When I was in elementary school I rode the bus to school.
Our block had many elementary-aged kids living on it, so we spent a lot of time
together on the bus and on the street. The younger of us learned many lessons
from the older—lessons in life and school-types of lessons. In fact, I did not
learn the word “epidermis” in science class; I learned it on the bus from the
older kids.
Their teaching method, however, was not one I would
recommend. One afternoon on the way home, the older kids taunted us younger
ones with “Your epidermis is showing.” We wriggled and pulled on clothing, to
no avail. Embarrassed, we made every adjustment we could possibly think of to
our book bags and anything else in reach. Finally, as the bus neared our stop,
they relented and told us our skin was showing. When it came time to learn
about the word “epidermis” in science class, the kids on our block had a rueful
advantage.
Recently, I learned another arcane term relating to body
parts, this time not from neighborhood bullies but from a crossword puzzle. The
clue was “hallux,” and I got the answer by getting enough letters from other
clues to verify the word in the dictionary. Instead of manipulating your possible
ignorance of the word, like the bullies on the bus, I have written a riddle to
see if you can guess the meaning:
I am essential to maintaining your balance. I also provide a
canvas for art. To children, I am known for going to market. What am I?
Here are the answers to the clues: I am essential to maintaining
your balance. (Think of the digits of a foot.)
I also provide a canvas for art. (Think of a cosmetic
treatment of the feet and toenails.) To children, I am known for going to
market. (Think of “piggies” in a nursery rhyme.) If you have not guessed by
now, the “American Heritage Dictionary” on-line provides the answer: hallux: “the
innermost or first digit on the hind foot of certain mammals. The human hallux
is commonly called the big toe.” When I get a pedicure, I have a design painted on the nail of my halluces. Here’s hoping you do not stub your hallux!
NOTE 1: Frequently, nursery rhymes have hidden meanings
which tell stories, such as of the plague or of political abuses. “This Little
Piggy” is one of the few that exists simply to entertain children!
