Visual Description: Mathematical nomenclature.
HGWORT = GROWTH, TOSHOE = SOOTHE, ZEEMYN = ENZYME, RAVCIA = CAVIAR, FNSUIE = INFUSE, HUNEOG = ENOUGH — Giving us: GTHSTEMIAIFSENO
Clue/Question: When Math symbols were being developed and standardized, “X” was – – –
Pre-Answer: Five Words (1-letter) (4-letters) (2-letters) (3-letters) (5-letters)
Answer: A SIGN OF THE TIMES
(I’m guessing these are some Renaissance dudes! No idea who they are though. The one guy looks like a monk. I’m sure there is some Math History fan out there who knows who came up with these symbols. Enlighten me, folks!
We have seen all of today’s clue words in the past. Five of the jumbles came up as new, but we have definitely seen “toshoe” sometime in the past. None of them tripped me up, but when I gave this to my daughter she did have trouble with one of them. I told her: “I don’t like it, but maybe you do.” She knows I’m not a big fan of fishy things, so she was able to get it from my clue. I actually pulled a Tom Hanks, from “Big”, the first time I tried it! The answer letter layout was a fabulous fifteen letter jumble. Beautifully cryptic. At first I was leaning towards A TEST OF THE . . . , but when I realized I’d need another “T” I was able to see the SIGN!
Great historical/period piece cartoon/drawing. Like I said above, I’ll leave it to others to tell me who and when this is. Be well and do good, friends.) — YUR
Images courtesy of Google
Happy birthday to Tom Johnston, of The Doobie Brothers!
Unclerave's Wordy Weblog 
Unc wrote: “I’m sure there is some Math History fan out there who knows who came up with these symbols.”
I, too would like to know the origin, or origins, of our math symbols.
Was it the Arabs, the Greeks, the Romans, or someone later ? Was it one person, one group of people, or a collection of scholars over centuries ?
I hope someone knows !