Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Barbara McAllister
Word of the Day: Cryptic
“Cryptic” comes from the Greek word kryptos, meaning hidden. Cryptic means concealed or mysterious and gives us a number of related words, such as crypt, a chamber usually hidden underground or beneath a church floor where dead are buried. Apocryphal stories are tales whose origins are hidden or of dubious authenticity. The element krypton was well hidden until discovered after a complex chemical process. (Krypton is a real gas, not to be confused with kryptonite, the fictional mineral that deprives Superman of his powers.) Cryptograms are text written in code, and cryptography is the art or science of writing or solving these codes. A cryptic crossword is a crossword puzzle in which each clue is a word puzzle. These brainteasers are especially popular in the United Kingdom, where they originated. Computers use encryption as the process of converting information into a code to prevent unauthorized access of secure information. Cryptocurrency, in the news recently, literally means hidden money. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are a digital currency designed as an alternative form of payment created using computer encryption algorithms. The use of encryption technologies relies on intricate computer operations involving blockchains and cyber security. It’s a complex process whose name is fittingly related to the word cryptic. When FTX cryptocurrency collapsed virtually overnight this past November, a lot of investors, including many celebrities, were left wondering where the money went. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission recently announced fraud charges against the founder and CEO of FTX. Apparently, some $8 billion dollars has disappeared and is nowhere to be found. Perhaps the name of the commodity should give investors pause for thought.
