»paraphernalia

Salim's tips for holiday merriment: Asking about the number of rs in paraphernalia makes a great way to break the ice at a party. Almost as good as the classic opener, "Do you know if 'banal' rhymes with 'anal' or 'canal'?".
paraphernalia comes from phern?, the Greek word for dowry, and para, "in addition to", and describes the possessions a woman brings to the marriage. Historically, this included a water bong, roach clip, and baggie full of uncut Turkish hashish.

A-propos of Greek whatnots, a new bookstore opened on Hayes St., between Gough and Franklin: Symposium Books. Run by two St. John's College graduates, it sells "classic" books, or the Great Books, or Greats as we Oxonians know it, and the window has a very attractive (and, as it turns out, seasonal) display of Loebs. The red and green spines drew me in, actually, and I was pleasantly surprised at the warm atmosphere and pleasant seating areas in the shop.