CRUCIVERB.COM

Solving => Today's Puzzles => Topic started by: magus on June 19, 2015, 08:57:29 AM

Title: Fri., 6/19 Jeffrey Wechsler
Post by: magus on June 19, 2015, 08:57:29 AM

THEME:   last letter, F, removed from a common phrase yields an uncommon one
   
GOOD ONES:    
USDA-approved cheese?   LEGAL BRIE(F)   
Query when a certain queen goes missing?   WHERE'S THE BEE(F)   [once popular commercial phrase of a hamburger ad]   
Head of the Greek Titans?   TAU [first letter of the Greek supermen]   
Wrong at the start?   MAL [the start of a word, that is:  as in "malfeasance of office"]   
   
BTW:   
Dental treatment   VENEER [I thought dental moulding (woodwork) before dentistry, but I'm a woodworker --- and both definitions work]   
   
Rouen relative   ONCLE [Certainly this clue was used to spite me!  The classic Jacques Tati movie, Mon Oncle, would have been richer and have had the advantage of actually being used in English.  Sfachime!]   
   
   
RATING: ;D ;D   
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun   

Title: Re: Fri., 6/19 Jeffrey Wechsler
Post by: Thomps2525 on June 19, 2015, 06:24:06 PM

A frustrated Chico Marx would often include the word "sfachime" in his Italian-language mutterings in various Marx Brothers movies. Apparently the censors paid no attention. In southern Italian dialect, sfachime, also spelled sfachimme, literally means "semen." As an epithet, the word is the equivalent of "bastard" or "SOB."

The phrases with a missing F reminded me of one of Joe Martin's Willy 'N Ethel comic strips. Willy held up a t-shirt on which he had painted the word STAF. He told Ethel, "I made this for your sister to wear when she does volunteer work at the church." Ethel said, "You spelled it wrong." Willy replied, "Actually, I spelled it backwards." :)

And another crossword with ORO. Please stop!

Title: Re: Fri., 6/19 Jeffrey Wechsler
Post by: magus on June 20, 2015, 09:40:28 AM

What is your authority for the definition of sfachime, which as far as I know has no agreed upon meaning other than some kind of expletive.

Title: Re: Fri., 6/19 Jeffrey Wechsler
Post by: Thomps2525 on June 21, 2015, 04:14:05 PM

Sfachime as an epithet is variously translated as dick, scumbag, bastard, lowlife
or SOB. I suppose, to paraphrase a line from Alice In Wonderland, it can mean whatever we want it to mean.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sfacim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea_mEpI6Ti8

http://www.beginningwithi.com/2006/11/06/italian-slang-s/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ken-bank/bob-grant-returns-to-wabc_b_65099.html (Fifth paragraph)