why does OBE mean Honor ???

[henh...@gmail.com]

1. there is this Rebus puzzle from the UK

(the question or CLUE is) O, Obe, Obey

and the answer is [love honour and obey]

why does OBE mean Honor ???



2. why are Rebus puzzles called [Dingbats] in the UK?

is there a good explanation for it, or is it just historical?

[Mike Terry]

On 22/01/2024 00:03, henh...@gmail.com wrote:
> 1. there is this Rebus puzzle from the UK
>
> (the question or CLUE is) O, Obe, Obey
>
> and the answer is [love honour and obey]
>
> why does OBE mean Honor ???
>

In UK, OBE = Officer of the Order of the British Empire. (It is one of the honours that might be
bestowed on a citizen, e.g. in the New Year's Honours list.)

>
>
> 2. why are Rebus puzzles called [Dingbats] in the UK?
>
> is there a good explanation for it, or is it just historical?
>

Mike.

[Carl G]

On Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 4:03:03 PM UTC-8, henh...@gmail.com wrote:
...

> 2. why are Rebus puzzles called [Dingbats] in the UK?
>
> is there a good explanation for it, or is it just historical?

"Dingbat" is a printer's term for a character in a font consisting of symbols. My guess is that rebuses are often consist of several symbols, like those in a dingbat font. I do not know why the font was named "dingbat". It may have been coined by printers based on the sound ("ding", like a bell ringing whenever an unusual symbol is needed-one not in the standard job case).

Carl G.

[henh...@gmail.com]

thanks... if it was written as OBE, i may have remembered the bit about Lennon returning his Medal




bard.google.com responds to my 2nd question:

___________________________ There's actually a combination of historical and linguistic reasons why Rebus puzzles are called Dingbats in the UK!

Historical Reasons:

1960s Comic Strip: In the 1960s, a British cartoonist named Paul Sellers created a comic strip called "Lancelittle" that featured rebus-style puzzles. He called them "Dingbats" and the name stuck.

Newspaper Syndication: Sellers' "Dingbats" puzzles caught on and were syndicated in newspapers across the UK. Over time, "Dingbats" became synonymous with rebus puzzles in the public consciousness.

Trademark: In 1980, a word-and-picture puzzle game called "Whatzit?" based on rebus principles was launched in the UK. The creators trademarked the name "Dingbats" for their puzzle format, further solidifying the association with rebus puzzles.


Linguistic Reasons:

"Thingabob" Origin: "Dingbat" can be seen as a playful term for a "thingabob" or something you can't quite name. This aligns with the nature of rebus puzzles, where you have to decipher the meaning from a combination of images and sounds.

Sound and Association: The word "dingbat" also has a certain silliness and whimsy to it, which fits the fun and quirky nature of rebus puzzles.

[Charlie Roberts]

On Mon, 22 Jan 2024 02:22:30 +0000, Mike Terry
<news.dead.p...@darjeeling.plus.com> wrote:

>On 22/01/2024 00:03, henh...@gmail.com wrote:
>> 1. there is this Rebus puzzle from the UK
>>
>> (the question or CLUE is) O, Obe, Obey
>>
>> and the answer is [love honour and obey]
>>
>> why does OBE mean Honor ???
>>
>
>In UK, OBE = Officer of the Order of the British Empire. (It is one of the honours that might be
>bestowed on a citizen, e.g. in the New Year's Honours list.)

Somewhere, in a BBC series, I remember "Other Buggers' Efforts" :-)

>
>>
>>
>> 2. why are Rebus puzzles called [Dingbats] in the UK?
>>
>> is there a good explanation for it, or is it just historical?
>>
>
>
>Mike.

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