Puzzle Description:

I heard this term on the radio today. Getting thrown out of a window.

#1: Norma Dee (norm0908) on Mar 5, 2019

Defenestration is the act of throwing someone or something out of a window. The term was coined around the time of an incident in Prague Castle in the year 1618, which became the spark that started the Thirty Years' War. Wikipedia

So be careful who you throw out of a window.

When the progressive rock band played at the biker bar, it was the defenestration of prog.

When I took German in high school, I used "defenestration" as my mnemonic device to remember that "window" in German is "das Fenster". Around that time, I saw a picture of a building that had spikes that projected out then curved up under windows. If the high poo-bah sentenced someone to death, they were immediately thrown out the window to be impaled on the spikes.

Wow Juli, I hope I never get defenestrated anywhere near Germany. Cool puzzle Brian.

There is a medical term called LD50 (LD standing for Lethal Dose, 50 is the percentage of people who die). The LD50 for aspirin for a rat, for example, is 200mg/kg (200 mg of aspirin per kilogram of body weight), so giving 100 rats weighing 0.5 kg each 100mg of aspirin, 50 of them would die.

The LD50 for Sodium Chloride (table salt) for a human is 12357 mg/kg. So if 10 220 lb men ate 2.64 kg (just under 6 lbs) of salt each, 5 of them would die.

Now for the relevant part: The LD50 for defenestration is (believe it or not) 5 stories!

Hard to believe that there was once a time when Latin was studied as a matter of course in high school and was an option in university. Dredged up from the dark recesses of my memory and from six years of Latin studies (prose *and* poetry): the Latin word for window is fenestra.

It also means, at least in Spanish, to remove someone from his position.

The word "fenestration" is still used in architecture. Especially when you want to impress someone.

I learned about this word when I helped chaperone my son's German Club trip to Europe. We visited the castle where the defenestration occurred.

There is an art display in San Francisco that represents furniture on its way out the windows. Some believe the furniture is escaping.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/defenestration

Oh my! Oh my! Oh my!

The first one is for the fun puzzle. The second is for the cool/weird new word. The third is for the amazing comments.

I love webpbn. Where else can I come and instantly have all my troubles just fly out the window! You guys are the best.

First of all, I love your comment Teresa. To quote, "all my troubles just fly out the window".

Second, I clicked on this puzzle just to see how it would be illustrated. I actually found a way to use this word in my novel, so I knew what it meant already. It is one of my favorite useless words. ^-^

Lastly, #2, Joe, I know you are spinning some wordplay, but I just don't get it. Care to explain?

Prague and prog are pronounced the same. "The Defenstration of Prague" is the most famous use of the word. https://www.britannica.com/event/Defenestration-of-Prague-1618

Although, the most widespread depiction thereof is probably The Tower card of the tarot deck.
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22the+tower%22+tarot&tbm=isch

There was a building that was an artwork in San Francisco called "Defenestration", torn down a couple of years ago.......https://foursquare.com/v/defenestration/4bd5dc14cfa7b713c58f26da?openPhotoId=538e7361498e35aab0050bdf

To add to the languages, the French word for window is fenêtre. At some point in Old (or Middle) French, several words had the S removed after a vowel, to be replaced by a circumflex. I had originally written about "hospital", but here's a longer list:
ancêtre "ancestor"
hôpital "hospital"
hôtel "hostel"
forêt "forest"
rôtir "to roast"
côte "coast"
pâté "paste"
août "August"

I apologize for the lesson in French spelling. Please, toss me out the nearest window, if I offend. :)

Jamais!

Comment Suppressed:Click below to view hints

A common "accident" for those who oppose Putin.

Show: Hints

Goto next topic

You must register and log in to be able to participate in this discussion.