February 2023 Newsletter

Welcome to February's edition of Philosopher's Tone! I'm your host, Professor Rebus, and I'm delighted to have you aboard the Pitcherwits™ Express. What can you expect? A monthly dose of bonus puzzles, wisdom and snippets about the English language! I hope you enjoy this month's publication.

A quick reminder that the puzzle PDF downloads are now fillable, meaning you can fill them out on your computer instead of having to print them. Before you try to fill them in, save the file to your desktop first instead of opening the file in your internet browser, otherwise they won't work properly.

Onwards!

  • Once you find work you really enjoy, you add 5 days to your working week.

  • You really shouldn’t say it, unless you are prepared to write it and sign it.

  • Fools speak because they have to say something; wise people speak only when they have something to say.

  • Just waiting for something to turn up? Why not start with your shirtsleeves?

  • You don’t actually need it, but you just cannot resist the price. So, is it a bargain?

  1. Canorous: (a) sounding like a dog (b) sounding hollow (c) sounding melodious

  2. Scaramouch: (a) mythical beetle (b) boastful coward (c) thin, fine moustache

  3. Patulous: (a) short-tempered (b) with diminutive feet (c) spreading wide

  4. Divagate: (a) to stray (b) to become breathless (c) to prevaricate

  5. Famulus: (a) strong tie (b) magician’s assistant (c) benign polyp

From the initials and the clue, what’s the phrase?

  1. L.S.D.L. Don’t stir up trouble if you don’t have to.

  2. W.L.G.Y.L.M.L. Use the difficulty.

  3. M.H.M.L.W.  All hands on deck and it will soon be swabbed…..

  4. T.M.C.S.T.B.   ….but too much ‘help’ doesn’t help.

  5. T.T.B.B.T.H. Grasp your problem full on!

What are the rhyming phrases suggested by these clues?

  1. F.M. High-speed chess champion

  2. Q.P. More old fashioned dauber

  3. F.C. Non-rigid fake

  4. B.L. Improved missive

  5. K.M. Boiler steel

Chuckle Lines

(Not the Dictionary) Definitions:

  • “An acquaintance is a person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to.” Ambrose Bierce

  • “Admiration is our polite recognition of another’s resemblance to ourselves.” Ambrose Bierce

  • “An antique is a thing which has been useless for so long that it is still in pretty good condition.” Martyn Harris

  • “An autobiography is an obituary in serial form with the last instalment missing.” Quentin Crisp

  • “Bigotry is being certain of something you know nothing about.” Mark Twain

  • “A boss is a person who’s early when you are late, and late when you are early.” Herb Caen

  • “Carperpetuation: the act, when vacuuming, of running over a string at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back down again to give the vacuum one last chance.” Rich Hall

  • “A committee is a cul-de-sac into which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled.” John A Lincoln

 

Signing off until next time...

Professor Rebus

Solve clues with us on Instagram at @pitcherwits

Answers:

What’s the meaning?
1. c
2. b
3. c
4. a
5. b

What’s that phrase?
1.Let sleeping dogs lie.
2.When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
3. Many hands make light work.
4.Too many cooks spoil the broth.
5. Take the bull by the horns.

Rhyme time
1.Faster master.
2. Quainter painter.
3. Floppy copy.
4. Better letter.
5. Kettle metal.

Professor Rebus