Week 1134: The ‘Sty’le Invitational Red‘ux’ Plus ‘carpe BM’ and other winning puns on foreign phrases It’s the “Aw”ard for just being on the team: This week’s challenge is to find more “air quotes” — words within other words. (Bob Staake for The Washington Post ) By Pat Myers July 23 (Click here to skip down <#report> to this week’s winning puns on foreign phrases.) *“Aw”ard: The trophy the team gives to the schlumpy kids just for participating.* (Roger Dalrymple) *Ameri“can”: A butt larger than a size 18.* (Barbara Turner) *Se“cret in”gredient: A common marketing ploy targeting the pathologically gullible.* (David Garratt) This squirrel has no idea how ridiculous it looks! Then again, it doesn’t care — it’s eating. This feeder is this week’s second prize. (archiemcphee.com ) By personal request of the long-deposed but occasionally still indulged Czar of The Style Invitational, who maintains that the Empress has not redone this contest often enough — “you have never given them the love they deserve” — we bring you another encore of our “air quotes” contest, which last ran two years ago, and before that in 2009, 2001 and 2000. Exactly the same as before: *Put quotation marks around part of a word, name or phrase and define the result,* as in the inking entries above from Week 1031 in 2013. (Links to the previous results appear in this week’s Style Conversational at bit.ly/conv1134 .) Winner gets the Inkin’ Memorial , the Lincoln statue bobblehead that is the official Style Invitational trophy. Second place receives a squirrel feeder in the shape of a hollow horsehead; if the critters are going to eat up your seeds anyway, you might as well enjoy watching them look ridiculous while doing so. (Could a similar device be created for, say, tax auditors?) Donated by Loser Diane Wah. *Other runners-up* win their choice of a yearned-for Loser Mug or the ardently desired “Whole Fools” Grossery Bag. Honorable mentions get a lusted-after Loser magnet designed by Bob Staake: either “The Wit Hit the Fan” or “Hardly Har-Har.” First Offenders receive a smelly tree-shaped air “freshener” (FirStink for their first ink). E-mail entries to /losers@washpost.com / or, if you were born in the 19th century, fax to 202-334-4312. Deadline is Monday night, Aug. 3; results published Aug. 23 (online Aug. 20). You may submit up to 25 entries per contest. Include “Week 1134” in your e-mail subject line or it might be ignored as spam. Include your real name, postal address and phone number with your entry. See contest rules and guidelines at wapo.st/InvRules . The headline for this week’s results is by Tom Witte; the honorable-mentions subhead is by Chris Doyle. Join the lively Style Invitational Devotees group on Facebook at /on.fb.me/invdev ./ “Like” the Style Invitational Ink of the Day on Facebook at /bit.ly/inkofday. / *The Style Conversational: * The Empress’s weekly online column, published late Thursday afternoon, discusses each new contest and set of results. Especially if you plan to enter, check it out at wapo.st/styleconv . And the winners of the Style Invitational contest posted four weeks ago . . . MANQUÉ BUSINESS: THE FOREIGN-PHRASE PUNS OF WEEK 1130: **In Week 1130 we asked you to make a pun on a foreign term or phrase (or a foreign term that’s become an English one) and describe the result. Here’s /la crème/ of about 1,700 entries. Not sure what the original term was? Clicking on a link below will show it to you. 4th place: *Carpe BM: * Clean up after your dog! (Neal Starkman, Seattle) 3rd place: *Hate couture: * Wrapping yourself in the Confederate flag. (Nan Reiner, visting Boca Raton, Fla.) 2nd place and the deck of “Aussie Sheila” cards: *In MoCo parentis: * Calling Child Protective Services if you see some kids walking down the street. (Stephen Dudzik, Olney) And the winner of the Inkin’ Memorial: *’Sup du jour: * Whatever greeting is currently hip. “A fist bump followed by a low five and a quiet ‘yo’ is the ‘sup du jour in Flatbush. (Bird Waring, Larchmont, N.Y.) Honorable Menschen (und Frauen): *Choreigami: * The art of folding laundry. (Ben Aronin, Washington) *Paterfemalias: * Caitlyn Jenner. (Mike Gips, Bethesda, Md.) *Liberté, égalité, maternité: *The result of too much fraternité. (Stephen Gold, Glasgow, Scotland) *Huevos ranch eros: * Breakfast on Brokeback Mountain. (Chris Doyle, Ponder, Tex.) *Ice versa: * Giving back the engagement ring. (Tom Witte, Montgomery Village, Md.) *Glamor vincit omnia: *What Hillary Clinton sincerely hopes is not true. (Danielle Nowlin, Fairfax Station, Va.) *Amor vincit amnesia: *Typical soap opera plot. (Mark Raffman, Reston, Va.) *Joie de Bieber: *It feels pretty good to be 21 years old and worth 200 million dollars. (Tom Witte) *Jindalaya: *A concoction that somehow manages to be both bland and offensive. (Frank Osen, Pasadena, Calif.) *Ho polloi: * A cheap hooker. (Dave Prevar, Annapolis, Md.) *Hea culpa: * It’s the other guy’s fault. (Jim Stiles, Rockville, Md.) *Maya culpa: *It’s the Mexicans’ fault! — D. Trump (Todd DeLap, Fairfax, Va.) *Mayor culpa: * Marion Barry, Vincent Cianci, Kwame Kilpatrick, Ray Nagin . . . (Warren Tanabe, Annapolis, Md.) *Plus ça change, plus c’est la même shows: * The new sitcoms look a lot like the old ones. (Skip Livingston, Hopewell, N.J.) *De Plorabus Unum: *The one thing we can all agree on is we don’t like each other. (Art Grinath, Takoma Park, Md.) *Répondez s’il vous play: *An invitation on Tinder. (Dave Patton, Arlington, Va., a First Offender) ** *Non compass mentis: *“Don’t worry, honey, I know exactly where we’re going.” (Matt Monitto, Bristol, Conn.) *Non compost mentis: * “Did you just throw those perfectly good vegetable peels into the trash can? You must be out of your freaking mind!” (Danielle Nowlin) *Ad hock: *Served with a special garnish to an obnoxious diner: After being ordered to “make it snappy,” Pierre served up the filet mignon ad hock.” (Jim Stiles) *Persona non gratuity: * What the waiter will be if he serves the filet ad hock. (Jim Stiles) *Purse-owner non grata: *It’s a man’s world. (Dudley Thompson, Cary, N.C.) *Ladenfreude: *The collective American cheer when we learned that the Navy SEALs got their man. (Amy Harris, Charlottesville, Va.) *Rigor Morris: * When a cat has used up its nine lives. (Jeff Contompasis, Ashburn, Va.) *Peeanissimo:* The quieter volume you get from aiming at the side of the toilet bowl. (Dave Prevar) *Bonk vivant:* Someone who always wants to bed the life of the party. (Frank Osen) *Boudoirk:* The opposite of a bonk vivant. (Frank Osen) *Veryboten:* Not just out of the question, but OUT OF THE QUESTION. (Dudley Thompson) *Coup de grass:* Lawn 1, mower 0. (Marni Penning Coleman, Falls Church, Va.) *Coitus interruckus:* The upstairs neighbors are at it again. (Chris Doyle) *Cri decor: *“What have you DONE to my HOUSE??” the HGTV contestant screamed. (Marni Penning Coleman) *La dolce feta:* Greece, back in the day. (Sylvia Betts, Vancouver, B.C.) *Chargé d’affairs:* Alimony. (John Burton, Herndon, Va.) *Summa cum loud:* Letting everyone know, for the rest of your life, that you graduated at the top of the class. (Rick Haynes, Boynton Beach, Fla.) *Cad infinitum:* Many a woman’s dating history. (Amy Harris) *Caveat emptier: *Beware the overfull diaper pail. (Mark Richardson, Takoma Park, Md.) *Caveat hemptor:* Dude, that might be oregano. (Jeff Shirley, Richmond, Va.) *Knobless oblige:* A eunuch’s responsibility to the harem. (Jeff Shirley) *Sooey generous:* The family-size barbecue platter. (Susan Thompson, Cary, N.C.) *Sinus qua non:* The phlegm de la phlegm of nasal infections. (Kathy El-Assal, Middleton, Wis.) *Sheikh semper tyrannis:* There’s not much democracy in some of those desert kingdoms. (John O’Byrne, Dublin) *Shlalom: * The downhill path of Middle East peace. (Kevin Dopart, visiting Naxos, Greece) *Nom de fume:* Your rants-only Twitter handle. (Pam Sweeney, Burlington, Mass.; Larry Neal, McLean, Va.) *Nom de prune: * “California Dried Plums.” (Yuki Henninger, Vienna, Va.) *Veni, Vidi, Vichy:* I came, I saw, I surrendered. (Neil Harris, Gaithersburg, Md., a First Offender) *Pox populi:* Veni, VD, vici. (Jeff Contompasis) *Lardi Gras:* An even fatter Tuesday. (Rob Huffman, Fredericksburg, Va.) *Tardi Gras: *Fat Thursday. (John Glenn, Tyler, Tex.) *Stoat couture: *Genuine furs at a lower price point. (John McCooey, Rehoboth Beach, Del.) *Entree nous: *“I’m not that hungry — I’ll just have a little of yours.” (Marni Penning Coleman) *Tannenbomb:* The Style Invitational FirStink “prize.” (Emily Davis, Bloomington, Ind.) *Still running — deadline Monday night, July 27: our contest for clerihews. See bit.ly/invite1133 . *