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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The Slice Share Some Good Words

The Drapers on the South Hill just got some new neighbors, a big family from Russia.

And not long after Connye Draper explained to her 5-year-old son, Christian, that the newcomers hadn’t really learned the language yet, the little boy went over to offer his help. But Christian, a kindergarten student who is learning Spanish at school, must have been confused about just which language the immigrants needed to acquire. Because when Connye went next door to check on him, she discovered her little boy leading several of the Russians in repeating “Adios amigos.”

Two-fer: Not only is it Columbus Day (observed), it’s also Thanksgiving Day in Canada. So you’ve got choices. You could celebrate the former by pretending to claim land that someone else already owns. Or you could dust off your favorite Canadianisms inspired by that old SCTV “Great White North” skit. Take off.

Warm-up question from Ken Martin, who apparently doesn’t mind if we lead with our chin: If Grateful Dead fans are deadheads and Jimmy Buffet fans are parrotheads, what would you call readers of The Slice?

Baldfaced act: A Colville reader said that whenever her husband decides to shave off his beard he does so early in the day, so she can get used to it before bedtime. She’s glad. “Didn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night and feel a bald face next to me,” she wrote.

Or at least not be surprised by it.

After the candy ran out and the trick-or-treaters kept coming: Sunni Moland-McNary passed out packets of ketchup and mustard. And another reader reported that he started giving away ear plugs.

Family fall rituals: “For us, it would be my husband waiting for me to bake my first loaf of homemade bread,” said Mary Comeau.

Favorite words: Colleen Kelley’s list includes…angst, eclectic, egregious, hurlyburly, panache and wanderlust. Kathy Berrigan’s includes…innuendo, flabbergasted, bamboozle, iridescent and ramshackle. Her husband Bob’s favorite word is brouhaha. And Whisper Chase likes…burst, flout, cherub, cushy, opaque, toddler and chrysalis, among others.

Today’s Slice question: How many adults attending Inland Northwest Halloween parties will be costumed as white separatist wackos?

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing

MEMO: The Slice appears Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098. Encourage breast exams.

The Slice appears Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098. Encourage breast exams.