“Holy Toledo” probably refers to the city in Spain, and not the one in Ohio, though some Ohioans would like to think it refers to either the large number of churches or the large number of saloons in that city.  The Spanish city was “liberated” from the Moors in 1085, and became one of the greatest Christian centers.  So people could swear on that holy city, as they could on a sacred fish (“holy mackerel!”) or bovine (“holy cow!”).  Anything to avoid blasphemy!  Although the phrase apparently originated in the early twentieth century, “holy Toledo” might also have something to do with the way people used their weapons as expressions of faith.  Warriors would pledge their swords to their sovereigns, and thus swear on them that something was true.  And the city of Toledo (the Spanish one) was known for the fine quality of its swords, which were often called “toledos.”  So it’s just possible that the “holy toledo” of surprise was a reference to swearing alliance on a sacred sword.  Weapons may also figure in “heavens to Betsy,” another phrase whose origin is unclear.  The “heavens” part is easy, but no one is quite sure where “Betsy” came from.  The OED posits that “Betsy” refers to frontier slang for a favorite rifle or shotgun (“I’m gonna take Old Betsy and hunt down that varmint!”). The phrase, which may have originated in the mid-nineteenth century, thus might be also be a reference to fealty sworn on a constant companion.  The heavens, of course, are one of the most popular things to swear on or about.  But it’s anyone’s guess whether “heavens to Murgatroyd” traces to Gilbert and Sullivan, a 1944 Bert Lahr movie, or “Snagglepuss” from the “Yogi Bear” cartoons.  And if you’ve heard of none of those, then for Pete’s sake, look them up!  Merrill Perlman  https://archives.cjr.org/language_corner/taking_names_in_vain.php

A Hyperloop is a proposed mode of passenger and/or freight transportation, first used to describe an open-source vactrain design released by a joint team from Tesla and SpaceX.  Drawing heavily from Robert Goddard's vactrain, a hyperloop is a sealed tube or system of tubes through which a pod may travel free of air resistance or friction conveying people or objects at high speed while being very efficient, thereby drastically reducing travel times over medium-range distances.  Elon Musk's version of the concept, first publicly mentioned in 2012, incorporates reduced-pressure tubes in which pressurized capsules ride on air bearings driven by linear induction motors and axial compressors.  The Hyperloop Alpha concept was first published in August 2013, proposing and examining a route running from the Los Angeles region to the San Francisco Bay Area, roughly following the Interstate 5 corridor.  The Hyperloop Genesis paper conceived of a hyperloop system that would propel passengers along the 350-mile (560 km) route at a speed of 760 mph (1,200 km/h), allowing for a travel time of 35 minutes, which is considerably faster than current rail or air travel times.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperloop



Andrew Shaffer is the New York Times bestselling author of Hope Never Dies:  An Obama Biden Mystery, the international bestselling parody Fifty Shames of Earl Grey, and numerous other humorous works of fiction and nonfiction.  He is a two-time Goodreads Choice Award nominee and a finalist in the Humor category.  He has appeared as a guest on NPR, FOX News, and CBS, and has been published in McSweeney's, Mental Floss, and The Daily Beast.  He is the owner and creative director of Order of St. Nick, the quirky greeting card company whose cards have been featured on The Colbert Report.  He also is the publisher of 8th Circle Press.  Shaffer attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and studied comedy writing at The Second City, Chicago’s famed improv school.  An Iowa native, Shaffer lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife, novelist Tiffany Reisz.  He teaches and mentors writers at Lexington's Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.  http://www.andrewshaffer.com/about-andrew-shaffer

Most words in Pig Latin end in "ay."  1.  If a word starts with a consonant and a vowel, put the first letter of the word at the end of the word and add "ay."  Example:  Happy = appyh + ay = appyhay  2.  If a word starts with two consonants move the two consonants to the end of the word and add "ay."  Example:  Child = Ildch + ay = Ildchay  3.  If a word starts with a vowel add the word "way" at the end of the word.  Example:  Awesome = Awesome +way = Awesomeway  https://web.ics.purdue.edu/~morelanj/RAO/prepare2.html

Pig Latin is not a true language, it is a game in which the beginning consonant or consonant sound of each word is transferred to the end of the word, along with the the syllable -ay, as in igpay atinlay.  If a word begins with a vowel sound, the word is rendered into Pig Latin by adding -yay to the end of the word. Invented language is a phenomenon that stretches across cultures.  Pig Latin seems to have been invented by American children sometime in the 1800s, originally it was called Hog Latin.  Pig Latin solidified its place in the American consciousness with the release of the song Pig Latin Love in 1919.  Note that Pig Latin is properly rendered with capitalization, though the term is occasionally found rendered as pig Latin.  https://grammarist.com/interesting-words/pig-latin/

Sour Cream Maple Cake with Lemon Glaze  BON APPÉTIT NOVEMBER 2002  A wonderfully homey cake that's equally good with afternoon tea, after a meal, or for breakfast with a cup of Italian roast coffee.  makes 10-12 servings  https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/sour-cream-maple-cake-with-lemon-glaze-107332



A Santa Fe, New Mexico based chef, author, Native foods historian and photographer Lois Ellen Frank was born in New York City and raised on Long Island, New York with her father's side of the family.  She is from the Kiowa Nation on her mother's side and Sephardic on her father's side.  Her first career experiences were as a professional cook and organic gardener.  Lois has spent over 25 years documenting foods and life ways of Native American tribes from the Southwest.  This lengthy immersion in Native American communities culminated in her book, Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations, featuring traditional and contemporary recipes.  It won the James Beard Award in the Americana category and was the first Native American book to win the award.  She has worked with world-renowned chefs, scientists and academicians and collaborated with them to publish many culinary posters and cookbooks.  She has worked with national and international advertising agencies as well as many editorial clients as a chef and a photographer.  Lois received her Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico in Culinary Anthropology in July 2011.  She received her Master of Arts in Cultural Anthropology in May, 1999 where she focused on the importance of corn as a common thread to all Indigenous tribes throughout the Americas.  https://redmesacuisine.com/loisellenfrank



Before buying a new dining table, measure--and then measure again.  “The first rule of design is scale,” says Young Huh, of Young Huh Interior Design in New York.  https://www.spokesman.com/tags/dining-table/



National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo or simply NaNo, is a novel-writing challenge that takes place every November.  Participants begin writing on November first with a goal of completing a 50,000-word novel from scratch by the end of the month.  It is also 501(c)(3) nonprofit.  Upon signing up, users gain posting privileges on the website's forum and a user profile in which they can post a basic profile about themselves as well as a summary, excerpt, and cover for their novel.  On the front page of this profile are any Profile Badges that the user has earned.  The challenge begins at midnight on November 1st (local time), and ends on November 30th at 11:59:59 (local time).  From November 25-30, members can verify their wordcount by copy/pasting their novel into the NaNoWriMo word counter under user pages.  If the automated validator counts over 50,000 words, the word count bar turns purple and the Wrimo is listed as a winner.  Upon validation, users will receive a winner icon, a certificate and access to other "Winner Goodies".  https://www.wikiwrimo.org/wiki/National_Novel_Writing_Month



To the artist there is never anything ugly in nature. - Auguste Rodin, sculptor (12 Nov 1840-1917)



I know what I have given you.  I do not know what you have received. - Antonio Porchia, poet (13 Nov 1886-1968)



http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2181  November 13, 2019