One definition of eyelet is "In embroidery, a small hole with finely stitched edges, forming part of an ornamental pattern." "A neighbor" was a clever clue. When I saw "Rocky hellos," my first thought was the familiar "Hiya" uttered by Rocky the Flying Squirrel. The reference was to the YOS of Sylvester Stallone's movie character Rocky Balboa.
Today's crossword puzzle included a description of a jigsaw puzzle: PRECUT. Come on! If a jigsaw puzzle is not cut into pieces, then it's not a puzzle---it's just a large picture. I have long decried the unnecessary use of the prefix "pre-." I go to the store and see pre-sifted flour, pre-ground coffee, pre-sliced rolls, pre-stirred yogurt, pre-washed jeans, pre-shrunk jeans and pre-lit Christmas trees. And I hear people talk about having a "pre-existing condition." If someone has a condition, obviously the condition exists! There is no reason to say "pre-existing" or even "existing." "Prefix" is a legitimate word. In all those other examples, the "pre-" is unnecessary.
