Review of John Stuart Mill and the Temple of Doom—Vervet Vandiver Vanlandingham-Vanderveer SpecGram Vol CLXVII, No 3 Contents

EtymGeo™Weird Little U.S. Towns, Part I

by the SpecGram Puzzle Elves™

Below are clues to the names of a number of cities. The name of each city is a homograph of an English word. The clues provided are vaguely etymological, and probably not sufficiently helpful. All your knowledge of geography will probably not be enough to provide any assistance. Our puzzles are hard. Life is hard. Get over it.

These towns are all purportedly in the United States, though that may not be true. If true, you still probably haven’t heard of any of them, unless you grew up in one of them, in which case you have our sympathies.

Move-αnαgrαms II
L + EAR BINGO = BOLINGER + A
⤶ 
A + USE SLURS = SAUSSURE + L
⤶ 
L + DRUB DECK = DELBRUCK + D
⤶ 
D + NEE PARSE = PEDERSEN + A
⤶ 
A + HONK JOBS = JAKOBSON + H
⤶ 
H + FOAMY ZEN = ZAMENHOF + Y
⤶ 
Y + WEE MINER = NEWMEYER + I
⤶ 
 I + NEW CLERK = WERNICKE + L
 ↓
HALLIDAY
???, Alabama
Via French, from Greek roots “out” + “gather, choose”
???, Alaska
From Gaelic tarmachan, with spelling based on a mistaken Greek connection
???, Arizona
From Old English naðinc, from roots meaning “not one thing”
???, Arkansas
Via an Old French word meaning “practical knowledge, cunning, enchantment”, from a Latin word for “a trial, test, proof”
???, California
A folk-etymological mix of a Spanish word for “solicitor” and a Nahuatl word for “testicle”
???, Colorado
From PIE *eyu-gwie-es-, via Greek (where it named a goddess), and most recently French
???, Connecticut
Meaning “spiritually allegorical”, via Old French or maybe Latin, from a Greek word with a root meaning “one who has been initiated” (though this place name is actually from Algonquian “great tidal river”)
???, Delaware
Via Old Norse, from Proto-Germanic *slukhtis, “killing of a large number of men in battle”

If you think you’ve figured out more than a couple of them, send your wild and unsubstantiated guesses to the editors of SpecGram. If we get your responses by June 15th, 2013, you could win a SpecGram magnet of your choice. The correct solution and winners, if any, will be announced in the August issue of Speculative Grammarian.



Speaking of winners, only one Puzzlemeister figured out last month’s Move-αnαgrαms II: Historical Edition puzzle:

• Adam Hesterberg •

Our good friend Adam will receive a magnet of his choosing, and all the glory. For the glory-less, the solution to that puzzle is provided above.

Review of John Stuart Mill and the Temple of DoomVervet Vandiver Vanlandingham-Vanderveer
SpecGram Vol CLXVII, No 3 Contents