Amuse-bouche: Deafening silence

---

Today’s Wonderful Word: “oxymoron.”

Definition: a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

Etymology: mid 17^th century, from Greek “oxumōros” meaning “pointedly foolish,” from “oxus” meaning “sharp” and “mōros” meaning “foolish.”

---

Sure, the Greek word for “sharp” may have been used most often to describe objects such as swords and axes. Of course, we know the word “sharp” to also describe a highly intelligent person. The Greeks were pointedly sharp, for sure. “Oxymoron” is of course an oxymoron. The Greeks were no morons, for sure, of course.

It may well have been a planned accident when a few Greeks sat alone together in a totally empty room with nothing but noiseless sound on a clearly foggy day and created a new word. Amidst the organized chaos, there may have been some head butting, some serious kidding, and some pretty ugly arguments conveyed in arrogant humility as they worked to settle on a satisfying spelling and meaning.

Suddenly, the wise fools must have set aside their humble arrogance as their arguments came to a rolling stop when they crash landed upon a questionable solution. “Oxumōros!” declared the mail woman with cruel kindness. Everyone feeling numb must have been filled with an overwhelming peace as they pondered a heavy sense of future nostalgia amidst the deafening silence. “Yes, of course!” Their whispered shouts must have reverberated off the walls as they gathered up their things and called it a night.

Surely, this is how it all unfurled, of course.

---

Answer to Saturday’s riddle:

Number the switches 1 through 3 from left to right. Flip switch 1 on and leave it in the “on” position for a few minutes. Flip switch 1 off. Flip switch 2 on and make your trip downstairs. If the bulb is illuminated, you know switch 2 controls the light. If the bulb is off and warm, you know switch 1 controls the light. If the bulb is off and room temperature, you know switch 3 controls the light.

---

A+