I was today years old when I learned from the NYTXW that one of my favorite anti-social practices has a name. Say Linda and I are at some social event, and I’m miserable, of course, because I’m me. The time soon comes when I say, “I think we can leave. I just saw someone leave.”
“Who left? They haven’t even served the salad yet.”
“You saw him. That guy in the grey outfit.”
“That was a delivery man.”
“What difference does that make? Let’s just go.”
“Shouldn’t we say goodbye? At least to the host?”
“No, that would take forever [like twelve seconds]. Let’s just slip out.”
And we’re gone, and I can resume breathing.
It’s called a “French exit” — leaving without saying goodbye. It’s also called an Irish exit. Maybe it’s Irish if you’re drunk when you do it? Just asking.
It came up in the puzzle as a clue: “French exit.” The answer was SORTIE.
It inspired me to explain to the gang what a Yiddish exit is.
Yiddish exit: When you finally leave after annoying everybody.
Did you know what a “chilango” is? Not a chance in hell, amirite? It’s someone from Mexico City. So the answer for “What many a Chilango is” was SENOR. I like the one I made up better:
A chilango is a contraction for the term “chill and go,” for when you put something up to cool to eat later, but then leave and forget about it.
The third item I played with today was clued with “Create a crispy crust for, say.” Answer: PANSEAR.
I explained:
PANSEAR: How the ancient Greek god of the wild would listen to things. BTW, he’s the dude behind the word PANIC, from his habit of causing sudden fear in remote wooded areas. WTF, man!
Another term in the puzzle that was new to me was ANTICOMEDY. The clue was “Humor without a traditional punch line.” Andy Kauffman and Norm Macdonald are examples, but I’m not sure the latter really qualifies. Rex said Wikipedia says it’s “subverting normal joke structure.” But he thought it’s not a good term, because it’s still a form of comedy, not “anti-comedy.”
Have I shared Norm Macdonald telling the moth joke before? If so, who cares? It’s brilliant and deserves a replay.
There was an unusual exchange on Rex’s blog yesterday. It started with the clue/answer in the puzzle at 23A: “Equipment that attaches to a mask.” Answer: SNORKEL.
So I posted, in my usual ridiculous way:
SNORK-EL: Superman’s idiot brother back on Krypton
Anony Mouse followed with:
Krypton blew up before Superman arrived on Earth.
I (Liveprof) replied at 4:32:
Please. The memories are too painful.
Then, either the same Anony Mouse, or, more likely, a different one posted hours later:
Liveprof 4:32.
I’ve been a faithful part of this blog for more than a decade.
That sir, is the best post I’ve ever read. By a million miles. Thank you.
Wow. I’m not entirely sure what to make of it. I didn’t respond. I didn’t think my post was that good. Was he/she being sarcastic? Didn’t seem so. I’ll just take the praise on the theory that you can never get enough and limp along.
Credit Where Due Dept. For those of you who don’t believe in miracles, there were several decent New Yorker cartoons this week! Hallelujah! Here are my two faves:
“Just say they’re the greatest pancakes. You don’t need to add ‘of these United States.’ ”
“Good God. Some fools have been completely reckless with their oxygen supply.”
Here’s a baseball question that arose in a Gnats game recently. The Gnats had runners on first and third with two out. The runner from first took off for second with the pitch and the catcher threw down to second. But the runner stopped midway between first and second to delay getting tagged. Meanwhile, at a propitious moment, the runner from third took off for home and crossed the plate before the runner from first was tagged out. So the run scored and counted. My question: Does the runner from third get credit for stealing home, a rare feat? I think yes.
And this happened in a different game. The Gnats were in the field this time and the Dodgers had runners on first (Ohtani) and third. There was one out and the batter hit a grounder to Nunez at second. Ohtani ran for a bit but then headed back toward first to avoid the tag. Nunez ran over to first tagged Ohtani and then stepped on the bag to complete the double play. The announcer very astutely pointed out that it was key for Nunez to tag Ohtani before stepping on the base. That made both outs force outs. If he had stepped on first base first, tagging Ohtani would not have been a force out. So if the runner from third (who raced home during the whole hooha) crossed the plate before the tag, the run would have counted. By keeping both outs force outs Nunez insured that the run couldn’t count. Smart baseball.
That’s a good announcer: former player Kevin Frandsen. He made an excellent point last night too. James Wood was on first and Grady House at the plate. House swung at strike three as Wood slid into second with a stolen base. Franny pointed out on the replay how House, despite swinging and missing, was careful not to let his swing carry him toward the plate. You could see him holding himself back. Had he not restrained himself he might have bumped into the catcher in his act of throwing to second in which case Wood would have been called out due to House’s interference. “The little things make a difference.”
The Gnats won’t be setting the world on fire, but they are playing some good ball and we’ve enjoyed keeping an eye on them. They are 17-19, and ahead of the Phillies and Mets, for the moment, kinehora.
Best off-season move: Hiring Alexa. No question.
Who Datt?? It’s Alexa Datt!
See you tomorrow, Chatterheads!
The Wellington Files 