Cryptoquip Answer 09/13/2023
Answer 09/13/2023:
- Songbirds are birds that belong to the suborder Passeri, which have a highly developed vocal organ that allows them to produce diverse and elaborate songs.
- Songbirds include about 4,000 species of birds, such as thrushes, finches, robins, and cardinals.
- Songbirds use their songs for various purposes, such as attracting mates, defending territories, and communicating with other birds.
- Songbirds are also known as oscines, from Latin oscen, meaning “songbird”.
- Square is an adjective that means “conventional or conservative in style or outlook”.
- Square can also refer to a shape with four equal sides and four right angles.
- Square finches are not a real type of bird, but a humorous name invented by the Cryptoquip puzzle maker. It is a pun on the word “square”, which can mean both a shape and a personality trait.
- The Cryptoquip puzzle maker is using the word “square” to contrast with the word “songbird”, which implies a musical and creative nature. The joke is that square finches are songbirds that adhere to quaintly old-fashioned beliefs, which is an unlikely and amusing combination.
