Nine Nimble Nimcompoops Nab Ninety Nerds

ABC Wednesday is a word meme with participants from around the world. This fabulous meme was created and hosted by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt who hails from Great Britain. Over time, others have joined in to help host this wonderful and informative meme. We are now in our TENTH round! Some of the participants have been with this from the very first round; others have joined in along the way. Each week we are taken across the globe to see the varied and exciting contributions people have taken the time to discover and capture. We start with the letter, "A" and each week we post something in regards to the next letter of the alphabet. This week's letter is, "N".

NUN

"Get thee to a nunnery!" (from Hamlet). I wonder if Shakespeare had any idea how that line would cross over into the vernacular. But, if you really want to find out more about the history, description, origin of the nun, you can visit the Catholic Encyclopedia (it's actually pretty interesting).

NATULIS

As in, chambered nautilus. Have you ever wondered about the functionality of the pattern on its shell? I guess scientifically, the 'pattern' is referred to as 'counter shading' since it's darker on the top and light colored on the bottom. That way, when predators are above it, it blends in to the ocean floor. When it is swimming, the light bottom mimicks the light from above. And, did you know that the eyes on a nautilus is very primitive? It is much like a pin-hole camera. Thanks, Wikipedia!

NORI

Nori. Japanese seaweed-the edible kind that you see used in rolling up sushi. These are called musibi's in Hawaii (maybe Japan too, I don't know). These are wrapped in plastic wrap which is why it looks so shiny. These are great to snack on or make a meal out of and very portable.

 NARWHAL

(image from Wikipedia)

Narwhal. A medium sized toothed whale. In fact, the 'horn' or tusk on it is actually one of it's incisors that must've gone genetically wild during it's evolution. Scientists have not figured out the reason for that long tooth. Since they live in the icy waters of the Arctic, I can't help but think that it is used for chipping away at the ice?