Word Of The Day

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Lissome:

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

    • adjective Moving or able to move with grace and ease; lithe and graceful.
    • adjective Easily bent; supple.

… [Wordnik]

I’d seen it before, but was uncertain as to its exact meaning. Noted in “A 1934 murder mystery’s pages were printed out of order. Now the world is obsessed.” Hannah Natanson, WaPo:

The lissome little murder mystery retails for $15 and totals 100 pages. The novel’s cover, depicting a murdered man’s legs on a library floor, is an enticing blend of turquoise, bright yellow and pale orange. The book was written in 1934 by a British crossword master, and “the pages have been printed in an entirely haphazard order,” the book jacket’s cover declares, “but it is possible — through logic and intelligent reading — to sort them into the only correct order, revealing six murder victims and their respective murderers.”

This “British crossword master” is “the father of the cryptic crossword.” Further reading suggests the dude’s brain looked, metaphorically, like one of M. C. Escher’s nightmares.

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About Hue White

Former BBS operator; software engineer; cat lackey.

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