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Mystery Monday

Remembering June 6th

heart shield2 heart shield
(photos courtesy of the U.S. Army Militaria Forum)

Today we remember the significance of this day, June 6, where 72 years ago Allied Forces landed over 160,000 troops on the beaches of Normandy.  The event was a turning point in Europe during World War II.

The Museum of the Bible shared today in its daily email that during the war, Heart Shield Bibles were produced to fit in a soldier’s pocket.  These gold-plated steel bibles were a protection from bullets but also contained an inscription of encouragement from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Today we also brought back the Mystery Box. I hid and you helped Eddie guess the item, which was a mini Twix Bar!  Congratulations to Susan of Mount Vernon who won the $5 gift certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley. Let’s just say Eddie enjoyed eating the mystery today.
EddieTwix

Today’s Word of the Day was a proper one: Normandy, the site of the primary D-Day landing. Normandy is a region in northern France along the English Channel, invaded and settled by Scandinavians in the 10th century.

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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Mystery Monday Geography

1-honolulu-harbor
 SAND ISLAND HARBOR. Aerial image of Honolulu Harbor and Sand Island taken in 2001 by Ken Ige.

Today’s Mystery Monday questions focused on U.S. capital city names and their meanings.

We asked: what state’s capital city name means ‘sheltered harbor’? (Honolulu, Hawaii) and what state’s capital city name means ‘old field’ or ‘old city’? (Tallahassee, Florida)

Congratulations to William and Madison, a father-daughter team from Fredericktown, who made the correct guesses and win a $5 gift certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley and the Pier House Coffee Shop.

We also shared information and links to the 2016 Utica Sertoma Old Fashioned Ice Cream Festival, which begins on Saturday.  Here’s a link to the website, with the schedule, too.

We’re also posting information about NEXT Monday’s Memorial Day Parade in Mount Vernon: It begins at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 30, traveling west from East High Street (at George St.) to the Square, circle the Square then exit the Square by South Main to Vine. The program on the Public Square will be after the parade. Co-grand marshals are Robert Carpenter and Lloyd Carpenter. The theme for the event is “Home of the Free Because of the Brave.”

Today’s Word of the Day is JIMJAMS, which is English slang for ‘extreme nervousness or the jitters.’

Thanks for listening!

-Joe and Eddie

 

 

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Unlocking the Mystery Box

Today Eddie took his first crack at hiding something in the Mystery Box and he did great – stumping me through the hearing and smell tests until I finally figured it out during the touch test.IMG_20160516_174624174_HDR

The item was a combination lock (pictured here). Congratulations to Logan of Mount Vernon, who guessed correctly and wins a $5 gift certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley.

Our Word of the Day is FORTHWITH, which is an adverb meaning immediately, at once or without delay.

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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Mystery Monday May showers…

Tusser
April showers bring May flowers.  True, but what do May showers bring?  June joy?  We sure hope so, since this has been one rainy month so far!

Eddie and I asked these Mystery Monday questions: Who originated this saying? What was the name of the collection of writing that contained this poem?

The answer? Thomas Tusser, in his book A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry, written in 1557.  The website Quora explains the saying this way: “April showers bring May flowers is a reminder that even the most unpleasant of things, in this case the heavy rains of April, can bring about very enjoyable things indeed – in this case, an abundance of flowers in May. ‘April showers bring May flowers’ is a lesson in patience, and one that remains valid to this day.”

Congratulations to Rachel from Bellville, who answered correctly and wins a $5 gift certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley and the Pier House Coffee Shop.

Today’s word of the day is LARRUPING (LAR-up-ping), which is an adverb meaning very or exceedingly. Example: that was a larruping good meal!

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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The Mystery Box Returns!

EddieMBoxToday Eddie returned to the show and we brought back the Mystery Box…I hid the item and we went through the hearing, touch and taste tests.

Congratulations to Ruthie from Mount Vernon for correctly guessing what was in the box – a pack of Whoppers malted milk balls!  She wins a $5 gift certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley!

Today’s Word of the Day is PRINK, a verb which means to fuss about your clothes, usually in front of a mirror.  It can also describe the action of dressing up, like “I got all prinked up to go to the prom.”

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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Mystery Monday minus 108 years!

1908Cubs

photo from Chicago Cubs

Today’s Mystery Monday trivia question was from 1908, the last year that Eddie’s favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, won the World Series.

Our three questions and answers:

  • who did the Cubs beat in the World Series that year?  The Detroit Tigers
  • who was elected US President three weeks later? William Howard Taft
  • where were the summer Olympics held that year? London

Congratulations to Alex from Fredericktown, who answered correctly and wins the $5 gift certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley and the Pier House Coffee Shop!

Our word of the day was juxtapose (JUX-tuh-pose), which is a verb meaning to place or deal with close together for contrasting effect.

Thanks for listening!

-Joe and Eddie

 

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Mystery Monday goes west…

Nevada-sign-flickr

Today we head to the state of Nevada for our Mystery Monday question…

Nevada residents lead the United States in this characteristic.  What can 86% of them say about themselves?

Answer? They WERE NOT born in Nevada.

Congratulations to Krissta from Mount Vernon who answered the question correctly and wins a $5 certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley and the Pier House Coffee Shop.

Our Word of the Day is UNCTUOUS (UNK-choo-is), which is an adjective meaning something fatty, oily, greasy or plastic in appearance.  For a person, it can also be applied, meaning  the person has an insincere, smooth-talking manner.

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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Mystery Monday, Tico Style!

SamGoodman

Today we had the chance to visit with our own Samantha Goodman and hear about her experience in Costa Rica.  Sam and 18 other MVNU students spent nearly three months in San Jose, studying at language school and exploring one of the most beautiful countries in the world!

What’s unique about Sam’s experience is that she spent 5 days in the hospital with two herniated discs after a whitewater rafting trip.  Thankfully, she recovered and was able to finish her courses.  Sam actually attended the SAME language school that my parents attended when they were on the mission field. We lived in the same neighborhood!

Today’s two-part Tico trivia question was (Costa Ricans call themselves Ticos): What is the second-largest city in Costa Rica? What does the city’s name mean in English?

Answer: Puerto Limon, which means Lemon Port. Congratulations to Janice of Mount Vernon who wins a $5 gift certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley and Pier House Coffee.

Our Word of the Day is: Guanacaste (guan-a-COSS-tay), which is a province in Costa Rica named for the Guanacaste tree, which means ‘ear tree’ in an Aztec dialect. The fruits of this tree look like ears and are favored by parrots and field mice. Here’s a picture:

Guanacaste-Tree-300x200

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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Wait your turn in the…queue?

Line
Today’s Mystery Monday question was: What is the only word in the English language that is pronounced the same when the last four letters are removed?

The answer…and our Word of the Day…QUEUE (like Q), which means (as a noun) a line or sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed. It can also be a verb, meaning to take one’s place in a queue. This is a very common word in both Britain…and in computing!

Congratulations to Lisa from Danville, who answered our question and wins a $5 gift certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley.

It’s also Lifeline 2016 week at WNZR – join us Wednesday for our annual day of prayer and praise.

Thanks for listening!

-Joe

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