FEB 28, urban concerns: elevator reluctance

Authors' Note: 

groundling: the author's nickname for people who live on the ground floor, such as, up 'til now, his immediate family members

lift: Canadians, like their American neighbours, usually term this device an 'elevator'; to fit the tight space here, we borrowed the British synonym; however, it is noted that we retained our customary spelling of story (rather than the British storey)

helluva: common undefined slang that has been used in 40 verses on OEDILF to date (2023); presumably a distortion of hell of a ...

Another true personal story, apart from taking liberties with the floor numbers. The author currently inhabits a rental unit across the building from the suite being gloriously renovated/demolished by 'Carl the contractor'. This situation accords with advice by a relative to 'try out the lifestyle change' to ease the transition from house to 'bungalow in the sky'.

 

* FEB 27, trees -- sabal palmettos

reprise from February, 2020

FEB 27, trees: sabal palmetto A,B

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Uprooted Verse: 'Poems about Trees' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". 

FEB 26, (re)duplication: claptrap

 

Authors' Note: The disparaging term gobbledegook was first used in 1944 by a Texas politician named Maverick (scion of the original staunchly independent thinker). Its meaning — pompous, overinflated language — gave rise a few year later to the equivalent bafflegab. These expressions, employing repetition of sounds, have a musical and amusing quality, as do their venerable synonyms --hogwash, poppycock, balderdash, bunkum and tommyrot, but only their close cousin claptrap (alternately clap-trap) -- would qualify as a reduplication.

Readers willing to go down an internet  rabbit-hole HERE can easily get to our other nine short verses dealing with specific reduplications, as well as three fairly lengthy patter-songs about this fascinating linguistic phenomenon.

FEB 25, non-sequitur: more-or-less kosher fare

 

Authors' Note: 

fress: a Yiddish loanword for eating with vigor, whole-heartedly, as explained HERE

treif (TRAYF): Yiddish for foods expressly prohibited under the laws of Kahshrut, including pork and shellfish

kasher: synonym used in Israel and Sephardic venues elsewhere for the Ashkenazi word kosher; the regulations involving foodstuff are quite complex, and in addition to the prohibitions mandate separation of particular allowed sources, e.g. meat and dairy; kashery (noun and adjective) is the author's personal neologism.

It is suggested that those concerned about a particular eatery should consult  their spiritual advisor. 

Our collection of 'Non-Sequiturs' on our parent blog "Edifying Nonsense", contains an unusual assortment of odds-and-ends, that don't quite fit into other topic-based offerings. But should you want to review the entire collection, click HERE.

FEB 24, creative anachronism: the Hippocratic oath

Authors' Note: The origins of the Hippocratic Oath, as discussed in the above verse, join several others by the authors under the rubric "creative anachronism". Although little is known of classic Greek office routines, there is no confirmation that clerks transcribed dictated medical reports during that epoch. One has to wait to the modern era for the invention of the typo.

Hippocrates of Kos was putatively the author of many texts (the Hippocratic Corpus) deriving from the school of medicine on his native island, one of two that thrived in Greece during its classical period. Among early descriptions of diseases, symptoms and treatments were attributed comments on the humanistic basis of medical practice that were formalized centuries later into the assertion of medical ethics and professionalism that we know today.    

* FEB 23, insects -- fire ants

reprise from February, 2020

FEB 23, insects: fire ants

Authors' Note:  Today's opening of the fire ant season is noted by the authors with regret, and tremendous scratching of the ankles.

Even in the winter, they can be activated.
Watch out!

You can review Giorgio's other verses about pesty and occasionally beneficial insects, as  collected in 'Buzzwords: Verses about Insects' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

 

FEB 22, signs of confusion: third collection

 This post is the third in a series of 5. You can attempt to get all of this straight by reviewing the collections in the previous posts ...

1. December 11, '22
2. November 16, '22

FEB 21, curtained verse: ho- (give it a go)

EDITORS' WARNING: You must be at least 12 years of age to read this post!  

FEB 20, planet-saving verse: enzootic viral ending

Authors' Note:  Having suffered the ravages of Covid-19, has humanity's ability to cope with outbreaks of infectious disease improved? Not too much. This pessimistic verse was written after seeing a TV documentary revealing updates on what we have learned about the potential threats of further epidemics. 

You can help save the planet by viewing all our verses in this series at "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

If you prefer, you could view most of this topically arranged material on Facebook, in Giorgio's photo-albums. (About 20% of those offerings consist of political satire or adult limericks, and you will have to be a 'friend' of Giorgio's to view that stuff.)

* FEB 19, waterfowl -- Canada geese

 

reprise from February, 2020

FEB 19, waterfowl: Canada geese

occasional aggressive stance adopted by a Canada goose,
as suggested here 

You can review a collection of illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Immersible Verse: Limericks about Waterfowl' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

FEB 18, Canadiana: Canadian moose

Authors' Note: This verse was inspired by a character in a verse by Chris J. Strolin who railed against the use of the incorrect term 'Canadian goose'.

In fact, when Bruce was insightfully contemplating the introduction of moose into suitable environment in Newfoundland (NEW-found-land), the island was a separate British colony. As railway building had recently opened the island's interior, it was hoped that hunters would be attracted in search of a species in decline in the US and parts of Canada. 

In 1904, four eastern moose from New Brunswick (that subspecies is known as Alces alces americana) had been set loose on the island. Ultimately Newfoundland, including its burgeoning population of moose, joined the Canadian confederation in 1949. 

The rest is history, eh? Newfoundland now (2023) has the densest population of moose in North America, accounting for 150,000 of the continent's million remaining large ungulates.  

You can review poems, pictures and diverse nonsense related to Canada on the post "Canadiana" on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense".

 

FEB 17, defining opinion: hamuli (little hooks)

Authors' Note:

hamulus: (Latin) a little hook, plural = hamuli, with biologic implications discussed at OEDILF in a verse by Snowy Owl. Also, the hamate bone of the human wrist, bearing a prominent hook-like extension is a relatively frequent site of human fractures, as in a verse by your blogging team (see link below).

Remus: one of Rome's mythological founding twin infants, most often pronounced in anglo-Latin as REE-mus, but here, invoking more classic Latin, as RAY-mus.

 

Our blogpost "Defining Opinion" on the topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense" shows a selection of similar verses submitted to OEDILF (the online Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form). You can see all of these on one visit by clicking HERE.

FEB 16, mythed opportunities: Leda and the swan

Authors' Note: King T. refers to Sparta's King Tyndareus, husband of Leda. These characters in the story of "Leda and the Swan" were presumably mortal. However, relevant accounts, as depicted in literature and representative art, vary as to the mortal status of the couple's famous offspring (the twins Helen and Clytemnestra, and Castor and Pollux were hatched as human babies from the oversized eggs.)

"Leda and the Swan"
a subtle rendition with the swan at her feet;

unspecified British sculptor,

Allan Gardens Conservatory.

You can take advantage of the whole spectrum of illustrated poems dealing with 'Mythed Opportunities' that we have collected on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!

* FEB 15, wordplay maps -- new world palindromes, #7, #8

 

reprise from February, 2020

FEB 15, wordplay maps: new world palindromes (#7,#8)

TO ENLARGE any slide or stand-alone photo on this blog, just click on it. To reverse the process, and return to this standard view, find the little 'x' in the upper right corner of the black field and click there.

You can view the entire collection of these 50 wordplay maps, by accessing the collection 'Tourists Palindromic Guides: The Americas'. Start by clicking HERE!

FEB 14, reprise: Valentine's day

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

 

"The Kiss"
Musée Rodin, Paris 

* FEB 13, classic palindrome -- 'never odd or even'

reprise from February, 2020

FEB 13, classic palindrome: 'never odd or even'

Authors' Note: 

odd or even: binary classification of whole real numbers, related to basic counting, as in the idiomatic ‘counting sheep’ remedy for insomnia

never odd or even: classic palindrome that seems to revel, perhaps excessively, in the profusion of numbers that cannot be classified by the above simple scheme

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Reversing Verse: Limericks About Classic Palindromes' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

 

FEB 12, poets' corner: subtle bullying, editorial

Authors' Note: Used here in a loose sense, with no implications for ownership, cooperative refers to a group effort by like-minded individuals. Collaborative writing sites, such as the on-line dictionary OEDILF (nursery for many of Giorgio's concoctions), have the potential advantage to contributors of learning from peers, and ultimately higher rates of publication. Contributing editors ('eds'), however, may entertain estimations of their personal relevance and productivity that influence their editorial comments on others' work. Rarely, such notions are translated into malevolent actions by these poet-leaders.

Other problems with cooperative groups are discussed HERE.

* FEB 11, garden intruders -- common moles

 

reprise from February, 2020

FEB 11, garden intruders: common (eastern) moles

Readers, you are fortunate to have available all our poetic comments on creatures (animal and vegetable), devoted to subverting your gardening plans. To view this collection on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense", click HERE!

FEB 10, patients and their maladies: hypertension

 Authors' Note: High blood pressure, or hypertension, a chronic condition generally of unknown cause, is one of the major cardiovascular risk factors playing a role in the development of adult heart disease. It is also of particular importance in the causation of stroke, accounting for up to 50% of the risk for that condition.     

FEB 9, synonymous verse: synonymous (equivalent)

 

FEB 8, inspired by Ogden Nash: anapestic rehash of "the purist"

Authors' Note: The above verse represents an anapestic rehash of the story, originally told in rhyming couplets, of Ogden Nash's well-known ten-line work "The Purist". (The anapest is the basic unit of poetic meter in which each 'foot' has the pattern da-da-DA.)        

FEB 7, brief saga: Newfoundland potato famine of 1846 - 8

Authors' Note: The Irish potato famine of 1845-1852, had important repercussions in British North America. Initially, we had our own version of the disaster, although it didn't last as long. The food-production aspect was confined to the Atlantic island of Newfoundland ("the Rock"), where potato monoculture had provided backup food for a populace (ironically, one-half of Irish descent) who otherwise fed themselves on marine protein (seals and cod). But in 1846, both these usual sources failed, and the network for regional food distribution was disrupted by a large fire, then a storm, that lashed the key port of St John's. At just this point, the potato blight that had spread northwards through the United States was found to involve the fishing villages (outports) on the island's south shore. In the second year, the blight spread to involve the entire island, and the marine resource situation was no better. The number of deaths due to starvation, likely many thousands, remains unknown.

The British governor of the colony, reasoning that the indolence of the island's underclass had offended the Almighty, invoked a period of fasting to appease heavenly powers. Fortunately, the next year, the marine resources returned, resolving the crisis.

Back in Ireland, landlords took advantage, and bought tickets to encourage resourceless tenants to emigrate; their arrival in Canada was anticipated charitably by the public and by local governments, often despite low potential for contribution to the economy. But in fact, many refugees were sick ("ship's fever" often equated to dysentery or typhus) on arrival or shortly afterward; in the summer of 1847, an estimated 20,000 died in typhus epidemics that ravaged Montreal and Quebec, as well as settlements in New Brunswick and Ontario. The longer term effect on health and other services was devastating for these relatively small recipient towns.

In contrast, the U.S. populace may have felt less charitable towards British disaster-victims, and a punitive tax was levied on shipping companies for each passenger. Although large numbers of Irish refugees did eventually reach the U.S., Canada bore far more than its share, especially in the acute phase of the disaster.

The author acknowledges inspiration by speedysnail's OEDILF verse "Great Famine".

Online Sources: 

Great Famine (Ireland) - Wikipedia

Newfoundland Potato Famine  - Wikipedia

History of Irish immigration to Canada - Irish Post

The Canadian typhus epidemic of 1847 - French-Canadian genealogist

FEB 6, objectionable adjectives: histonomical

                                                                                                         withdrawn from OEDILF, June 2023

Authors' Note: Around the globe, hundreds of thousands of doctors have learned the microscopic appearance and function of tissues early in medical school through the study of histology. (The corresponding adjectival forms are histologic or histological.)

The role of histonomy, if any, as well as that of its adjectival derivatives, is considerably less certain.

You can review our editorially selected doggerel (eight verses) relating to 'Objectionable Adjectives' by clicking HERE.