"The water from the faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank."

Couple will pay $2.3 million to have the family pet cloned as seen in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 6, 1998.

“A couple who are convinced they have the perfect dog with the perfect bark and the perfect howl are giving $2.3 million to Texas A&M University to clone their beloved animal, Missy.

“Besides making a litter of Missy pups, the Texas A&M scientists hope to learn more about canine reproduction and improve contraception and sterilization methods. The project could also lead to the replication of exceptional animals, such as guide dogs or rescue dogs.”

I once saw a sign at a copy-service store that read, “Clone your own.” So where did the word “clone” come from? It’s etymological source is Greek, and means “twig”, “slip”, “sprout”, or “shoot” and apparently refers to the reproduction of the plant from which the twig comes [my guess]. Do you have a better explanation? If you do, please send it to me so I can share it with the list. I could not find any explanation in my etymological dictionaries nor in any other abridged or unabridged dictionary. Definitions are available for the word clone, but no explanations about the Greek source.

Another article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (September 6, 1998) caught my attention:

Robot leads tours at history museum in nation’s capital  The article talks about Minerva, who isn’t a typical tour guide. She’s four feet high and shaped like a tank.

“Minerva, named for the Roman goddess of wisdom, was developed by a team under Sebastian Thrun, 31, assistant professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon.”

According to the article, “She leads five tours that cover three to five items each. They deal largely with robots and how they are made.”

My question to you is, if we call a “male” robot an android (in the form, or shape, of a man); what should we call a robot that is in the form, or shape, of a woman? If you would like to easily find the answer, go to this gynoid page.

In the December 28, 1998, issue of the International Herald Tribune in the William Safire column called, "Language", he wrote: "Now to the alleged mistake that drew the most mail. In a line about the pronunciation of status, I wrote, 'That is usually pronounced STAT-us, as in statistics, by the highfalutin, and STATE-us by the hoi polloi.' "

"From Jim Tart of Dallas: 'My daughter Katie tells me that her eighth-grade teacher would have smacked her in the head with her grammar book had she said 'the hoi polloi'. Katie says hoi polloi means "the masses", and therefore should never be proceeded by the. Live by the sword and die by the sword."

Thank you, Mr. Tart. (And when Katie comes by with her spelling book opened to preceded, watch your head.)