Today's crossword by Joe Schewe is titled "Eekology 101" and includes these Hallowe'en-themed puns:
Dracula's favorite fruit? NECKTARINE
Dracula's least favorite lunch? STAKESANDWICH
Ghosts' car safety devices? SHEETBELTS
Monster's favorite cereal? SCREAMOFWHEAT
Monster's daily newspaper reading? HORRORSCOPE
Monsters' cookie selling group? GHOULSCOUTS
Where werewolves seek stardom? HOWLLYWOOD
Witches living together? BROOMMATES
You might wonder why ghosts wear sheets. Actuallly, authors and playwrights often depicted ghosts as wearing suits of armor or outdated clothing. The ghost of Hamlet's father wore armor. The ghost of Jacob Marley in Dickens'
A Christmas Carol wore the clothes he was wearing when he died -- plus several long chains. In the 19th century, writers began depicting ghosts in sheets, a reference to the linen sheets which were used to wrap the bodies of people prior to burial when the families of the deceased were poor and could not afford a coffin. For more details, check out Owen Davies' 2009 book
The Haunted: A Social History Of Ghosts:
https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Social-History-Ghosts/dp/023023710X"More sick" is ILLER. Yes, it's a real word -- but I have never seen or heard it used by anyone. "Spanish ayes" -- a pun on Al Martino's 1965 hit song
Spanish Eyes -- is a clever clue for SISI.....although "Sí, sí" is not used in English. "Group of whales" is GAM. A group of family-related whales is a pod. A group of whales who are
not related is a gam. Herman Melville's 1851 novel
Moby-Dick mentions a gam. The word was originally a nautical term referring to a social meeting of whaling boat captains and crew members. "Gam" came from the 18th-century word
gammon (origin unknown), which meant "to cheat; deceive."
"Spanish appetizers" is TAPAS. Tapas are snacks or appetizers typically served with wine or beer. The Spanish word "tapa" means "cover" or " lid" and stems from the Old Norse
tappa. Nobody is certain how the word came to refer to food. The most popular theory is that, in medieval times, plates of food were set on top drinks to keep dirt and flies out of the drinks.
Happy Hallowe'en, everybody! We caution our children to not talk to strangers and then once a year we send them out to knock on strangers' doors and ask for candy. Go figure!
