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Jul 5, 2026 This week’s theme Eponyms This week’s words Carrollian hiren Crichtonism Mona Lisa Comstock Lode How popular are they? Relative usage over time AWADmail archives Index Next week’s theme Adverbs Wordsmith Games 🧩 Jigsaw Riddle A Paper Ball 🌍 Langitude Trace seltzer home AWADmail Issue 1253 A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Tidbits about Words and Language From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) Subject: Interesting stories from the Net ”Separate in Name and Power”: How America Reinvented English BBC Permalink How Teaching AI Endangered Languages Can Help Save Them The New York Times Permalink From: Susan Saunders (susansaunders82 gmail.com) Subject: The Galloway method (Re: Carrollian) When I read your account of Jeff Galloway, and how his method of alternating walking with running enabled more people to run consistently, I remembered a similar method, called Scout’s pace, which I was taught as a Girl Guide in the 1950s. It was promoted by Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scouting movement in England. The scouts Baden-Powell was thinking of were messengers during the Boer War, who needed to be able to cover long distances quickly without exhausting themselves. Susan Saunders, Teddington, UK Email of the Week -- Brought to you by Oneupmanship From: Cantucan (via website comments) Subject: Gallowalk Back in the day, we called this the Gallowalk (not to be confused with the Wesley Snipes film Gallowwalkers). I distinctly remember my first exposure to the Gallowalk during my first marathon, Big Sur in 2001, when a group of women suddenly stopped running and started walking, very early in the race. I begrudgingly diverted around them, only to have them cheerfully run past me several minutes later. And again, they slowed to a stroll a few minutes after that. I was perplexed and annoyed, but I saw this pattern repeat itself over and over until about mile 18, when they again moved to a lively run after their casual stroll. But this time, I never saw them again until after the race. They finished 11 minutes ahead of me. After that, I’ve always respected the genius of Jeff Galloway. Cantucan From: Cynthia O’Keefe (cybeireans2 optusnet.com.au) Subject: Jeffing In the 1990s, Victoria voted in a new premier, Jeff Kennett. As part of his contribution to society, he sold off a lot of public property and privatised many services. A lot of people lost their jobs or suffered pay cuts, so the word Jeffed came into common parlance locally, as in “I’ve been Jeffed”, to describe this situation. It didn’t make it into a dictionary either. Cynthia O’Keefe, Geelong, Australia From: Don Fearn (pooder charter.net) Subject: Young Shuffle Also named after a runner is the Young Shuffle, (video, 1 min.) also called the Cliffy Shuffle, an energy-saving ultramarathon running technique named after Australian potato farmer Cliff Young. Don Fearn, Duluth, Minnesota From: Henry M. Willis (hmw ssdslaw.com) Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--Crichtonism J.M. Barrie borrowed the name “The Admirable Crichton” for his play about a butler, named Crichton, who turns the tables on his aristocratic employer and his employer’s snobbish family when they are all stranded on a desert island. Crichton not only proves himself to be much better qualified at all the tasks required for survival, but also establishes himself as the leader of the new community based on his superior organizational skills -- until events take another sharp turn. Henry Willis, Los Angeles, California From: Lee Stevens (lee.stevens.5 gmail.com) Subject: Mona Lisa The identity of the model for Leonardo’s Mona Lisa was the topic of a recent episode of The Rest Is History podcast (video, 1 hr.). The short answer? Very prosaic. It is almost certainly the young wife of a merchant, as most sources say. What is far more fascinating is the history of the painting’s popularity and how it came to be a treasure of France. Lee Stevens, Bellingham, Washington From: Graham Sutton (grahamcsutton99 gmail.com) Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--Mona Lisa Mona Weasel is the one you need to see: a similar female portrait confidently attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. The problem with Mona Lisa is that you feel meh: the image is overfamiliar. The original at the Louvre is behind security glass, with lights glinting off it, and a crowd craning for selfies. Mona Weasel, better known as Dama z gronostajem or Lady with an Ermine, is now in the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków. The sitter was Cecilia Gallerani, mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. Graham Sutton, West Yorkshire, UK From: Kenneth Kirste (kkkirste sbcglobal.net) Subject: Mona Lisa This brought back vivid memories of the aptly named movie Mona Lisa (1986), which explores the mystery behind an attractive, unattainable, and high-class call girl who is many things to many men. Nat “King” Cole’s recording of the Academy Award-winning song “Mona Lisa” is featured prominently in the movie, underlining how the lead character’s true emotions and intentions remain hidden behind an indecipherable façade, just like the subject of Leonardo’s famous painting. Ken Kirste, Sunnyvale, California From: James Watson (jwatson6 jhmi.edu) Subject: Re: Mona Lisa conductor USAGE: “[Franz Welser-Möst, the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra] was neither solemn nor particularly expressive; he just flashed a Mona Lisa smile before turning to the players and gesturing the downbeat of a Mozart symphony.” Joshua Barone; Preparing to Surrender the Baton; The New York Times; Jan 14, 2024. I have enjoyed this maestro’s recordings, and when I saw him conduct in person, in Munich, I got to see the Mona Lisa conductor in action. With very little facial expression and economical gestures, he drew an amazing sound and performance from the Bavarian Radio Symphony. Having seen other, more “demonstrative” conductors in action (Bernstein, Solti), it’s been an amazing education in the different modes that can be used to deliver a riveting performance. Jim Watson, Pikesville, Maryland From: Craig Good (clgood me.com) Subject: Mona Lisa Margaret Livingstone used spatial-frequency analysis to show why Mona Lisa’s smile seems to vanish when you look directly at it. The smile is largely in low spatial frequencies, which are seen best by peripheral vision. I highly recommend her book. Craig Good, Vallejo, California From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com) Subject: Hiren and Comstock Lode A comic clash of eros and empire: Hiren dancing with enough allure to make the sultan forget the difference between guarding the throne and gawking at a beauty. In the old story, of course, the blame falls on her, though the sultan’s wandering attention is very much his own. It’s a playful dynamic of power, desire, and political distraction. The acorn woodpecker of western North America is well named, as acorns constitute a significant part of its omnivorous diet. They gather acorns from bountiful oaks and transport them to pre-drilled holes in tree trunks. Holes can number in the tens of thousands, each holding a single acorn. These storage areas are called granaries. For this woodpecker species, these cached acorns are a reliable food source for the harsher winter months. Of course, squirrels go nuts over acorns. Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California Anagrams This week’s theme: Eponyms Carrollian Hiren Crichtonism Mona Lisa Comstock lode = Makes no sense Chic siren To win hallmark moonshots i.e. cryptic claim Mother lode -Shyamal Mukherji, Mumbai, India (mukherjis hotmail.com) = Nonsense Hooker Many cool talents Her mimic with a calm smile Rich rock deposits = Nonsensical Was some hooker Had mammoth intellect Smile’s cryptic Rich in ore OK -Dharam Khalsa, Burlington, North Carolina (dharamkk2 gmail.com) -Julian Lofts, Auckland, New Zealand (jalofts xtra.co.nz) Make your own anagrams and animations. Limericks Carrollian The troublesome pool on the Mall Stands for nothing that’s real after all. Be it bright blue or green, It reflects the obscene: The Carrollian king who won’t fall. -Judy Distler, Teaneck, New Jersey (jam1026 aol.com) For those who like stories surreal, Carrollian tales hold appeal. But others, it’s plain, Such nonsense disdain, And wonder just what’s the big deal? -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) She loved all those stories Carrollian, Which she read in a cafe Tyrolean. She sat by herself With a book off their shelf, While enjoying a scrumptious napoleon. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) “The winter in Russia’s Carrollian; I had better retreat,” said Napoleon. “This blizzard persists And no wizard assists Like in novels by J.R.R. Tolkien.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) In the ultimate statement Carrollian, “Pope Leo, you’re no theologian,” Said J.D. But he topped it! This slip’s in his pocket: “My boss Donald Trump’s the true Holy One.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) hiren There was once an accountant named Myron, Whose whole life was destroyed by a hiren. How could we have guessed He’d grow so obsessed, Like Odysseus drawn to a siren? -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) There once was a scholar named Myron, Who fell deeply in love with a hiren. She said of her date, “His looks aren’t great, But he quotes all the time from Lord Byron.” -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “Although Helen’s a beauty,” said Chiron, “A centaur cannot please a hiren. So Paris, she’s yours, Though ships powered by oars May come after the girl you’re admirin’.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Crichtonism Anu, you again cite an “-ism”? To rhyme one’s a true Crichtonism. But my AWAD word bender Goes on! No surrender To lim’rick or pun nihilism! -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Mona Lisa It took Leonardo a while To get Mona Lisa to smile. He’d greet her, “Ciao, Bella! Please say ‘Mozzarella’.” He knew the result would beguile. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) “You’re smiling,” said Mother Teresa, “Like an extra petite Mona Lisa.” The orphan replied, “And you lean to one side, For you’re old like that tower in Pisa.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Comstock Lode Ya know that guy, Joe, kinda stout? Talks nonstop? When I see him about, I duck and I cover Or distantly hover. His Comstock Lode may yet run out! -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) The Reflecting Pool problem? I jeer; It’s a big Trump fiasco, it’s clear. All that algae so bold, Is a great Comstock Lode. But he’ll blame it on vandals, my dear. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) Need some lies? There’s a true Comstock Lode In the 202 area code. Politicians galore Spew them forth by the score; In the White House, they’re served à la mode. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Puns “A real man like James Bond wouldn’t eat trendy vegetables like es-carollian,” said Fleming’s macho new editor. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “I’m sorry but we’re not hiren,” the Trump Organization told brown job applicants. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) The comic strip showed Lois nagging her spouse, “Hiren to the store. We are out of milk again.” -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) Michael Crichtonism is the worship of the author’s sci-fi, medical, and techno thrillers. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “The weight of their copious tears is how we measure Americans’ regret at having elected him and others like him,” explained the inventor of crichtonism. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “When you take the ice, your competitors can only sit on the sidelines and mona lisa,” crowed the figure skater’s proud parents. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) The reckless investor bought every conceivable dot-comstock lode-ing up his portfolio with a house of cards. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don’t like? -Jean Cocteau, author and painter (5 Jul 1889-1963)

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