Jerry Madsen, age 13, of St. Paul, Minnesota, for his question:

What is the meaning of the word "guaqmire?"

The dictionary is uncertain about the origin of the "quag" part of this word. It seems to be one of those imitative sound words, such as "thump" and "slosh." It apparently was intended to convey the quivering and quaking that goes with a dunk into deep mud. In any case, mud    wet and soggy mud    is the original meaning of "mire." A quagmire, then, must be a pit of deep mud, one that tends to quiver when something solid sinks down through its choking depths.

It is, of course, related to bogs and swamps, and all of them are natural booby traps. Their soupy mixtures of mud, moisture and decaying vegetation are too thick for swimming and too soggy for walking. Mossy plants growing on the surface may look like a tempting green meadow. But woe betide a person who steps into a quagmire. A wise outdoorsman knows how to spread flat on the surface until help arrive. A less knowledgeable person struggles wildly and displaces the quivering mud with his heavy body. This can result in his drowning.