Strategic play on words

Bob Thaves is the punster extraordinaire behind Frank and Ernest. Today he manages to make a joke and also pay homage to a fellow cartoonist.

With the phrase “Alloy oops,” Thaves alludes to a popular comic strip (still in syndication) that V.T. Hamlin created in 1932. The strip chronicles the adventures of Alley Oop, a stalwart caveman in the prehistoric kingdom of Moo who also has managed to time travel. The strip inspired a song by the same name in 1960, which was later performed by the Beach Boys.

Strategic plays in both basketball and football are also called “alley oops.” These plays depend on strong communication, often unspoken, between the passer and the receiver. In the photo to the right the Detroit Pistons' Ben Wallace makes good on an alley oop pass from teammate Rasheed Wallace (#36) in a 2005 game against the San Antonio Spurs.

But where did Hamlin get his inspiration for the name of his strip? “The term ‘alley-oop’ is derived from the French term allez hop!, the cry of a circus acrobat about to leap,” according to Wikipedia, which cites the Oxford English Dictionary.

My, I’ve leaped away from the highlighted word today. No more digressing. A metal alloy is one that is combined with one or more other metals or non-metals. The procedure can improve its properties, such as the making of steel. Steel is stronger than iron, its primary element. Manganese, nickel, chromium and vanadium are major alloying elements added to the iron, according to Wikipedia.

Black Hills gold jewelry is another example of an alloy.  Usually10k or 12k, it is mixed with other metals to create its distinctive pink and green accents.

Speaking of the Black Hills, did you think of the three presidents flanking Teddy Roosevelt on Mount Rushmore? They’re George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.

Photo of basketball game by David Hogg courtesy of Wikipedia
Other photos special to the Sentinel

“He interested me because he was so quiet and solitary and so happy withal; a well of good humor and contentment which overflowed at his eyes. His mirth was without alloy.”

Henry David Thoreau’s observation about Alex Therien, a woodchopper