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Diabolically Arcane

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Salon 46 - Menu-Speak

29 September, 2014

Beware the restaurant whose menu mentions paddock, grass-fed, moghrabieh or exotic. (While the cheaper eateries will cite adjectives like delicious, real and crunchy.)

Currently reading The Language of Food by Dan Jurafsky, and it's scrumptious. Did you know a drinking toast and toasted bread are related? So too macaroni and macaroon? Or the less choice you have at the table, the more you can expect to pay. I'm only up to Chapter 2, Entree, but can commend the feast - lucid, erudite and fascinating. (Watch out for a foodie Storm tomorrow.)

Before then, a conundrum: Can you mix a common 5-letter word, and tag the new combo after M to make an antonym of your first word? (As a clue, most letters involved occur in the alphabet's second half.) Will offer more clues if it's too tough.

Any more takers on the Radio Storm idea from last week? I'll be announcing the prize for best brainwave on Tuesday. 

And of course, if you happen upon a fine crossword, from the Times, the G, or elsewhere, then do share the love right here. Get a wordy week under your belt.

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Recent Comments

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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