A magician named Trixie? Aptronyms!

Plus a brand new crossword for you to solve!

Lexicon and legerdemain lovers!

In this newsletter:

• Aptronyms. Add your own!

• Magician spotlight: David Acer

• A brand new crossword! Under the Sea

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Aptronym

People love making up words about words. Like “cruciverbalist” for crossword constructor. It’s still not good in Scrabble (which is apparently my arbiter of what is a “real” word or not — definitely a questionable choice at times). But these invented words are sure fun, and aptronym was the latest to come across my radar. An aptronym is a name that is amusingly appropriate to a person’s occupation. For example, my high school chemistry teacher was named Mrs. Organek. Not kidding! An aptronym is also known as an aptonym or euonym. More made-up words!

The term came up the other day in my neighborhood group text, which is always lit with people borrowing cups of sugar and reporting mail thieves. You know, standard LA neighborhood stuff. And one neighbor recommended an allergist named Dr. Eitches. He’s at Cedars-Sinai!

To name a few more, there’s sprinter Usain Bolt, former world #1 tennis player, Margaret Court, and Los Angeles weatherman, Dallas Raines. You can never tell in LA, but I do think that is his real name! The internet also revealed Judge Mary Yu, who officiated the first same-sex marriages in the stage of Washington.

Have you come across any aptronyms in your life? I’d really like to hear about them in the comments below.

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Magician spotlight: David Acer

I scoured a list of famous magicians and I only found a couple of names that could be considered aptronyms (stage names don’t count). There is an Australia-based magician named Timothy Hyde. And then there’s David Acer. From what I can tell, that is his real name. Though the depths of my research only consisted of going to magicpedia and seeing if it included a real name. In any event, he’s a fantastic magician and thinker, and worth spotlighting.

David is a Canadian magician, born in Montreal. He’s not only an expert sleight of hand artist but also a prolific trick creator. I’ve come across many of his columns in trade magazines over the years. There are some lovely videos here on his website and on magicpedia. Here is one of my favorites:

It’s a real head scratcher right?! And finally, here’s one more. This is a great little bar trick!

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Another new Crossword! Under the Sea

Another brand new crossword for you to solve. Play it now! And as always, please let me know what you think in the comments.

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Events

Interested in booking me for your next event? More info here on private parties, corporate speaking & performances and team-building puzzle hunts.

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Upcoming Shows

After a sold out run at The Kennedy Center, The Enigmatist next moves to Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier in May 2024. The Windy City, get ready for the puzzle party! More info here.

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Puzzle Hunt Playing Cards

Enigmas: Puzzle Hunt Playing Cards. Included within this unique deck are four very special puzzle cards. Solve them all to unlock an online Puzzle Hunt! Available here.

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