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Messages - Ozzyjack

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1
In recent decades, there has been a push for gender-neutral language. Classifying “workwomen” the same as “workmen” would acknowledge the contributions of women in the workforce.

Rosie the Riveter, an iconic symbol of female empowerment during World War II, exemplifies the idea that women can perform traditionally male roles. Her image reinforces the concept that “workwomen” are not rare but rather integral to the workforce.

By acknowledging both terms should be classified the same, we would promote inclusivity and recognize the evolving nature of language.

By Chihuahua’s rules it its arguable that both terms are now equally known.

In summary, there is no doubt that the unisex term “worker” is and should be classified common.  We can reasonably argue that both “workmen” and “workwomen” deserve classification as “common” words but if that is not accepted, I believe both should be classified as rare.


2
Word Games / Re: 7 by many club
« on: Today at 01:20:27 PM »
I wouldn't expect to miss it for a week or two, but history is not on my side for getting it every time.

3
Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: Yesterday at 05:45:44 PM »
It was a bit like pulling teeth but I got there in the end hurrah  :laugh: 

Hi Pen,

I’ll try to get this rebus right first off, this time.  If the last one was like pulling teeth, this one will be like eating chocolate.

France does a good line in food festivals, celebrating everything from lemons in Menton to the pink onions of Roscoff. Yet few can rival this event for its ambition. It runs for three days and combines dinners, Easter Egg hunts, parades and performances, culminates on Easter Monday with a grand culinary feat — a dish big enough to feed 2,000 locals and visitors.  The dish and the town are the subject of this rebus.

#5  8(#4  #4), 9(#4 #3 #2)

       

One line. Punctuation and diacritic not pictured.

Picture 2.  Discard the last letter and reverse the order of the rest
Picture 3. Discard the first 3 letters.
Picture 4. Nickname for the good queen.
Picture 5. Discard the first letter.
Picture 4 (again).  Use middle two letters of the nickname.

Roade sounds like a great village.  I thought you might enjoy a collaboration between ET and me.

In Roade, where the old tales spin,
Penny pops 'round, and with a grin,
They natter over a cuppa and sarnie,
Two friends in a chat, so hearty and chummy.

Several times a year, the ritual's the same,
A cozy catch-up, they warmly proclaim.
But oh, the adventures that might unfold,
With each visit, new stories to be told.

Will they wander through gardens, lush and wide,
Or to the market, side by side?
Or sit by the lake, feeding ducks in a row,
Watching the water's calm, steady flow.

So here's to the larks that await these two,
With every visit, something fresh, something new.
For in the heart of Roade, with each cup of tea,
It's the start of an adventure, just wait and see.

So here's to Penny and Gill, in Roade's embrace,
Finding joy in each other's company, and grace.
For friendship, like wine, gets better with age,
And every visit writes a new page.







4
Words / Re: platypuses
« on: Yesterday at 04:32:42 PM »
It's not that I don't accept Britannica on most things but for an Australian monotreme I prefer to accept Australia's trusted dictionary.
Quote from: Macquarie Dictionary
platypus
/ˈplætəpʊs/ (say 'platuhpoos) noun (plural platypuses or platypi /ˈplætəpaɪ/ (say 'platuhpuy) or, especially collectively, platypus)

an amphibious, egg-laying monotreme, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, of eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania, 45–60 cm in total length, having webbed feet and a muzzle like the bill of a duck; the state faunal emblem of NSW; duckbill. image
[New Latin, from Greek platypous broad-footed]

Usage: The ending -pus is a Latinised form of Greek pous foot, the plural of which is podes. The plural platypi is from the reading of -us as a Latin singular ending with a plural -i. The English plural platypuses is more regular in form and widely accepted. The plural form platypus is sometimes used, especially as a collective plural.

Whether they are platypus, platypodes, Platypi, or platypusses they are rare but, for my money, not on Chihuahua  :D

5
Word Games / Re: 7 by many club
« on: March 27, 2024, 03:16:44 PM »
I use a clever tactic to distinguish between species of Acacia by examining the diacritic marks on their scientific names.

P.S. I can't remember the number of times I have told June that I will never miss acacia again.

6
Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: March 27, 2024, 07:35:39 AM »
Hi Pen,

You would need to make the homophone of the combined three words to make a 10 letter word before ms google would make any sense.  If the problem was presented without positioning you would have #5 2 4( #2 #2) with 2 being the word  in. The animals are those that Americans confuse with bottoms.  I’m fairly certain you can work out the last picture.

7
Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: March 27, 2024, 04:26:18 AM »
He obviously had to visit as the poor gent is very poorly.
Did you find out what caused the black out? 
I'm completely stumped by your rebus.  You've definitely got your own back  :laugh:
Please change the first letter of picture three
We never found out the cause. 
Well, Pen, that has put me in the right mood to see if I can keep you guessing for a little while.
Picture 2.  Change the first letter.

Hi Pen,

I hope your friends dad is on the mend.

We didn't find out any more about the cause of the blackout.  News of the event carefully avoided giving information about the cause.

I wasn't out to get revenge.  I did use your technique of 'change the letter", when there are many possibilities, to demonstrate that it makes the puzzle longer to solve without necessarily making it harder.  I will tell you now in my rebus you had to change the letter to a 'y'. Normally I would have that done at the time of setting the rebus. I made a small boo-boo on picture 3 and have corrected it.

The third picture in the first line of your rebus did not come out on any of my devices.  I couldn't see why it didn't come out but I do know it was a picture of a *ough because I worked out what the word should be from the rest of the puzzle.

I must try and get a couple of hours sleep before the alarm goes off.

8
Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: March 26, 2024, 05:48:45 PM »
Anyway I'm happy I kept you guessing for a little while!
Hi Pen,

We didn’t get a good start to the day.  Half of Redland Bay was blacked out from sometime before 5am and just after 7, We never found out the cause.  I had to boil my coffee water in a saucepan on the barbecue.

Well, Pen, that has put me in the right mood to see if I can keep you guessing for a little while.

A homophone of my rebus is a subject that many Parliaments around the world have debated. Quite often it is decided on a conscience vote and not on Party lines.

#5 2 #2 #2

Position essential.  Position preposition not pictured.  One Line. All pictures are of a 5-letter word.

      

Picture 1. Discard the last 3 letters.
Picture 2. Change the first letter.
Picture.3. Discard the first and last 2 letters.and reverse what you have left.





9
Words / Request for consistency - Lustreless, lusterless
« on: March 26, 2024, 03:25:29 PM »
Hi Alan,

I believe Lustre and Luster are considered to be the same word with legitimate different spelling. Both are classified as common.

Therefore, I assume Lustreless (common) and Lusterless (rare) are considered to be the same word.

I am indifferent about whether they are classified common or rare, but I believe they should be classified the same.

It is not a priority but could you have a look at this when time permits, please?.
,


10
Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: March 25, 2024, 05:59:32 PM »
My rebus today is another film.  Released about 20 odd years ago it's one of my favourites.

Hi Pen,

Your rebus kept me guessing for a while.  I was convinced the batter got a very fine edge on the ball and therefore I thought the word should be Nick.  After magnifying the picture several times I will have to concede you might be right.  I am surprised it is one of your favourite's - Rotten Tomatoes only gave it a score in the low forties.

Still, I am in a good mood.  The prodigal son surprised us by turning up to spend Easter with us and so the fatted calf is on the menu for tonight accompanied by one of his favourite d'Arenberg reds.










11
Words / Re: Milliard and laminar - common?
« on: March 25, 2024, 05:00:56 PM »

Milliard and billion are two terms that refer to different numbers depending on the country and the language. In the U.S., a billion is a thousand million (1,000,000,000) and a milliard is an obsolete term. In most other countries, a billion is a million million (1,000,000,000,000) and a milliard is a thousand million (1,000,000,000)1. In British English, the term milliard has almost disappeared and the term billion has adopted the American meaning since 1974.

I think a case can be made for keeping Milliard as a rare word.

Quote
The word “laminar” is a technical term that is commonly used in the fields of fluid dynamics, electronics, anatomy, and materials science. In fluid dynamics, “laminar” refers to the smooth and regular flow of a fluid, while in electronics, it describes the form of thin, flat electronic circuits. In anatomy, “laminar” describes the layer of capillaries in the choroid of the eye. In materials science, “laminar” refers to the arrangement of thin plates or layers.
I think a case can be made for keeping Laminar as a rare word.


12
Word Games / Re: 7 by many club
« on: March 25, 2024, 04:22:17 PM »
We forgot to caucus and hence no rosette, but we did get.






13
Word Games / Re: 7 by many club
« on: March 24, 2024, 04:56:21 PM »
The altimeter setting was 29.87 inches of mercury, however if I knew this could also be expressed in millibars, I might have scored a rosette)

14
Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: March 24, 2024, 04:23:04 PM »
When I worked at the Halifax every year my boss would do my appraisal & it was nearly always the same!  Penny is resistant to change

Hi Pen,

If you worked for about 30 years for The Halifax and left them about 20 years ago, you must have still been a teenager when you started work with them.  Did you always work at the same Branch in Bletchley or did you work in several Branches?

If that boss knew you now, he would have to change his view, wouldn’t he?

I was sorry to hear about the decline of your city centre. 

ET tells me that “it is true that many towns and cities in England have experienced economic decline and urban decay in recent decades. According to a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, ten of the twelve most declining UK cities are in the north of England. There are many reasons for this decline, including the loss of traditional industries, such as manufacturing and mining, and the rise of service-based economies. Other factors include globalization, automation, and the decline of high streets due to the rise of online shopping. The government has recognized the need to address these issues and has launched a long-term plan for towns to help regenerate and revitalize struggling areas . The plan aims to tackle deep economic imbalances and create environments that attract more productive types of business and higher-skilled jobs.

Successful economic regeneration should change the offer a place makes to businesses. Places have weak economies because they struggle to attract or retain high-skilled businesses and workers in sufficient numbers. This results in low productivity, low wages, and poor career progression. The goal of a regeneration scheme should be to change the nature of an area, so that it offers something different to what it has done in the past”.


This would account for the money your visitor told you about.  I would have added the problem was not helped by The Iron Lady’s dry economics and disregard for the welfare of the ordinary workers.  This doesn't seem to have changed much by subsequent governments. I would also be sceptical that the long-term plan is likely to be achieved by the mob you have in charge at the moment.

Well, that wouldn’t cheer you up for the day, so how about this?







15
Whatever / Re: More or Les (was Bloody Plurals)
« on: March 23, 2024, 12:07:53 PM »
Hi Pen,

I am going to surprise you by constructing a rebus. Apart from being a movie from some time ago it is a musical being put on by a college theatre in Linda and Christine’s neck of the woods on 23-25 May.

#7 #3 #3 #9 #7

   

I have used pictures 2 and 3 from your rebus two days ago.  Use your clues - same answer.

ET is on a roll.  What do you think?

Bletchley’s Breath

In the shroud of dawn’s soft, rosy light,
Where Bletchley wakes from the cool night,
Streets unfurl like ribbons in the days,
A town where history whispers and sways.
🌤️
Bletchley Park, once secrets’ silent keep,
Now echoes with tales that no longer sleep,
Where codebreakers once weaved fates of war,
Now open doors invite to explore.
🔍
The Grand Union Canal, a mirror serene,
Reflects the dance of willows, so keen,
Boats glide gently, a tranquil parade,
By towpaths where memories never fade.
🚤
Milton Keynes Hospital, in its halls of care,
The fracture clinic mends what's laid bare,
Bones and spirits, with equal grace,
Restored by hands, the pain they erase.
🏥
The Blue Lagoon, nature’s azure gem,
Where wildlife thrums on every stem,
Birds take flight in the expanse of blue,
Singing the song of the morning dew.
🐦
Bletchley, your story, a tapestry rich,
From every brick to every ditch,
May your future be as bright as your past,
And your essence in our hearts forever last.




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