“A Brilliant Conspiracy” Episode 23

Blurb & other Episodes

Wharfage records unequivocal evidence; ketch movements finger vexed litigants.

Xemes groan outside the pitted courthouse. A youthful judge demands silence.

No zanyism inside his quirky bailiwick.

Glossary:

Bailie               1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in Scotland) a municipal magistrate; 2. (Professions) an obsolete or dialect spelling of bailiff

Bailiwick         1. the district within which a bailie or bailiff has jurisdiction; 2. a person’s area of skill, knowledge, authority, or work.

Wharfage        (Nautical Terms) 1. accommodation for ships at wharves; 2. a charge for use of a wharf; 3. wharves collectively.

Xeme               a fork-tailed gull

Zanyism          buffoonery

Archibald’s ‘Horse of the Day’

http://www.paulaura.com/betgloss.htm

Winning Colors appealed to this ladies’ man, as she was the third filly to win the Kentucky Derby (1988). Another Win so I won’t Welch on this pay-out.

Jamila’s ‘Daily Poison’

http://www.britannica.com/science/poison-biochemistry/Types-of-poison#ref396648

Weever fish (Trachinus draco);

Distribution: Mediterranean Sea;

Toxic principle: weever fish venom, chemistry unknown;

Symptoms: opercular and dorsal fin spines can produce instant pain, burning, stabbing or crushing sensation; pain spreads and becomes progressively more intense, causing the victim to scream with anguish and suffer loss of consciousness, numbness about the wound, swelling, redness, nausea, delirium, difficulty in breathing, convulsions, and death; no known antidote.

Word Links

http://www.wordfind.com/

http://phrontistery.info/glossaries.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/adverbs.shtml

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/prepositions-list.htm

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The Challenge runs over 26 days – with Sundays off for good behaviour – and each day will be based on the alphabet, from A through to Z.

Read more about the Challenge I set myself in my Theme Reveal:

Blogging from A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal 2016

For more on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and to visit the other brave bloggers, go to the official site and this linky list.

“A Brilliant Conspiracy” Episode 22

Blurb & other Episodes

Verdict by coroner: two grooms – homicides; four wolves and six racehorses – misadventure.

Not exactly xenogenous killings. “Deadly phytotoxins yielded loss of zoetic qualities,” utters Jamila.

Glossary:

Phytotoxins                 plant poisons

Xenogenous                due to an outside cause

Zoetic                          living; vital

Archibald’s ‘Horse of the Day’

http://www.paulaura.com/betgloss.htm

Veillantif was Roland’s horse in the La Chanson de Roland – not a racehorse but Roland’s my hero, of course. Value for some here.

Jamila’s ‘Daily Poison’

http://www.britannica.com/science/poison-biochemistry/Types-of-poison#ref396648

Venomous ticks (species of Ixodes and Ornithodoros);

Distribution: temperate and tropical regions;

Toxic principle: unknown;

Symptoms: tick bites result in swelling, redness, intense pain, headache, muscle cramps, loss of memory, etc. Cause diseases such as Lime Disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Colorado Tick Fever, Powassan Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Tularemia, some of which can be fatal.

Word Links

http://www.wordfind.com/

http://phrontistery.info/glossaries.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/adverbs.shtml

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/prepositions-list.htm

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The Challenge runs over 26 days – with Sundays off for good behaviour – and each day will be based on the alphabet, from A through to Z.

Read more about the Challenge I set myself in my Theme Reveal:

Blogging from A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal 2016

For more on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and to visit the other brave bloggers, go to the official site and this linky list.

“A Brilliant Conspiracy” Episode 21

Blurb & other Episodes

Usury created vulnerable welchers, inciting reprobate sharks to punish grooms.

Nefarious quisling Xander dropped Yoshi’s zori for kickbacks, expecting hamshackled jockeys’ betrayal of a manipulative lover.

Glossary:

Hamshackle                             to fetter; to restrain

Welch also welsh                    1. To fail to fulfil an obligation; 2. To swindle a person by not paying a debt or wager: welsh on a bet. Usage note: Use of the verb ‘welsh’ is sometimes perceived as insulting to or by the Welsh, the people of Wales. However, its actual origin may have nothing to do with Wales or its people; in fact, the verb is also spelled welch.

Zori                                         Japanese thonged sandals

Archibald’s ‘Horse of the Day’

http://www.paulaura.com/betgloss.htm

Undercover Secret might be on the Underdog team or a dark horse that keeps on surprising.

Jamila’s ‘Daily Poison’

http://www.britannica.com/science/poison-biochemistry/Types-of-poison#ref396648

Urtica Dioica or Stinging Nettle; though everyone knows that brushing the plant will cause an uncomfortable burning pain for several hours, many do not equate that effect with ‘poisoning’;

Distribution: Europe, North America, Australasia;

Toxic principle: Formic acid is present and responsible for the initial pain but the longer term effects are caused by histamine, acetylcholine and 5-hydroxytryptamine;

Symptoms: Brushing the plant produces a stinging on the skin of varying intensity. There is almost no-one who has not been stung by the nettle;

Urtica ferox is a species unique to New Zealand which is said to have caused one human death as well as numerous deaths of dogs and horses. It is believed to contain an additional neurotoxin to those found in other species of nettle.

Word Links

http://www.wordfind.com/

http://phrontistery.info/glossaries.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/adverbs.shtml

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/prepositions-list.htm

*

The Challenge runs over 26 days – with Sundays off for good behaviour – and each day will be based on the alphabet, from A through to Z.

Read more about the Challenge I set myself in my Theme Reveal:

Blogging from A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal 2016

For more on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and to visit the other brave bloggers, go to the official site and this linky list.

“A Brilliant Conspiracy” Episode 20

Blurb & other Episodes

Touts utter veiled warnings about race fixings.

Not exactly bribery, more like querked debtors.

Xander importuned grooms of hippic compilations. Yoshi knackered profligate jockeys. Zollie strategized.

Glossary:

Hippic                         of, like or pertaining to horses or horse-racing

Profligate                    licentious; dissolute: recklessly extravagant

Querken                      to stifle; to suffocate

Tout                             including: Horse Racing. a person who gives information on a horse, especially for a fee; chiefly British. a person who spies on a horse in training for the purpose of betting.

Archibald’s ‘Horse of the Day’

http://www.paulaura.com/betgloss.htm

Totilas was the first horse to score above a 90 in dressage. Another departure in my Tips, but then I’m the Tout with Clout.

Jamila’s ‘Daily Poison’

http://www.britannica.com/science/poison-biochemistry/Types-of-poison#ref396648

Tree frogs (some species of Hyla and Phyllobates);

Distribution: northern South America, Central America;

Toxic principle: skin secretions are poisonous; batrachotoxin, steroidal alkaloids, serotonin, histamine, and other substances; bufotenine varies with the species;

Symptoms: some frog species produce a burning sensation and a skin rash when handled; skin secretions in the eye may produce a severe inflammatory reaction; if ingested, poison causes vomiting and abdominal pain; batrachotoxin is extremely toxic if injected; used by Indians as an arrow poison.

Word Links

http://www.wordfind.com/

http://phrontistery.info/glossaries.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/adverbs.shtml

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/prepositions-list.htm

*

 The Challenge runs over 26 days – with Sundays off for good behaviour – and each day will be based on the alphabet, from A through to Z.

Read more about the Challenge I set myself in my Theme Reveal:

Blogging from A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal 2016

For more on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and to visit the other brave bloggers, go to the official site and this linky list.

“A Brilliant Conspiracy” Episode 19.

Blurb & other Episodes

“Spraying three utterly virulent compounds onto leas was intentional.

Xylitol masked delphinine, galantamine, plus amatoxins,” noted Jamila.

Barrels hauled from recalcitrant Yoshi’s ketch, embroiled quivering Zollie.

Glossary:

Amatoxins                   a subgroup of at least eight toxic compounds found in several genera of poisonous mushrooms, most notably the Death Cap Amanita phalloides (Death Cap) and several other members of the genus Amanita

Delphinine                  a toxic diterpenoid alkaloid found in plants from the Delphinium (Larkspur) and Atragene (a clematis) genera.

Galantamine                an alkaloid obtained synthetically or from the bulbs and flowers of the Galanthus species (Snowdrops), and related genera like Narcissus (daffodil).

Ketch                           a two-masted, fore-and-aft rigged sailing boat with a mizzenmast stepped forward of the rudder and smaller than its foremast.

Xylitol                         a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener. Xylitol is often fatal to dogs.

Archibald’s ‘Horse of the Day’

http://www.paulaura.com/betgloss.htm

Seabiscuit inspired many Americans back in the Depression, and for many was a Sure Thing. But then so was Secretariat.

Jamila’s ‘Daily Poison’

http://www.britannica.com/science/poison-biochemistry/Types-of-poison#ref396648

Scorpion (species of Centruroides, Tityus, and Leiurus);

Distribution: warm temperate and tropical regions;

Toxic principle: neurotoxin, cardiotoxin, hemolytic, lecithinase, hyaluronidase, and others

Symptoms vary depending upon the species of scorpion; sting from the tail stinger causes a sharp burning sensation, swelling, sweating, restlessness, salivation, confusion, vomiting, abdominal pain, chest pain, numbness, muscular twitching, respiratory distress, convulsions, death; the mortality rate from stings from certain species of scorpions is very high; antiserum is available.

Word Links

http://www.wordfind.com/

http://phrontistery.info/glossaries.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/adverbs.shtml

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/prepositions-list.htm

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S is also for Seismic Crimes

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The Challenge runs over 26 days – with Sundays off for good behaviour – and each day will be based on the alphabet, from A through to Z.

Read more about the Challenge I set myself in my Theme Reveal:

Blogging from A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal 2016

For more on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and to visit the other brave bloggers, go to the official site and this linky list.