kakiphony

No scent, ever, when gardening. I try not to even wash my hair before I work in the dirt, or work in the dirt at the end of the day when the shampoo and conditioner smells are faded. Scents attract bugs. Bugs are the only bad bit about gardening.

This is the strangest scent I have tried in ages -- not because the scent itself is strange, but because it smells nothing like I excpected it to smell. In the imp it smelled surprisingly sweet to me, but not in the usual thick, syrupy way that I associate with honey blends. Rather, it was high, light and reminded me of something. After I racked my brain for an age, I decided that the smell I was smelling was Smarties candies (the American pressed powdered sugar kind that comes in small rolls wrapped in clear plastic.) When I applied it to my skin it was still very sweet, but there was something medicinal lurking underneath the sweet that smelled a bit like the alcohol tang of old fashioned cough syrup (the kind that worked!) As it dried down, it bloomed into a very sweet almost floral tea scent. I swear I am smelling lotus blossom! It’s not the bubble gum lotus, but a lotus tea scent. I realize I am the only person to have mentioned this and so am probably crazy, but it really is what I smell.

In the imp: Wow. Umm, just wow. This is the same orange blossom from my beloved Vixen, but gentler and without bite. I already know I'm going to love this one. Damn LEs for breaking my heart!

Wet on skin: Indeed, this is the orange blossom I love in Vixen, but sweeter and with a slight powdery hint. It's a little more floral than in Vixen, and a lot more feminine. Soft I might say. The orange blossom is very much the top note with the amber and vanilla lending it a rounded, powdered base. But we're not talking baby powder, we're talking the kind of powder a woman in the 1920s might might have dabbed on her breasts before she went out for a night in Harlem.

Early dry down (15 minutes): This just becomes fuller, rounder, and softer as it sink into my skin. If my husband were home this weekend, we'd be in trouble as I know this is the kind of scent that drives him to distraction and nothing gets done around the house but a lot of neck sniffing.

Late dry down (45 minutes): The orange blossom tames a bit as the base develops, and the sweet powder aspect beathes out from the skin. I am envisioning dressing rooms filled with flowers where a singer or dancer spritzes herself with scent and then powders her neck and chest before allowing her sugar daddy to come in and give her this week's gifts.

The final impression is, as the first impression: WOW.

In the imp: Dry and sharp, but to my nose leather is the dominant note. The sharpness hits at the front of the palate while the leather is what lingers against the back of the palate on the first sniff. The overall effect is almost desicated dryness, bone and desert winds. It smells like the desert to me -- the real desert, not the usual hot cinnamon bpal desert.

Wet on skin: As soon as this is applied the scent gets rounder, fuller and a bit sweeter. The leather and patchouli are combining to form a spicy scent a bit like incense sticks that have been in a drawer for so long that they've dried out a bit. On my left wrist I also get a burnt note that smells like something left on the burner of an electric stove -- I'm betting this is the tea and sandalwood and am axious for it to develop. The right wrist is much preferable at this stage and is all leather/patchouli.

Early dry down (10 minutes): This is still a very dry scent. It smells just like something, but I can't put my finger on what and it's driving me crazy. As usual, my two wrists have developed in different ways. The left wrist (bearer of the metalic watch) has more of the smoke note, and the tea. It smells, as others have noted, a bit like a very strong lapsang souchong although there is definitely a hint of leather at the back of the palate. The right wrist is much more a blend of patchouli and leather, with something almost cinnamon-like (but a dark, resiny cinnamon rather than cinnamon candy or cinnamon powder) at the very way back of the base (I'm betting that's how this patchouli is developing on me since I often get thick, spicy resins from patchouli). My overall impression at this stage is that is a very hot scent -- like wearing leather pants in front of a fire hot.

Late dry down (1 hour): This has dried down very nicely on me, and although I find it quite pleasant, it doesn't seem like all that unique a blend to me. It strongly reminds me of both Krampus and Spanked, leading me to believe that the combination of patchouli and leather develops in such a specific way on my skin that the other notes along for the ride really don't matter all that much. That's fine with me since I actually really what it does. This is very much a hot and spicy patchouli and leather blend. The overall effect is warm, dry, just a tad powdery, and quite spicy. I picture a lioness sunbathing on a rock heated by the sun.

In the imp: Nature's Gate original herbal condition, the brown one. Seriously. I've been looking for an herbal myrrh scent that mimics that stuff forever, but I never expected this to be the one.

Wet on skin: Harrumph. Now it smells like generic deodorant soap.

Early dry down (15 minutes): Spicy and complex. More like a classic men's cologne than anything else. I can't pick out individual notes, and I'm not getting any fruity grape at all. It's musky, spicy and bitter. It kind of reminds me of the Halston perfume my mom wore when I was little.

Late dry down (1 hour): Sadly, I get zero sweetness from this to tone down the musky ambergris and the lovely Nature's Gate herbal myrrh is also gone. As has happened several time with ambergris in the past, it's all I smell.

Verdict: I can't quite say yuck, but it's very not me. My least favorite of the Yules I've tried this year.

In the imp: This is very fruity, and the pomegranate is the dominant note. It's not at all what I was expecting.

Wet on skin: This smells very much like Swank upon first application to my skin. The fruit is very dominant. On second and third sniffs I can just abrely begin to smell the tonka as a deep, yet sweet base note.

Early dry down (15 minutes): This isn't so much a morpher as it is a scent that blossoms with time. The fruit is mellowing and kind of melting into the base notes of tonka and leather to create a scent that is both very feminine and fruity, yet grounded. It reminds me of Nanny Ashtoreth at this stage, and is quite lovely.

Late dry down (1 hour): This has remained quite light and fruity on me. IT is, however, not overly sweet. It's kind a combination of Kosher concord grape wine, pomegranate seeds and just the faintest hint of leather at the base.

Verdict: Surprisingly feminine and quite fruity. I expected something darker in tone, but kind of like it. I think I prefer the naughty Nanny for my fruit, wood and leather though.

In the bottle: Astringent pine on the first whiff, with orange appearing on the second sniff. This seems aggressive and a bit feral in the decant.

Wet on skin: Pine is the dominant note with just a hint of orange to brighten it. The overall effect is the olfactory equivalent of sucking on something sour so all the spit leaves your mouth. It also remind me of Christmas.

Early dry down (15 minutes): The right wrist is much sweeter than the left. It is mainly orange with linden rising up from below. It is quite perfumey and smells a little bit rancid to my nose. Despite these observations, it is not unpleasant -- just more "sophisticated" than what I usually wear. The left wrist is spicier, with pine sap and a hint of the molasses/gingersnap scent that certain patchoulis produce on me. The left is preferable to the right. I will have to see how this war of chemistry plays out.

Late dry down (one hour): For a scent with patchouli and pine, this has turned out to be something fades awfully quickly on me. After an hour, I'm left with a scent that is very skin-like and has next to no throw. It is mainly the gingersnap molasses patchouli smell with just the subtlest hint of the sweet linden/orange comination at the front of the sniff. It's pretty, and quite surprisingly lady-like.

In the imp: The first whiff is all buttery batter -- so much so that it is a bit off-putting to me, who has mixed results with butter and cream notes. A second whiff reveals the licorice and leather, nicely balanced. Strangely, each time I smell this in the imp the butter/dough note recedes.

Wet on skin: My right wrist is heavily leather, with an almost burnt note to it. A bit of licorice rises up against that burned/dry note. The left wrist is a much milder scent, and is a soft, almost powdery combination of sweet cookies and soft, buttery, worn-in leather.

Early dry down (15 minutes): This is fading very quickly on me. The right wrist is now a lovely, soft, sweet combination of licorice (more liked dried anise than licorice candy) and sueded leather. The left wrist has a much stronger licorice note and the few whiffs of leather I get from it are the burnt variety. Oddly, the right wrist is mellowing and fading while the left wrist is growing a bit stronger and seems to be amping individual notes in each whiff.

Final Dry down: This finally evened out on both wrists to a soft, powdery leather and anise mix.

Verdict: Interesting and unusual. I like it, but don't think I need a whole bottle. A second decant would be sufficient I think.

I emailed answers@blackphoenix last night, since I accidently sent paypal with the wrong address, and without stating which bottles I wanted. Bill just sent me back a response about a half hour ago, so those emails are definitely getting checked.

Thank you! If I don't hear form them by the end of the day I'll just give up my hope. But it's nice to know they're looking.

Does anyone know how fast the answers address is replying to things lately? I ran into a problem with the forum only scent I ordered yesterday: CCNow says I typed my security code wrong. Of course, they didn't e-mail me about it until after I went to bed last night. Grr. I e-mailed the lab this morning to see if I could resubmit (CCNow gives me a link and says the order is "pre-approved" but I don't know if that will actually apply to such limited edition scents.) I'm kind of afraid that the answers address is usually swamped with questions and that they won't see mine for a day or two, by which time the answer wouldhave to be "no you can't resubmit the order." I'm tempted to just resubmit and hope for the best, knowing they can always refund my money if the answer is no...but I also don't want to look greedy and presumptuous. I'd really rather have their blessing first...

In the bottle: This is sweeter than I expected. It's all bourbon vanilla on a very subtle base of woods. Interesting.

Wet on skin: Still surprisingly sweet. Definitely a mild wood base, and the bay rum is only showing up for me in the very top of the notes on the back of my palate after I sniff. Much less masculine than I expected.

Early dry down (10 minutes): Still very much a mild wood/vanilla combo, but there is a hint of spice developing. It's almost like a sweet ginger. I'm being reminded of both Anne Bonny and Shub, neither of which this should smell like at all. But I like it!

Late dry down (1 hour): This is a very mild scent on me and stays nicely next to my skin with little throw. The bay rum did develop a bit more over time, and the vanilla receded to the background. What I am left with is something on the sweet/woody end of the gender neutral spectrum (as opposed to the musky/incense end). The spice is ginger/bay and is mild and sweet.

I wish I'd bought more than one bottle.

This is going to rock on J.

In the imp: Dry and very woody patchouli of the type that always smells like a cedar chest to me.

Wet on skin: Exactly as in the imp. This is a VERY woody patchouli.

Early dry down: This is morphing very, very little. It is almost all dry patchouli. I smell like the inside of cedar chest. I get very little coconut. If any is present it is a very dry and dark coconut that blends almost imperceptibly with the patchouli.

Late dry down: The coconut and benzoin eventually sweetened things, but neither appears as a stand-alone note on me. This ends up a sweet, yet dry patchouli. It's like a cedar chest with some kind of candy stored in it. But the candy is so old that it no longer has a distinct odor, just a sweetness.

This is nice, but not bottle worthy on me.

In the imp: Sweet-tarts.

Wet on skin: Sweet-tarts over a base of dry and spicy woods.

Early dry down (10 minutes): Dry and spicy with just a hint of something berry/plum at the top. It's not sweet so much as it is juicy.

Late dry down (45 minutes): After the initial dry down, this stays remarkably true on me. It's a dry, spicy patchouli at the base with a tart, jammy fruit over the top.

Very nice.

Edited to add: As I wear this throughout the day it is reminding me more and more of Tintagel. I realize the notes aren't similar, but yet it really does smell like Tintagel. Maybe the plum/lotus mimics dragon's blood?

In the imp: Caramel with a hint of something light and floral on the front of the palate as I sniff.

Wet on skin: Caramel, but not a deep dark caramel. This is light and golden. The floral I smelled in the bottle is missing at this stage.

Early dry down (10 minutes): The floral note I smelled at the beginning has risen, lending a more sophisticated vibe to the caramel. I tend to stay away from all florals except fruit blossoms, since they seem to be light enough for me to escape the rhinitus reaction most florals cause. (The orange blossom in Vixen and the ylang ylang in Hetairae, for example, work quite nicely on me.) The apple blossom in this is staying true to that generalization. It is definitely a floral, but it is light and sweet enough that it is not making me sneeze.

Late dry down (45 minutes): This really is very like Red Lantern, only without a smoky note. The caramel lends on on-going sweetness, but the star is the wood mixed with apple blossom.

In the imp: A sweet floral mixed with a spicy (as opposed to deep and resiny) patchouli. If I didn't know better, I'd guess the sweet was from something like honeysuckle or a fruit blossom rather than peach. This is actually scaring me a little.

Wet on skin: This is still very floral as it hits my skin, with a very spicy patchouli in the background.

Early dry down (10 minutes): Huh. This is strange and I must be amping the ambergris and patchouli like crazy because I am getting no peach and no honey. This is not even a little bit sweet on me. It is all spicy patchouli mixed with something almost ammonia-like. It is kind of ick, honestly.

Late dry down: Wash. It. Off. This is like peach and urine on my left wrist and patchouli and ammonia on the right. It is just plain foul on me. Oy.

In the imp: I can't pick out a single note in the decant. This is very complex and well blended. It's a warm, deep, golden scent -- like dry grasses mixed with chai (but not sweet -- like brewed chai before you add the milk or honey).

Wet on skin: Still very golden. It doesn't smell like hay so much as it does like an empty hay mow. There is the hint of dryed hay there, but it is more about sunlight baking the dry wood of the barn with just a hint at what that barn used to contain.

Early dry down (10 minutes): My skin is amping the cardamom like crazy. It's rich, warm and savory. I also smell something that is very like sage, but which I suspect is the hay interacting with the cardamom.

Late dry down (45 minutes): This faded incredibly quickly on me. All that is left is a bit of warm, dusty smell.

In the imp: Pungent, sharp, almost cleaning product woods over the top of a sweet, resiny beeswax. I think I smell Murphy's Oil Soap?

Wet on skin: A hint of sulfur against woods and the beeswax. Much nicer than in the imp.

Early dry down (10 minutes): The woods amp on me and take on a musky, dry, men's cologne smell. The beeswax fades very quickly. This is pleasant and J expresses approval, but I think it may be a bit too masculine for me. I need some sweetness with my dry.

Late dry down: This continues to get dustier and more dry on me as it morphs. I get the slight powder that sandalwood often gives me (I usually get more powder from sandalwood than I do from amber). It's a very masculine scent and very, VERY dry. The beeswax sweetness didn't last much past the wet stage, and if it added much depth gto the scent on me this would have been dust without it.

Not my thing, but it's purely a chemistry issue I think.

In the imp: Red hots -- the usual cinnamon smell to my nose before other notes allow it to morph.

Wet on skin: Cinnamon is dominant, but there's also a sharp, pungent smell under it that I suspect to be the pine.

Early dry down: Strangely, I'm getting cinnamon and woods. This almost smells to me like there is some uncredited wood base -- maybe something like teak or mahoganey. The two scents aren't mingling either -- more like they are fighting for dominance. I suppose the "wood" I smell could be the pine sap, but it smells nothing like pine to me. It is a deep, smooth cedary aroma.

Late dry down: High, sweet, cinnamon and vanilla. Like cinnamon toast crunch cereal. Really. I smell like cereal. And it is wafting. This is the first time anyone from work has ever noticed and commented on my scent. (It was called "evocative.") I'm actually not comfortable with that. I like my scents to be private diversions and am NOT someone who likes a cloud of scent to trail about me.

Verdict: This is perfectly nice, but just not me. I'm happily sending it on.

In the imp: Hmm. I was expecting something rich and woody, but this smells strangely like some kind of floor cleaning product in the decant.

Wet on skin: That's more like it! The dominant note upon first application to me is the combined with cloves. It's a deep, well rounded tea note, kind of dry and a bit smoky. This is like sticking your head into a little hole-in-the-wall tea shop that specializes in spicy blends and chais. The clove is amping and wafting and making it sweet. The clove is, in fact, so sweet that there is an almost licorice aroma at the very top (not like licorice candy as much as Twinings' licorice tea in the pale blue bags).

Early dry down (10 minutes): Spicy tea! I once wished for a Constant Comment scent, and I think this may be it. Woot!

Late dry down (45 minutes): Definitely, really and truly Constant Comment. I even get a tiny hint of citrus/orange which is not listed in the notes. I really can't get more specific than this. It is a dead ringer for Constant Comment.

Must. Have. Bottle.

Full disclosure: I tried this yesterday and wrote 90% of a review then. My computer crashed, taking that 90% with it. This is a recreation, and I can't swear I'm remembering every nuance.

In the imp: Pine sap. The kind that forms in sticky globs on trees and that people braver than me chew in place of gum.

Early dry down: The pine sap is quite dominant, and it seems sharper on my skin than it did in the decant. I get very little sweet or smoky from this. There is something resinous and a bit woody at the base that the jagged pine sap scent is sitting on, but it's not the usual molasses/wood I get from patchouli.

Late dry down: Huh. I smell like an old man wearing something truly wretched from a drug store -- like Aqua-Velva or Stetson. I have no idea what about this scent has turned it into my grandpa on me, but that's what it is. Usually, this happens from dark musk blends (not skin musk!). I never got any lovely tobacco or rounded resins from this, it went straight from spiky pine to old man musk.

This is one of those scents that makes bpal unpredictable and exciting to me. Based on the notes, this should have been awesome on me. Patchouli is my best base, honey is beloved, smoky vanilla and tobacco both do well on me, and pine has worked in some blends quite well (Organ Grinder specifically). Skin musk has worked before too. Yet, somehow, in combination, this blend just does not jive with my chemistry. It just goes to show that bpal is tricksy stuff.

I may let this age a bit and come back, but I doubt it will age enough for me to judge it again before the CD comes down. So this is probably not a bottle purchase. I'm still marveling because of all the ladies, this is the one I expected to buy.

In the imp: Strangely, in the imp this smells nutty to me. It reminds me of Queen of Sheba or Wezwanie/Hold.

Wet on skin: This is very sweet and rich at first application. The vanilla is a dark, sultry vanilla and the carnation is immediately present on me as a very spicy undertone to the sweetness. On my left wrist there is still that nutty note from the decant, but it is not present on my right wrist.

Early dry down (10 minutes): Pretty. The amber is developing into something subtle and golden that blends very nicely into my skin. The woods re anot detectable as separate notes, but have evened out the heavy vanilla sweetness and mde this into something less sticky sweet and more grown-up and grounded.

Late dry down (45 minutes): This is subtle, skin hugging amber and red sandalwood scent on me. The vanilla, so strong in the bottle and in the earliest stages, has almost entirely disappeared leaving dry, golden amber and the slightly musky men's cologne scent that I sometimes get from red sandalwood. It's pleasant and unobtrusive, but doesn't knock my socks off.

I can see myself keeping this imp and reaching for it when I want to smell good, but undetectable (as when I wear O). But I don't think I need a bottle or have any hording impulse. This is very similar on me to the Lion (which I actually like better) and to the dry down phase of Wezwanie/Hold (I think it's the red sandalwood amping on me).

In the imp: Sweet and rich with an almost floral (honeysuckle?) top note. This is much more complex than all the "whoah, honey" reviews have led me to believe.

Wet on skin: A floral honey that is both sticky and light. This does not smell like a fruit honey (blackberry etc) to me, but more like an herb or flower blossom honey (something like a thyme honey maybe...nothing as distinctive as an orange blossom honey, but definitely a light, sweet, almost herbal honey). I don't get any of the gruit or spices yet, but I do get a whiff of lemon.

Early dry down: This is rich without being cloying. Although I don't get an alcohol note, I am definitely feeling the mead. The honey is tempered with enough herbs and spices to make this a more rounded scent, rather than just be sticky sweet honey. The rosemary note stands out to me as resinous and a little sharp, but it is blending really well with the sweetness. There is some fruit (from the gruit) in the bcakground at this stage, but I can't pick out an individual note. Instead, they add a kind of tart counter-point to the honey sweetness. If I was drinking this, I'd call it a dry mead rather than a sweet one. In fact, I just had a dry cyser (mead made with apples) at Coopersmither's brewery, and the aroma is remarkably similar to this. (I had to guess, I'd suspect apple in the gruit, but a very tart apple.)

Late dry down: As it dries, this develops a slightly powdery edge that reminds me of the amber in the Lion. It doesn't go baby powder, so those who hate the powder scent shouldn't fear. It simply gives a dry, soft finish to the scent. The herbs and gruit at the base have gone a bit bitter on me over time, but this is not a bad thing. Instead, they form a kind of bitter/tart base on which all the sweetness of the honey can rest. In the crooks of my arms (where the oil stays more moist) the lemon note is quite distinct and is a rich lemonaide note rather than a cleaning product. This is a lovely summer scent!

In the imp: OMG. This is the leather from Spanked. I am in shock. No one told me that this could be the one that was meant to replace my best beloved LE of LEs. Oh my dear sweet heavens, please let this initial impression be true.

Wet on skin: Leather -- the supple, sueded, glorious leather of Spanked, plus something spicy, resinous and oh so wonderful. I know the notes don't say a word about cinnamon or cassia, but I'm getting something that spicy. If this dries down true, I am in LOVE.

Early dry down (10 minutes): This is amazing! It is turning into a slight more subdued version of Spanked. It's the same incredibly soft leather and spices on a resinous base. The only thing it lacks is the patchouli note (which dries down to an almost molasses note on me). This is glorious and perfect and....oh why is it June rather than December so that I could buy a bottle?

Late dry down (1/2 hour): Oh glorious leather! Oh perfect woods! Oh beautiful scents that dry down softly, yet retain their shape without going powdery! Oh bpal at its best, let me sing your praises! You are more invigorating than a cold shower. You are more beautiful than the desert under a full moon.

This scent is stunning. Really and truly stunning. Not quite as perfect as Spanked, but very, very near. It my dry, naughty alternative to Vixen. I must now sell my first born child for a bottle...

Full disclosure: Pumpkin scares me. I used to have a pumpkin pie body wash/shampoo by Philosophy (the only one of the Cookbook set I used) that I adored. And there are all those articles that say pumpkin pie is the most appealing smell to me. But when I tried Jack... Holy microwave popcorn, Batman! The lab's pumpkin has a history of going fake-butter smell on me, which is not appealing. But every year I long for the pumpkins even though I think they won't work. Finally, I got my courage up to try them and a super kind person scent me some sniffies of Pumpkins II and IV to try. I will be brave!

In the imp: Buttery pumpkin overlaid with something sweet and floral. I only catch the floral at the back of my palate, the front is all butter and pumpkin. This is a thick scent.

Wet on skin: Upon application this is a bit less thick and buttery. I'm able to smell a bit of the carnation as floral spice and the champaca is sweetening the pumpkin while also thinnging it out. (I'm always confused when I see champaca flower as a note. Is it frangipani or is it different?)

Early dry down (10 minutes): This is really surprising me. I expected the combination of pumpkin, tobacco and tonka to be really rich and deep, but this is developing into something light and sweet. It reminds me of Hetairae. It is slightly fruity (the same kind of vaguely grape/berry/plum fruit that I get from both dragon's blood and ylang ylang) over something almost brandy-like (although more like peach brandy than straight-up brandy).

Half hour mark: This really pretty, and not at all what I was expecting. The scent still reminds of me of Hetairae, but also of Nature's Gate Hawaiian Awapui shampoo and conditioner. It's that kind of light, sweet floral that is almost more fruit and honey to my nose than it is flowers. The tonka base allows this to stay rounded and soft, while other notes play way up high on my palate. This is pretty, VERY feminine, and sophisticated. It speaks to me of floaty chiffon dresses and floral and leafy garlands in your hair. The pumpkin is just a background note, deepening and sweetening this blend.

I think I love this.

In the imp: All I smell are the aquatics. It's a watery, acquatic, and a bit ozoney men's cologne.

Wet on skin: My skin immediately amps the aquatics and ozone. I am sneeze-central. I'm really hoping they tame themselves, because the other notes should work.

Early dry down (10 minues): This is still very aquatic/ozone (I know they're different, but my nose tends to sense them exactly the same way: fresh cologny=sneeze!). The lime has risen up a bit and I'm getting a citrus tang with my sneeze. The woods and snake oil have not yet made themselves known.

Half hour mark: Sometimes, perseverence pays off! I tend to wash off aquatics and ozone very quickly because of the histamine reaction they give me upon application, but when I do struggle through it they tend to fade fairly quickly. After twenty minutes, those aquatics/ozone top notes have begun to retreat and my friends the woods are coming out to play. This is turning into a light, bright lime and wood scent. It makes me think less of pirate ships than of a day spent in the middle of Lake Erie on my uncle's bass boat drinking (completely illegal) Corona with lime, and baking in the blue dazzle of sky and water.

One hour mark: This has settled into a very subtle (little to no throw) citrus tinged wood with a just a hint of musk at the base. The snake oil is present only as the faint, sweet musk on me. I have never sensed either the gun powder or the blood notes in the blend - they are so subtle that they simply contribute to sweetness and brightness of the base. This is a much fresher scent than I usually wear, yet it is pleasant. Lime is one of my favorite citruses as it is both bright and a bit spicy on me, without the cleaning product associations that plague lemon and (more infrequently) orange scents. It combines with the snake oil/musk base and the woods to produce a light cologne that is grounded, yet sparkles.

On another note entirely, why do I always want to stick a 'c' in aquatic (so it would be spelled acquatic)? Is it phonetic? A left-over from other language I once knew?