How about that word last week, huh? Who knew that "neat" was also a noun and referred to cows? That was a toughie.
Let's play with a less sneaky word.
Today's word has four letters. It can be a surname. As an adjective and a verb, its use in modern English has been traced to 14th-century Middle English, and it's possibly related to a word in Danish dialect. Also lurking in its background are an Old English word for a funeral fire, a Latin word meaning coot and a Greek word for having a white spot.
? ... ? ... ? ... ?
The word means:
◼️ Conspicuous bareness.
◼️ Blatant, undisguised.
◼️ A Canadian swimmer who won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
◼️ Having little or no tread.
◼️ Having little or no hair.
I'll print today's answer Dec. 12, but feel free to email if you'd like to know today.
Email:
cstorey@adgnewsroom.com
CORRECTION: Canadian swimmer Kathy Bald won the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Australia. An earlier version of this article had the wrong games.