SEP 30, 2023: W-I-P

 SAD ANTI-WAR SATIRE:

SEP 29, postal places, Canada: Antigonish, NS

Authors' Note: NS is the official abbreviation for the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, in which the town of Antigonish, population 4,700, is located on the shore of Northumberland Strait, a source of excellent local seafood.

Based on an aboriginal Mi'kmak name, the town was founded in 1784 by a land grant from the British crown. It is now the home of the annual Antigonish Highland Games, and of Sir Francis Xavier University, highly reputed on a national level for undergraduate teaching.

 At one swell foop, you can review all our postal poems about intriguing places in the USA and Canada, by proceeding to the encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE !

SEP 28, reduplication: hocus-pocus

 

Readers willing to go down an internet rabbit-hole can easily get to a collection of more than a dozen other short verses SHORT VERSES  in which we have dealt with specific reduplications. 

If interested you could also discover three fairly lengthy PATTER-SONGS about this fascinating linguistic phenomenon. These songs form an important part of our cycle of 9 songs about "Word Pairs".

SEP 27, ambulatory verse: scamper (seduction)

 

You can review all our verses on this topic, accumulated for you on our companion blog "Edifying Nonsense", by clicking HERE.

SEP 26, decorative touches: "Tulip Fields" (fabric art)

Decorative Touches: "Tulip Fields"

   

 Continuation from "Pictures at a Renovation -- finishing touches", (fabric artwork), September 22, 2023. 

                                                                              fabric art by R.C.H., presented with thanks

SEP 25, submitted palindromes: RANDOM PILES 21

 

You have reached the "Submitted Palindromes" thread on the blog "Daily Edifying Nonsense", a light literary entity that emanates through the blogosphere daily (almost), i.e. 30 times per month.

  On the 25th of each month you will find a slide-filling group of palindromic phrases submitted to the editors by a panel of 7 palindromists. These folks have all been working on this project since January 2020. The personal profiles for each of these contributors are displayed in panels published here at the start of things, and then, we have asked them to provide (palindromically, of course) their views on one of the iconic items in the classic literature, starting with "A man, a plan, a canal -- Panama", continuing with other well-known phrases, such as "Dennis sinned". Otherwise, their contribution will be grouped in monthly random piles (a phrase that you might recognize as an anagram of the word p-a-l-i-n-d-r-o-m-e-s).

You can access this delightful entertainment right here by entering submitted palindromes in one of the two search bars at the top of this post and scrolling downwards through the wordplay posts that you will discover, OR, just follow the links indicated above. 

Devotees of palindromic wordplay can further explore limericks and other short verses about the classic palindromes (and quite a few recent concoctions) that are randomly scattered on this blog after September 2000, or collected into grouped postings on our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense" -- start HERE.

SEP 24, lexicon of word-pairs: echoic binomials P to Z

 

Quite a few repetitive ('echoic') binomials have been highlighted in short verses by the authors.You can check out about 20 of them if you read the brief saga "Echoic Binomials".      

Also, for readers with a musical bent, we have a song-cycle of 9 songs displaying the spectrum of these binomial expressions. They have lyrics stuffed with word-pairs, arranged to familiar tunes. You can readily access this singable treasure trove of binomial expressions of various types by clicking on the link for the first song, "WORD PAIRS", HERE. 

Proceed to the next blogpost in the lexicon series (legal doublets A to C) by clicking HERE.

SEP 23, waterfowl: flightless seabirds

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

SEP 22, "pictures at a renovation": finishing touches

  PREVIOUS VIEWS:

You can journey back through the whole arduous undertaking by scrolling back through our earlier posts (you can also click these dates for direct transport back to see the previous views). 

June 13: reconstrucion phase

May 31: reconstruction phase

May 25: reconstruction phase

May 7: reconstruction phase

May 3: reconstruction phase

April 26: reconstruction phase

April 18: reconstruction phase

See earlier posts for the planning and demolition phases! 

SEP 21, objectionable adjectives: forced (bulbs)

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

SEP 20, setting words to music: Allan Sherman sings "MINOS'S TAIL TWIST" (Inferno, Canto #5)

 

PASTICHE WITH PARODY SONG-LYRICS

ORIGINAL POEM:  "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri, the first book in the triad, "The Divine Comedy", written in the early 14th century.
ORIGINAL SONG: "The Mexican Hat Dance", Allan Sherman, 1963. 

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, November 2015.

PARODY-SONGLINK: To find ukulele and

 guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "Minos's Tail Twist" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

Resuming at Canto 5 of “The Inferno” after a considerable pause.... Dante, guided by the Roman poet Virgil is on a mission presumably sanctioned by heavenly powers, that leads them progressively further downward into the Circles of Hell.

MINOS’S TAIL-TWIST

(to the tune of "The Mexican Hat Dance")

Intro:

Oh! King Minos, his son was a Taurus -

A Greek legend whose details might bore us,

Yet old Virgil’s Aeneid implores us

To think Minos a judge of the Dead.

The next chapter is D. Alighieri’s

He conceived of a Minos more scary.

This huge reptile makes sinners despair-y

He’s Inferno’s vile judge of the Dead.  Olé!

  

Dante:            Così

Discesi del cerchio primaio

Dov’è dolor che piunge a guaio

A lagrimar mi fanno pio

 "Minos", Gustave Dore

Stavvi horribilmente Minòs.

Our nice outing in Limbo had ended.

To the grim Second Ring we descended,

Where this gross snarling monster offended

With the verdict he gives with his tail.

Essamina le colpe nell’intrata,

Le confessa l’anima mal nata

Vede qual loco d’infern' è da essa,

Della peccata è conoscitor!

He examines the souls of transgressors

As a devilish father-confessor,

Assigns Circle of Hell, more or less, Sir,

With the number of coils in his tail.

the traditional Jarabe Tapatio,
 "Mexican Hat Dance"

Un atto di cotanto offizio -

Sempre dinanzi ne stanno molte

Vanno al giudizio,

E dicono e odono

Minos si cigne e giù son volte.

You’d done rapine and pillage and letching

You’d sinned quite a good bit in your youth

You thought you had hidden

Those bad things you did then,

But Minos will find out the truth.

Crowds pour in! To get dissed!

In turn each one gets judged

They’d prefer not to budge,

But they’re hurled downward in the abyss.

Disse Minòs a me quando me vide,

“Guarda di cui tu ti fide”

E’l duca mio lui “Perche pur gride?”

Vuolsi cosí colà si puote.

Oh, this tail-twister’s workflow was broken,

When he’d spied me and snarkily spoken,

Virge rebuked him with a poignant token

Of the Power that willed us ahead.  

A pianto sentire or son venuto

In loco d’ogne luce muto

Da contrari venti è combattuto

Intesi - ecco dannati

I peccator carnali

Nulla speranza di posa

Ove Minòs manda colla coda. *

Now, there starts up such sad incantation,

And the roar of a storm’s emanation -

Wind-tossed darkness and sad lamentation

‘Cause by now you could guess

There’s eternal distress -

Lustful lovers were damned and confined

Here, where Minos’s tail-twist assigned.

Olé.

* coda, the Italian word for tail, also implies a conclusion or ending.

 Interesting Side-Notes (Minos as portrayed by Michelangelo)

• Michelangelo's "Last Judgment", painted on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel was criticized by a papal attendant, Baigio da Cesena, as more appropriate for a tavern because of its use of nude figures. 
• In its final version, Minos is portrayed at the lower right portion of the scene, with facial features presumably similar to Baigio. surrounded by other devils, with donkey ears, and with his tail wrapped around him. One can observe the subtle detail of a serpent biting the Minos-figure on the genitals!
• The Pope claimed he had no jurisdiction over Hell, and therefore let the painting remain in this form, despite da Cesena's objection.

SEP 19, insects: yellow jackets

Authors' Note: A million Emergency Room (ER) visits per year in the United States are caused by concern over stings from insects of the order Hymenoptera; stings can result in significant local reactions and even anaphylaxis. Many people attribute these incidents, without differentiation, to 'bees'. In fact, the common honeybees and bumblebees are considerably less aggressive than yellow jackets, such as Vespula maculifrons; these pesty wasps make us miserable in the summer and early fall, particularly at fairs and other outdoor events, by their relentless search for sugar-containing foods. Vespine is the adjective relating to wasps.

       

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.

SEP 18, lexicon of word-pairs: echoic binomials I to O

 Giorgio's lexicon of binomials (repetitive, echoic)

Quite a few repetitive ('echoic') binomials have been highlighted in short verses by the authors. You can check out about 20 of them if you read the brief saga "Echoic Binomials".     

Also, for readers with a musical bent, we have a song-cycle of 9 songs displaying the spectrum of these binomial expressions. They have lyrics stuffed with word-pairs, arranged to familiar tunes. You can readily access this singable treasure trove of binomial expressions of various types by clicking on the link for the first song, "WORD PAIRS", HERE. You can proceed to the next blogpost in the lexicon series (echoic binomials P to Z) by clicking HERE.

SEP 17, palinku (poetic novelty): reliable transport

 You can readily view all our "palinku" verses  if you proceed with a single click to our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. (Or if you prefer, you can stay on this particular blogsite and look for the offerings for the 17th day of each month -- there are now more than 60 of these.)

links for any date: scroll over to the calendar-based listings of 'Past Posts' in the righthand column on this page, choose your month of interest, and then select (by clicking) the post of your choice.

SEP 16, chemical states (and provinces): eastern U.S.

 

 You can view the collection of posts on this topic with this link to our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense" -- click HERE.

SEP 15, exemplification: Donald Duck's malarkey

Authors' Note: The term malarkey for "nonsense" is likely of Greek origin, but does not appear to related to mallard ducks.

 To review our whole collection of "exemplary exemplifications", click HERE. 

SEP 14, cinematic guide: gainless (M*A*S*H theme-song)

Authors' Note: Director Robert Altman had initially requested music for a single scene in the 1970 movie M*A*S*H; in keeping with the plot, this was to be "the stupidest song ever written". Having difficulty in completing the lyricist's task himself, Altman called on his 14-year-old son, who presumably finished the job in a few minutes. The music for "Suicide is Painless" went on to become highly popular as the principal theme for the movie and the TV series; the lyrics are not widely known, but earned the junior Altman large sums in royalties.

You can view our collection of verses about the cinema on our encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. 

SEP 13, pill-poppin' poetry: antimalarials to treat epidemic viruses

You can view informative verses like this one in a wider context by proceeding to the collection "Pill-Popping Poems (selected pharmaceuticals)" on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE! 

Also, please check out the Lancet's concurrent study on the acute use of antimalarial drugs as published online  at  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31180-6/fulltext
Or, check this link to the story in the Washington Post.

SEP 12, folio-entry, couples: dogpark figures

 

You can view all of our folio-photos from the collection of 'Couples' portraits in a wider context on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. 

SEP 11, dental feelings (sentimental verse): amalgam fillings

 

Authors' Note:  The toxicity of mercury, known by its chemical symbol Hg (for the Latin hydrargum), is dependent on its chemical form; classically it includes the manifestations in felting workers known as mad hatter syndrome (see our verse HERE about erethism. 

Metal amalgams have been in longstanding use as the the basis of dental fillings. Although standard dental amalgam is an alloy of mercury and silver, routine removal of these fillings is not routinely recommended. Ask your dentist.

SEP 10, a brief saga (medical statistics): clinical trial

 

Authors' Note: The conclusion of this imaginary placebo-controlled trial of magic in the prevention and treatment of ILLS can be stated as follows:

Parenteral administration of a low dose (1 gram) was found uniformly effective in prevention. For oral treatment of later established cases, the dosage requirement was found to be higher by a factor of 16 times (95% confidence interval: 9 — 25).
The above conclusion could, with inherent limitations of proportionality, be converted back to older units (as spoofed on the OEDILF site by Giri): "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

You can review a collection of related poems about clinical trials and clinical statistics by advancing to the blog "Edifying Nonsense" where you can find "A Limerick-Based Handbook on Medical Testing". Click HERE.  

 For the purpose of this blog, a 'brief saga' is defined as a poem, usually narrative, but occasionally expository, that tell its story in at least 15 lines. Most commonly, the format involves three stanzas in limerick form, constituting a single submission to the online humor site 'Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form'. On the OEDILF site, rigorous standards for content and format are involved in a collaborative editing process that may take several weeks to over a year. 

 There are now over 40 of these lengthier bits of doggerel featured at OEDILF in Giorgio's "Author's Showcase". The OEDILF number for each accepted multiverse poem is shown here on the slide with its first verse. We have been blog-publishing these poetic adventures here monthly since January 2020, and the good news is that almost all limerick verses can be set to music!.

To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog (October 2023), proceed to ... 'linguISTICALLY'. 

To access the most recent previous 'brief saga' (August 2023), back up to 'Herbicides'.

To access all of our 'brief sagas' by the year of their creation, click on your selection below.

2020
2021
2022
2023.