Japanese crossword «And Per Se & is for &y (AmpersAndy)»
| Size: 16x20 | Picture: | Difficulty: | Added: | 27.04.23 | Author: mindscrub |
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super cute !!! the penguin fits almost perfectly that you can't even tell it is an '&'
Thanks mindscrub. Was wondering if you'd take a well-deserved rest.
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AmpersAndy (Andy or &y for short) is an ampersand penguin. While no dictionary words start with & because & isn't a letter, &y does because it is a proper name I just made up and that is how I spell his name. But more importantly, why is "&" in the alphabet? Well, it isn't anymore, but between the 1790s and 1860s, the alphabet was often taught with & at the end. “X, Y, Z, and and” was confusing, so they said “X, Y, Z, and per se and.” to be clear. They should have said "X, Y, Z and the and sign" since "per se" doesn't really imply a sign rather than the word "and". Over time, “and per se and” was slurred together by schoolchildren into the word we use today: ampersand. When a word comes about from a mistaken pronunciation, it’s called a mondegreen. Note that & originally comes from the letters "e" and "t" next to each other, as "et" is Latin for "and". Note also that & is a symbol or sign, not a letter, and therefore appears in no words (except &y).
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Wow, I didn't expect a history lesson! Honestly, I didn't even expect a puzzle from you today, so quite the surprise, but a welcome one.
replyLearning this history and etymology makes my literary heart happy. Thank you for providing this explanation. Very well done and quite clever!
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Oh very good, mindscrub, & (!) thanks for the explanation too. You’re raising our expectations! Thanks
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Brilliant ! Thank you so much for the explanation - fascinating. (My favourite mondegreen is 'there's a bathroom on the right' !) Thank you :))
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I had to look this one up because I couldn't pick up the reference. Funny. Although I never heard it this way. I probably will from now on.
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Dear Mindscrub!
I am glad that such a wonderful series lasted for one more "letter", albeit a "conditional" one. Thank you for all the "letter" puzzles, they brought a lot of pleasure.
And they are sometimes very informative.
For example, today I learned the history of the word "ampersand" and learned that it was once a letter of the English alphabet.
It's very, very interesting. Thank you!
I am glad that such a wonderful series lasted for one more "letter", albeit a "conditional" one. Thank you for all the "letter" puzzles, they brought a lot of pleasure.
And they are sometimes very informative.
For example, today I learned the history of the word "ampersand" and learned that it was once a letter of the English alphabet.
It's very, very interesting. Thank you!
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Well I must admit I found this one quite challenging - in my defence I had 4 hrs sleep last night and had to be up at 3.30am to catch a flight - so by 7.30pm my brain was "cooked"... and therefore
I immediately thought on Pingu but nay nay it was &y ...Loved the explanation...
I immediately thought on Pingu but nay nay it was &y ...Loved the explanation...
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loved this puzzle! thanks for the explanation too, very interesting :)
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Wow! It was a great surprise! Both things, an other puzzle for the series, and an other letter for the alphabet!
Thanks mindscrub. It was a pleasure to find this. And de explanation is very welcome. I've never imagined it was a letter!
Thanks mindscrub. It was a pleasure to find this. And de explanation is very welcome. I've never imagined it was a letter!
I appreciated both the puzzle and the back story. With this addition to the series, I'd like to put in a good word for my old friend thorn.
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