SEP 6, bottom line of medical humor: hemorrhoids

Authors' Note:  The long-term effectiveness of surgical and other treatments for hemorrhoids is disappointingly low. 

You can view these informative verses in a wider context by proceeding to the collection 'The BOTTOM LINE of MEDICAL HUMOR' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

SEP 5, mammalian wildlife: skunks (evolution)

You can review the whole collection of illustrated verses about mammals (both domestic and exotic) by checking out the more extensive post on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE !

 

SEP 4, wordplay map: Scramble-towns of eastern Canada, #3 and #4

Who would ever have guessed? It turns out that an unparalleled word in generating anagrams, i.e. letter scrambles, is P-A-L-I-N-D-R-O-M-E-S. We have taken advantage of that property to create this unique series of wordplay maps of imaginary American (and Canadian) locales, each one completed by its official two-letter state (or provincial) abbreviation. 

 LINKS to other nonsense in this series: 

Forward to the next Canadian map, eh?

Back up to the previous Canadian map, eh?

Default to U.S.A. map #21 (final American version)

SEP 3, numbers: trio (3)

 
 You can review our cumulated nonsense about numbers by clicking HERE.

Related photo: 

Bossa nova trio,
Yorkville Village parkette, Toronto

SEP 2, doctors and their practices: the urologist

Authors' Note:  

PSA: prostate specific antigen, a widely used blood test to screen for prostate cancer and to monitor the result of treatment  

  

 Considerably more complex than blood tests, a biopsy obtains samples of the relevant tissue, and is used by the pathologist to make a specific determination as to the presence, type, and severity of disease. 

You can view these informative verses in a wider context by proceeding to the collection 'DOCTORS and their PRACTICES' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

SEP 1, poetic Panama palindrome parody: 'one man ... a panameno'

You can review the whole collection of our illustrated verses on this topic  by proceeding to 'Reversing Verse: Panama palindrome parodies' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

And, if you are interested in seeing innumerable examples of spoofy palindrome variants on wordplay maps, you could embark on a journey through a collection of  blogposts entitled 'Tourists' Palindromic Guides: The Americas, #1 -#4'. All that's needed is to click on the link.

AUG 30, amphibians: Kermit the Frog (reincarnation)

Be sure to check out the whole collection of 'Amphibians' by proceeding to "Edifying Nonsense." CLICK HERE ! 

You can also review more poems about 'Death and the Afterlife' in context on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!

AUG 29, insects: Ricardo the dragonfly

Authors' Note: Adult dragonflies are carnivores who hunt on the wing, consuming daily up to a fifth of their body-weight in various flying insects, mosquitoes being one of their favorites. 

In the photo by GC, shot in the Muskoka region of Ontario, the insect temporarily has lighted (with wings typically spread) on a tiger lily, presumably to seek as prey the pollen-seeking insects attracted there. 

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.

AUG 28, culinary verse: zucchini (courgettes)

Find the collection of illustrated poems dealing with these issues on the post 'Culinary Verse' on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!

AUG 27, scopes of medicine: mediastinoscopy

Authors' Note: Prior to the surgical treatment of bronchogenic lung cancer, your doctor will check for possible asymptomatic spread of disease with mediastinoscopy,  including biopsy of lymphatic tissue adjacent to the lungs. 

You can view a collection of verses on this topic  by proceeding to 'Inner Enlightenment: The Scopes of Modern Medicine' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE !

AUG 26, wordplay maps: Scramble-towns of eastern Canada, #1 and #2

Who would ever have guessed? It turns out that an unparalleled word in generating anagrams, i.e. letter scrambles, is P-A-L-I-N-D-R-O-M-E-S. We have taken advantage of that property to create this unique series of wordplay maps of imaginary American (and Canadian) locales, each one completed by its official two-letter state (or provincial) abbreviation.  

LINKS to other nonsense in this series: 

Forward to the next Canadian map, eh?

Back up to the Final U.S.A. map 

AUG 25, poets' corner: free verse

 

You can find lots of other verses on this blog under the listing "Poets' Corner".  Click HERE.

AUG 24, oncologic verses: Pat's adenoma

 You can view all such verses in a wider context by proceeding to the collection of "ONCOLOGY VERSES" on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

AUG 23, limerick variation: C-rhyme extension -- cleaning services

Authors' Note: This verse, inspired by OEDILF editor MikeAq's experience with housecleaning during the COVID-19 era imagines the broad spectrum of protective measures needed in the corporate or institutional setting.

Reference: https://e

AUG 22, poetic Panama palindrome parody: 'a dog... a pagoda'

 

You can review the whole collection of our illustrated verses on this topic by proceeding to 'Reversing Verse: Panama palindrome parodies' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

And, if you are interested in seeing innumerable examples of spoofy palindrome variants on wordplay maps, you could embark on a journey through a collection of  blogposts entitled 'Tourists' Palindromic Guides: The Americas, #1 -#4'. All that's needed is to click on the link.

AUG 21, wordplay maps: American Scramble-towns -- finale (21)

Who would ever have guessed? It turns out that an unparalleled word in generating anagrams, i.e. letter scrambles, is P-A-L-I-N-D-R-O-M-E-S. We have taken advantage of that property to create this unique series of wordplay maps of imaginary American (and Canadian) locales, each one completed by its official two-letter state (or provincial) abbreviation. 

 

LINKS: 

Let's get on to the CANADIAN VERSION, eh? (stay tuned!)

Back to U.S.A. map #19

AUG 20, singable satire: Perry Como sings "MEL AND HIS HERNIA"

 PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG : "Me and My Shadow", Rose, Dreyer and Jolson, 1927, as performed by Perry Como, Maurice Chevalier, and many others. 
PARODY COMPOSED: Dr.G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, December 2015.
PARODY-SONGLINK: To access ukulele chord-charts to help you accompany "Mel and His Hernia" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.
BONUS POEM, joining the disparate topics of hernia and gender-neutral language (see below!) 

MEL and HIS HERNIA

(to the tune of "Me and My Shadow")

Mel:

Me with my hernia

Shuffling down the promenade

It's disconcerting;

Perhaps that's why for months I haven't played.

It's always in my pants --

Lopsided bulge.

But chicks who check

Don't want to indulge.

For me and my hernia

Time has come to part our ways.

Mel's Friend:

Mel and his hernia

Huffing down the avenue; ("Hey, Mel!")

Fellas discern 'cause

It's so displaced, it's not quite out of view.

"What sets things right? 

Herniorrhaphy.

You're so uptight. 

NOT 'hysterectomy'."

"So, go have your surgery.

Soon, before that thing turns blue."

FOLLOW-UP: You can access our brief poem (10 lines) about gender-neutral language that focuses on the medical term "hernia" by clicking HERE.

AUG 19, dental feelings (sentimental verse): prognathism

Authors' Note: 

gnathic: referring to the jaw or to the mandibular bone

idiopathic: of unknown cause

You can review the collection of illustrated verses on this topic by proceeding to the post 'Dental Feelings' on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

AUG 18, old world palindromes: national wrap-up

You can view the entire collection of 'Old World Palindromes' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense";  start by clicking HERE.

AUG 17, palinku (poetic novelty): sweet treats, 1

 In this post, we will continue with a novel form of poetic wordplay. To help the reader discern the origin of the lyrics, each palindrome (generally occupying one of the three lines of the poem) has been color-coded. 

You can readily view all our palinku verses (short poems of this type) 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.)

AUG 16, binomial phrases (intro): "hale and hearty"

Authors' Note:   A binomial pair, phrase, or expression, is a language element consisting of a pair of words that are used in a fixed order as an idiom. The two members of the pair are the same part of speech, are semantically related, often near-synonyms or antonyms, and are most commonly joined by and, or or; they often play a role as clichés. The term irreversible binomial was presumably coined and extensively discussed by American philologist Yakov Malkiel in 1954. The most catchy of these phrases are alliterative, as hale and hearty, or rhyming, as in health and wealth or haste makes waste.

Parody-song reminiscence about binomial phrases and some other word-pair entities:

 

 To review the poetic effusion that we have accumulated about binomial phrases proceed to our blog "Edifying Nonsense", and check the post  'Grandpa Greg's Advanced Grammar: Binomial Expressions'. Click HERE ! 

There is also an entire collection of lyrics to patter songs, somewhat older material, dedicated to various kinds of word-pairs, binomials in particular, that provides more didactic material and an extensive series of examples, and allows you to sing these expressions for your own enjoyment, or for that of others around you. Click HERE !

AUG 15, reptiles: beneficial snakes

Authors' Note: 

‘The Palmetto State’: South Carolina

plenum: from the Latin for ‘full’, a deliberative meeting of a body in which all members are present, contrasted with quorum

plenumous: ad hoc neologism indicating the importance of the issue at hand

Your contributions to the BPSS, tax-free, will help us in our efforts to counter anti-social behavior in South Carolina (the palmetto state) by the following: 

eastern diamondback, timber/canebrake and pygmy rattlesnakes,

copperheads, 

cottonmouths,

coral snakes.

You can review photos and illustrated herpetologic verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Verses about Reptiles' (don't worry! no snakes)' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

AUG 14, wordplay maps: American Scramble-towns, 19,20

Who would ever have guessed? It turns out that an unparalleled word in generating anagrams (letter scrambles) is P-A-L-I-N-D-R-O-M-E-S. We have taken advantage of that property to create this unique series of wordplay maps of imaginary American (and Canadian) locales, each one completed by its official two-letter state (or provincial) abbreviation. 

 

Forward to U.S.A. map #21 (final American version)

Back up to U.S.A. map #17

AUG 13, to clot or not: anti-coagulant drugs

 

You can view these verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'To Clot, or Not to Clot' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

AUG 12, portraits of couples: trumpeter swans

Enjoy an illustrated poem about the trumpeter swan, Cygnus buccinator, by clicking HERE.

You can view this sample from our portfolio of 'Couples' portraits in a wider context on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense" HERE. 

AUG 11, life in Palindrome Valley: bidirectional pen (souvenirs)

You can review other illustrated verses on this topic by proceeding to the collection 'Life in Palindrome Valley' on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

AUG 10, a brief saga (savoir-faire): French denial

 

 You can review other verses on this topic in a wider context on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Check the post 'Vers Francais: Savoir-Faire' by clicking 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 proceed in a collaborative editing process that may take several weeks to over a year. 

  Generally, OEDILF has not been enormously welcoming of multi-verse submissions, but Giorgio Coniglio has persisted, and the OEDILF number for each accepted multiverse poem is shown here on the slide with its first verse. 

To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog (September 2021), proceed to 'the Cormorant Rookery'.

To access the most recent previous 'brief saga' (July 2021), back up to 'Radiation Exposure'.

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

2020
2021
2022
2023.

AUG 9, humorists' scurrilous talk: 'the F-word'

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

The collection of informative verses dealing with 'HUMORISTS' SCURRILOUS TALK' can be found by proceeding to our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

AUG 8, STD-poetry: weighing anchor (primary syphilis)

Authors' Note: 

weigh anchor: opposite of 'drop anchor', a naval expression for the last step taken in preparation before the ship leaves port 

The symptoms of primary syphilis most often involve genital skin lesions, or chancres, that appear an average of three weeks after contracting the disease, caused by Gram-negative bacteria in the spiroch(a)ete family. Some patients, however, will remain without symptoms until the later stages of the disease develop insidiously.  

You can review verses on this topic in a wider context in a post on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense" by proceeding to 'Ruination, Rumination and Reminiscence: STD-Poetry'. Click HERE. 

AUG 7, variant Nantucket limericks: sibling ribaldry

You can review our entire collection of spoof verses based on the iconic Nantucket limericks on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense' by clicking HERE.