? How do you read the street semantics? I can’t stand how freeways come with a toll, and expressways are often jammed. Or to me, a road that calls itself a way implies a view, or at least a scenic element – but that seldom applies.

Seen an ironic road-name lately? How do you define drive vs road vs street vs place? Thought this definition debate right up your alley –

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Rewording The Brain

Focus & memory, lateral leaps & logic - every aspect of cognitive health is lit in Rewording The Brain, a book revelling in how puzzles boost your brain. Part 2 equips your brain to conquer any twisty clue, plus the wild crossword finale. Pop science meets neural gameplay, Rewording is rewarding, and out now.

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Rewording The Brain

Care to renew your noodle? Rewording The Brain explores the latest neural studies, seeing how puzzles (and twisty clues) boost your neurons. Part 2 helps you crack such clues, and prep the grey matter for the crossword showcase to finish. More here

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101 Weird Words (and 3 Fakes)

From Ambidextrous to Zugwang, this mini-dictionary teems with rare or alluring words, plus bonus riddles, puzzles and fun word-facts. Dictionary detective will also nab the collection's three fakes. Ideal for late primary schoolers, or word-nuts in general.

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Gargantuan Book of Words

Sneeze words. Fake pasta. Viking slang. Gargantuan is a jumbo jumble of puzzles & games, mazes & quizzes, tailor-made for that wordy wonderkid in your life. Or anyone in love with letters, secret codes, puns, rhymes, emoji & all things languagey. More here 

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Riddledom Rave

If you missed my riddle chat with Richard Fidler, then feel free to slurp the podcast at http://ab.co/1I9t1x5

Text-speak is creeping into Scrabble. Where do you sit?
OBVS I'm fine with it
Entrenched stuff - like LOL and OMG - but no more.
Words With Friends, maybe. Scrabble, no
Let the 'real' dictionaries decide first
Just the handy stuff, like FAQ and EUW
I mean, WTF?! No way
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