Alligators: teeth on the lower jaw fit into sockets in the upper jaw, concealing them; head is broad and flat. Crocodiles: some teeth on lower jaw stick up and are visible outside the mouth; narrower pointed skull.
Blue States: traditionally reserved for the incumbent party, but ever since the 2000 election, synonymous with “Democratic” since Gore ran on the incumbent party’s ticket. Red States: traditionally reserved for the party in opposition, but again, since 2000, this has come to mean a “Republican” state.
shovel: The silhouette of a shovel blade is shaped like an acorn or a stone arch. A shovel is used for digging deep holes. spade: The blade of a spade is a basically-square, mostly-flat piece of metal. A spade is used for working the soil. Typically a spade has a shorter handle that doesn’t come away from the blade at an angle.
Oops. That’s what I get for not double checking. BTW, the NY Mets (and Knicks) colors derive from the colors of the Dutch flag that flew over New Netherlands.
The Doctors
Doctor #1: Dark coat, white hair, long and combed backwards.
Doctor #2: Dark, baggy coat, bow tie, black hair
Doctor #3: Dark blue coat, ruffled shirt, gray hair
Doctor #4: Gray coat (later maroon), scarf, brown hair that curls like the ram’s.
Doctor #5: Cream/yellow coat with red trim, sweater, straight blond hair
Doctor #6: Multicolored coat, question marks on lapels, curly hair, dirty blond
Doctor #7: White coat, multicolored sweater, carries umbrella, pale yellow hat
Doctor #8: Brown coat, gold vest, curly brown hair
Doctor #9:Not regenerated yet.
Sweden: Big country in Scandinavia. Home of the Swedes. Products include IKEA and Volvos. Is a monarchy. Capital is Stockholm. Flag is a yellow cross on blue.
Switzerland: Small country in the Alps. Home of the Swiss. Products include cheese, chocolate, cuckoo clocks, and herbal stuff. Is a republic. Capital is Bern. Flag is a white cross on red.
Dr. Spock - Pop culture pediatrician, wrote a lot of parenting books in the '70s giving advice on raising kids. Not sure how much of it was really valuable advice - anyone here read his books?
Mr. Spock - second-in-command of the Starship Enterprise, probably didn’t know a whole lot about raising human children. Fictional character.
Batman: World’s greatest detective. Dark avenger of the night. His parents were gunned down before his eyes, and he had dedicated his life to a never-ending war on crime. Can defeat anyone if he’s prepared.
Batroc: Has ze stupid moustache and a tres absurde French accent. Even with ze prep time, Batroc will still taste defeat, mon cheri.
Slovakia: half of the former Czechoslovakia. In between Czech Republic and Hungary, no coastline. Slovenia: former Yugoslav republic. Smaller than Slovakia, further south, borders Hungary to the east, little bit of coastline right next to Italy.
England: the largest country in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
(Great) Britain: an island containing England, Scotland, and Wales.
…Now, there’s some exceptions and it gets kind of complicated… ::thud::
NY Giants: play football (American football, game played by people who like violence and sports with a defined beginning, middle and end). Despite the name, their stadium is in New Jersey. Their primary color is blue.
NY Jets: also play (American) football in New Jersey, in the very same stadium as the Giants. Fortunately, usually not at the same time. They wear green.
More precisely,
Vulcans: Logical, generally pacifist
Romulans: Sneaky, generally paranoid
And, on the Swedish and Swiss flags, one should note that the arms of Sweden’s yellow cross extend to the edges of the flag, while Switzerland’s white cross is cut off before the edges (think of the Red Cross flag, but reverse the colors).
A driveway is something you park a car on.
A parkway is someplace you drive a car on.
(Shut up. Someone had to say it.)
blatant means ‘obvious’ flagrant means ‘too obvious to ignore.’
The Super-rich are owners of immense, rarefied wealth.
The Rich possess an excess of wealth.
The Nouveau riche have a surfeit of millions that typically has been recently generated.
The Upper middle class are NOT the same thing as any of the above, and I wish people would stop arguing with me about it…
Excess is an adjective that means “too much.” Access is a verb that means “to gain entry to.” Exes are the lousy people you used to be married to. Axes are tools used to chop wood. Xs signify kisses, and Os, hugs: XOXOXOXOX Axis is an alliance of nations, or a fixed point.
Manslaughter is a criminal offense. Man’s laughter is something we should all enjoy.
Oddly, they don’t rhyme, despite possessing precisely the same letters.
Bali is a country. Ballet is a dance form. Belly is your stomach. Bully is an aggressor. Billy is an abbreviated form of “William.” Bolly is a meaningless British expression that modifies short phrases like, “I bolly well had better!” and “Bolly good show, it was.”
Belay = An imperative meaning “cease”. Belie = To contradict. Baloo = A singing bear. Below = A lower place.
Council is a group. Counsel is advice. Consul is a diplomat. Console is an instrument panel. Khan’s soul is the actor, Ricardo Monteblan.
A principal runs a school or is otherwise the chief something. Principles are laws or precepts.
A fusillade is a series of shots from a firearm or firearms.
A fuselage is the body of an airplane. (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard boxing announcers fuck this up.)
And, of course, you can always aks somebody a question
Mackinaw: Is the northernmost city in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It lies on the south side of the bridge opposite St Ignace
Mackinac: Is everything else. You can go to Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island which lies in the Straights of Mackinac, and you can get to the ferry by driving over the Mackinac Bridge.
African elephants: Big ears.
Asian elephants: Little ears.
Did You Know: Asian elephants are more closely related to woolly mammoths than they are to African elephants!
