Luffa aegyptiaca, the sponge gourd, Egyptian cucumber or Vietnamese luffa, is an annual species of vine cultivated for its fruit, native to South and Southeast Asia.  The three-lobed leaves are 7.5–20 centimetres (3–8 inches) wide.  The fruit, approximately 30 cm (12 in) long and maturing to brown, resembles a cucumber in shape and size.  The synonymous botanical specific epithet "aegyptiaca" was given to this plant in the 16th century when European botanists were introduced to the plant from its cultivation in Egypt.  In the European botanical literature, the plant was first described by Johann Veslingius in 1638, who named it "Egyptian cucumber".  Veslingius also introduced the name "Luffa".  The young fruit is eaten as a vegetable and is commonly grown for that purpose in tropical Asia.  The young shoots, flowers and leaves can be cooked, and the mature seeds can be roasted for consumption.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luffa_aegyptiaca   

Luffa sponges don’t come from the ocean.  And they’re not from manmade materials.  Rough-textured exfoliators originate from luffa:  dried fiber from the vegetable of the same name.  Luffa or loofah (botanically Luffa aegyptiaca) is a vine-grown member of the pumpkin, squash and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. Centuries ago, the luffa plant was brought to this country by European settlers. They planned to domesticate it in the New World.  Though a few varieties are edible, most were cultivated for their utilitarian value.  Not a typical garden vegetable, luffa grows slowly and matures well into autumn.  It prefers plenty of sunshine, hot summer temperatures, adequate water and well drained soil.  In the right conditions, luffa vines grow vigorously, sometimes as long as 30 feet.  When provided an overhead trellis, the vines’ tendrils twine and wind up and across overhead supports.  They can even create a natural shade canopy.  Eye-catching, sunshine-yellow flowers appear in late summer through early fall.  The flowers attract bees, ants and other pollinators.  After the flowers are spent, elongated fruits form up and down the vines.  They dangle here and there in random fashion.  Lynn Kirk  https://www.lewisginter.org/luffa-plant-exfoliate/    

In journalism, the nut graph or nut graf (short for "nutshell paragraph") is a paragraph that explains the context of the story "in a nutshell".  The term can be spelled many different ways.  In many news stories, the essential facts of a story are included in the lead, the first sentence or two of a story.  The nut graph, which often will start in the third, fourth, or fifth paragraphs, will explain any additional context for why the story is important.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_graph   

An ambigram is a calligraphic or typographic design with multiple interpretations as written words. Alternative meanings are often yielded when the design is transformed or the observer moves, but they can also result from a shift in mental perspective.  The term was coined by Douglas Hofstadter in 1983–1984. Most often, ambigrams appear as visually symmetrical words.  When flipped, they remain unchanged, or they mutate to reveal another meaning.  "Half-turn" ambigrams undergo a point reflection (180-degree rotational symmetry) and can be read upside down, while mirror ambigrams have axial symmetry and can be read through a reflective surface like a mirror.  Many other types of ambigrams exist.  The word ambigram was coined in 1983 by Douglas Hofstadter, an American scholar of cognitive science best known as the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the book Gödel, Escher, Bach.  The earliest known non-natural rotational ambigram dates to 1893 by artist Peter Newell.  Although better known for his children's books and illustrations for Mark Twain and Lewis Carroll, he published two books of reversible illustrations, in which the picture turns into a different image entirely when flipped upside down.  A symmetrical ambigram can be called "homogram" (contraction of "homo-ambigram") when it remains unchanged after reflection, and "heterogram" when it transforms.  In the most common type of ambigram, the two interpretations arise when the image is rotated 180 degrees with respect to each other (in other words, a second reading is obtained from the first by simply rotating the sheet).  Douglas Hofstadter coined the word "homogram" to define an ambigram with identical letters.  A symmetrical ambigram is called "heterogram" (contraction of "hetero-ambigram") when it gives another word.  See graphics at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambigram   

All’s well that ends well.  Although it is hundreds of years old, Shakespeare revived its popularity with a play by the same name, forever creating a connection with his comedic characters.  Today the word continues to be used in a lighthearted manner to explain that despite the challenges of a task or situation, all can be forgotten (or forgiven) in the event of a happy ending.  Proverbs are short, familiar sayings that express a truth concerning life or provide advice.  Idioms are phrases that consist of a series of words that provide a figurative use, often to make a point or help illustrate a deeper meaning.  The expression also implies that regardless of the problems involved in a pursuit, success was achieved and that one should move on from any unpleasantness or difficulty experienced along the way.  The proverb all’s well that ends well is most well known because it is the title of a Shakespearean play published in 1623.  Danielle Mcleod   https://grammarist.com/proverb/alls-well-that-ends-well/    

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2704  August 1, 2023