I was pretty pleased Saturday with my puzzle-related ridiculous wordplay. I worked with SAWSHARK (“Ocean predator with external teeth”);
SAMOA (“Siva ___ (traditional dance named for its country of origin)); LOSESFACE (“Goes down in estimation”); and SHOOKETH (“Rattled, humorously”).
So I came up with:
Film about a deep-sea diver who turns his life around after a frightening underwater experience: The SAWSHARK Redemption.
Jason Momoa
Is not from SAMOA.
He was born in Hawaii
But lives there nomoa.
Science headline: Man LOSES FACE; Sues Plastic Surgeon
The males (who knew some Yiddish) in the audience applaudeth when the lovely young dancer SHOOKETH her tucheth.
Jason is divorced from Lisa Bonet, with whom he had two kids, daughter Lola Iolani, and son Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha, the latter of whom, I’m guessing, has a nickname.
Here’s JM with his girlfriend, actress Adria Arjona. What in the world does he see in her?
The Gnats destroyed the Cards Friday night, 9-1, precursor to a strong final week, we hope, especially since we’ll be down in DC for the last game on Sunday (9/27) against the Mets. Getting out of the division cellar may be at stake, if anyone notices. But never mind all that — Josiah Gray pitched an inning! JG was an All Star as a Gnat in 2023 but has been out with various injuries the past two seasons. If he can return to form, we’ve got three good arms in the rotation heading into ’27 (not counting Jake Irvin, whom we love, but who has been stinking it up pretty consistently). Here’s Josiah:
Stephen Dudley of the Dull Men’s Club (UK) asks: I wonder who felt it necessary to mould a fullstop? Is it grammatically correct to use a fullstop after a single word? [By “fullstop” he means a period (you know, the dot).]
[The question is do you need the period after the single word “lifebuoy,” which I gather means “life preserver.”]
Mark Fox-Parkes posted the rule that a period is proper if the single word functions as a sentence. E.g., a command like “Stop” would take a period “because it contains an implied subject and contains a complete thought.”
[But does that mean a period is to be used here? Is the single word acting as a sentence: “This is a lifebuoy?” Or is it merely identifying the object? I go with the “no period” folks.]
Here are some other member responses:
Ian Steer: It is a noun, not a command (eg “stop”). Can you imagine putting a full stop after a sign that says “cars?”
Steve Vickery: My mate drowned in the sea and at the funeral we laid a wreath in the shape of a lifebuoy. Well… It’s what he would have wanted.
Tony Ross: A common greeting hereabout when you’ve not seen a mate in ages: “Was it yourself or your brother that drowned at sea?”
David Mortimer: Whilst it true you can have a single word sentence and therefore a full stop after a single word, I’d suggest that slightly different rules apply to signage. For the above example the full stop after lifebuoy is superfluous.
Tony Ross: Not on your life buoy.
Nigel Parsons: “Can I touch your palm, Olive?” “Not on your life, boy!”
Mark Meds: Why even use the word “lifebuoy?” Did they think people would get confused and think it was a potato?
Sarah Knight: Probably my husband. He puts a full stop after his signature. Does my head in.
Michelle Goldberg was spot-on in her column yesterday on the law firms, colleges, etc., that abandoned their principles to toady up to Trump, e.g., UPenn. Brad Karp at Paul Weiss explained that he caved because the threat Trump posed to the firm was “existential.” But, Goldberg writes, Karp and his colleagues weren’t facing prison or penury. An average of $7.5 million per partner might have fallen to, who knows, $4 or $5 million for a couple of years. That’s a real hit, but it’s not exactly martyrdom.
[I sent it to Bruni’s “For the Love of Sentences” feature. Coming after you, Pam!]
Christina Daigneault shared this story in today’s Met Diary:
Dear Diary:
I was walking down Bedford Avenue on a Monday afternoon, hurrying back to my home office in Williamsburg, when I looked down and saw an injured mourning dove on the sidewalk.
A woman was sitting beside the dazed bird, shielding it from passers-by while calling 311.
I stopped to offer my help, which she welcomed. I told her that the Wild Bird Fund, which I follow on Instagram, had recently posted instructions about what to do if you find an injured bird.
We found the emergency bird hotline. In the meantime, we decided the dove might benefit from water and the safety of a shoe box.
I rushed to a nearby doughnut place. I explained the situation and asked for water. The young woman behind the counter eagerly offered some in an espresso cup and waved as I hurried out.
After placing the cup next to bird, I darted across the street to a shoe store. I explained the situation again and said a shoe box would be helpful.
The shopkeeper happily went to the back to fetch one, as customers inquired about the bird situation.
When I returned with the shoe box, the woman was on the phone coordinating the bird’s care.
Before leaving, I felt I should introduce myself to this kind stranger and then asked her name in return.
“My name is Hope,” she said.
Here’s a Tiny Love Story from the Times. It’s by Lauren Wein.
The night before our grandmother’s funeral, my sister and I collapsed onto the pullout couch we hadn’t slept on in decades. In the dark, my sister whispered, “Yes.” “Yes, what?” I asked. Suddenly, I remembered. Growing up, we shared a room. Though I was four years older, I was the one afraid of the dark. At bedtime, I’d ask if I could wake her if I couldn’t sleep. She always said yes. Eventually, our shorthand became: “Yes?” “Yes.” We often woke up in the same bed. The morning of the funeral, we found this photo in our grandmother’s night stand.
Yikes — it has stretched into Monday. Good morning!
I wasted too much time watching the Jets sink to their inevitable loss — in OT, no less. Up ten in the fourth quarter, they managed brilliantly to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The faces change under those green helmets, but it’s always SOJ (same old Jets).
Anyway, so there’s a new puzzle to play with. Here’s what I came up with for silly wordplay:
Biography of the artist Max: The Importance of Being ERNST
How Don, from yesterday’s puzzle, introduces himself: IMHO
Compendium of material on floral organic compounds: The Book of ESTER.
Fish drawings: CARPART
And, last, for the clue “First name of Julius Caesar” the answer was GAIUS. But I offered: First name of Julius Caesar: Julius.
Here’s a rendering of Esther from bible.art. A knockout, for sure — but doesn’t look Jewish to me. And kinda young.
This one works better. Hey, Babe — you going to finish that hamentashen?
From the “It Couldn’t Happen to a Nicer Guy” Department. After years of kissing Trump’s orange ass and pouring billions of dollars into his pockets, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman got the royal Fuck You from Trump on his plea for help against the Hooters. Here’s how the NYT describes Trump’s decision “process:”
“Trump met with advisers and told them he did not favor strikes. But after speaking with the Saudi crown prince, he reversed himself and told the Pentagon to prepare for airstrikes against the Houthis. But by midday Sunday, the president reversed himself again. There would be no U.S. airstrikes. Trump’s decision to pull back came as commanders had approved target lists, troops were loading bombs onto U.S. warplanes and the wave of attacks was just about to begin.”
The NYT goes on to note:
“In the spring of 2025, the U.S. military bombed the Houthis for more than 50 days to restore freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and to stop the group’s attacks on commercial and U.S. naval shipping vessels.
“The U.S. strikes burned through weapons and munitions at a rate of about $1 billion in the first month alone. During the campaign, two $67 million F/A-18 Super Hornets tasked with conducting strikes against the Houthis accidentally tumbled off America’s flagship aircraft carrier into the sea.”
Oopsies! Plane overboard! Plane overboard!
I’m going in after them — see you next time!
The Wellington Files 