Wed., 5/20 Michael Dewey

[magus]

THEME:   last word of phrase can precede SHOT (in basketball)
   
GOOD ONES:    
Start to fall?   PRAT   
Revolutionary sewer   ROSS [the seamstress not the conduit]   
   
BTW:   
South, in Soissons   SUD [but not across the Channel]   
But had ECRU been changed the ECCE and TSPS to TSAR there would have been no need to use a French word really unused in English.   
   
RATING:   
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun   

[Thomps2525]

Merriam-Webster says the word "pratfall," meaning "a fall in which a person lands on his buttocks," dates from 1930. The word "prat," which means "buttocks," is an argot word dating from 1560-70. ("Argot" is a nice way of saying "We have no idea where the word comes from.") Around 1961, the word "prat" began to be used in Great Britain as another name for a stupid or obnoxious person. We need to enunciate clearly. Someone could easily mistake "Jack Sprat" for "Jack's prat."