SEP 7, defining opinion: hourly

 

Authors' Note:   As the hour is one of the most commonly used measure of time, fitting well with the time-frame of daily human activities, it is used more often in a general than in a scientific or precise sense. Examples of this usage include the appointed hour and happy hour. The derived adverb hourly shares this attribute.

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.

SEP 6, lexicon of word-pairs: echoic binomials A to D

 

 Giorgio's lexicon of word-pairs (repetitive or 'echoic' binomials)

Quite a few repetitive ('echoic') binomials have been highlighted in short verses by the authors:  

You can easily find all of these on our topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense" by clicking HERE, and following the links. 

SEP 5, Submitted Palindromes: C, targeted at "A SANTA LIVED AS A DEVIL AT NASA"'

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. Their profiles are indicated 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", and continuing with other well-known phrases, such as "Dennis sinned". Otherwise, their contribution will be grouped in 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 all of this delightful entertainment 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. 

SEP 4, photo-collage (Toronto oases): Toronto Islands

SEP 3, Toronto ravines: Brickworks, floating islands (poem)

If you are interested in wending your way through an encyclopedic collection of four blogposts stuffed with photo-collages on Toronto ravines, click HERE.

SEP 2, terminal (poetic) exclamation: OY, GEVALT!

 

Authors' Note: 

trombenyk: Yiddish for a ne'er-do-well, often a braggart

oy, gevalt (oy-guh-VAHLT): phrase borrowed from Yiddish; an exclamation expressing shock, surprise or disapproval

You can review our collection of poems on the topic of "Terminal Exclamation (Limerick Variations)" as it evolves on our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense"; click HERE. 

SEP 1, mammalian wildlife: upsetting gnus

Authors' Note: Two major species of gnu (genus Connochaetes) are found in Africa — the black wildebeest (C. gnou) and the blue wildebeest (C. taurinus). The blue species is somewhat larger, and their horns are of different configuration; other differences are minor. The two species overlap in their range, but there is no other recorded instance of animosity or prejudice deriving from these differentiating traits.

This verse, with a completely apocryphal story, was inspired by Workshop's depressing, a brief poem published at OEDILF, the online collaborative poetry site ending with the phrase "really terrible gnus".

DOGGEREL-WRITING

A doggerel-writer, a keener,

By mean peers was judged coarse and obscener:

("From this site, you are banished!")

Wrote some winners, then vanished —

He'd committed a gross misdemeanour.

Here's our hope: We'll now cope, much serener.

Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2023

Authors' Note:  We are talking here about an open-forum collaborative website, so  the reader will realize that there are only a few opportunities for misdemeanourship. A major one was apparently undertaken by the prolific writer in question, but he did leave behind some great five-liners, including this author's favorite — (originally published under the title 'depressing'). 

WORKING AT ZOOS

The work is depressing at zoos,
So I often go home with the blues.
And it's getting more bleak;
For example, last week,
We received really terrible gnus.

 Workshop

AUG 30, singable satire: "THE FUNNIVERSARY SONG"

 SINGABLE LIMERICK-LIKE LYRICS 

ORIGINAL SONG: Any old limerick verses can be sung to "The Limerick Song", as per YouTube here. However we have undertaken the onerous task  of bringing you other melodies for singing limericks, as per the post "Novel Melodies for Singing Limericks". 

So, for this baby, we will exploit the melody of the verses for "The Anniversary Song". Al Jolson and Saul Chaplin originally had adapted the music (the score had been published in the U.S. in 1896) and wrote lyrics in 1946 to the 1880 composition "Waves of the Danube" by prolific Romanian composer Ion Ivanovici; his music had won a prize at the 1889 World Exhibition in Paris. The Jolson adaptation has been recorded by Dina Shore, Rosemary Clooney, Guy Lombardo, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Franks Sinatra, Pat Boone, Bing Crosby etc. 

LIMERICK VERSE:  Original verses composed by Giorgio Coniglio, 2017-2018. Two of the verses have been published at the OEDILF website (the Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form); the entry number for the OEDILF version is noted at the bottom of the chord-chart slides.
Readers should note that (i) each verse of the original song can accpomodate two limerick verses, (ii) the bridge has been adapted from the original Ivanovici-Jolson tune, and is NOT a limerick.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, August 2018. 

THE FUNNIVERSARY SONG 

(to a tune inspired by the verses of of Al Jolson's "The Anniversary Song", a.k.a. "Waves of the Danube")

In that room, bride and groom entered marriage
(Forty guests, kith and kin, came 'by carriage');
Formal garb and corsage
Adorned former garage.
It's our 'ballroom' (some Brits call it 'garage' GA-ridj).

We embarked on our marital dance
With a June honeymoon there in France
Later, raising our kids
Put romance on the skids,
Now they're grown, on their own: second chance.

Just a mile from home #1, with the 'ballroom',
Snowbirds nest in their lounge-lunch-and-loll room.
This garage: not enclosed,
But well low-sun exposed —
Our 'solarium' winter-and-fall room. 

Winter's mild, so you don't need to huddle
(Every once-in-a-while we still cuddle).
Life's rewards we now glean -- 
The retirement scene:
Wonder what's it all mean? That's a muddle.

BRIDGE: I'll sit in my rocker, and you'll sit in yours.
(Your reading's disturbed by my rather loud snores).
Then, while dinner's heating, our glass of merlot;
I'll web-surf and you will sew.

Repeat verse 4.


NOTES:
North American: guh-RAWZH
British: GA-ridj

Well over three decades ago, the author was married in an at-home ceremony. A two-car attached garage in his bride's home, which had been enclosed by the previous owner served as the basis of the ballroom/garage gag and as a credible chapel/party-room. As it happened, all the guests used the first indicated (a la française) pronunciation. On our return to the same sun-belt neighbourhood three decades later, we found a home with a different type of garage upgrade. 

AUG 29, defining opinion: envision

 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.

AUG 28, lexicon of word-pairs, duplications O to Sh-

 

Giorgio's lexicon of binomials (reduplications O-Sh) 

Quite a few reduplications (words consisting of two near-duplicated elements) have been highlighted in other short verses by the authors:  

Matching the selection on the above slides, these include ..... 

You can easily find all of these on our topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense" by clicking HERE, and following the links. 

AUG 27, lexicon of word-pairs, reduplications, Si- to T

 Giorgio's lexicon of word-pairs (reduplications, Si- to Z)

Quite a few reduplications (words consisting of two near-duplicated elements) have been highlighted in other short verses by the authors:  

Quite a few reduplications (words consisting of two near-duplicated elements) have been highlighted in other short verses by the authors:  

Matching the selection on the above slide, these include "wild child". 

You can easily find all of these on our topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense" by clicking HERE, and following the links. 

Matching the selection on the above slides, these include "super-duper" and "tip-top". 

You can easily find all of these on our topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense" by clicking HERE, and following the links. 

c) related photo, 2022: 

an intrepid adventurer prepares his bicycle-packs for an arduous journey along the Erie Canal.

AUG 26, painterly poetry: Auvers-sur-Oise (van Gogh)

Check out our entire collection of illustrated verse on 'painterly poetry' by clicking HERE. 

AUG 25, Submitted Palindromes: B, targeted at "DENNIS SINNED"

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. Their profiles are indicated 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", and continuing with other well-known phrases, such as "Dennis sinned". Otherwise, their contribution will be grouped in 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 all of this delightful entertainment 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. 

AUG 24, American satire (prolongation): MAGAciousness -- philosophical spects

 

AUG 23, scopes of medicine: endoscopic collage (various authors)

Authors' note:  A cystoscope is a type of endoscope that is inserted into the urethra for the purpose of examining it and the bladder. it is also used for obtaining tissue samples for biopsies; in some highly specialized circumstances, it is also used for treatment.

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 22, patients and their maladies: ganglion cyst

Authors' Note: These common small limb lesions that may fluctuate spontaneously are most often found at the wrist. The name ganglion, Greek for "knot", is a misnomer, as examination by ultrasound or aspiration shows that they are thin-walled cysts filled with synovial (i.e. joint) fluid — such testing is not needed in most cases. Incidentally, the term tumour is a synonym for "growth" or "lump"; health professionals avoid using the term in dealing with lesions that have no oncologic significance in order to allay unnecessary patient anxiety. 

You can view collections of verses on this topic by proceeding to "Nurse-Verse: PATIENTS and their MALADIES" on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

AUG 21, terminal (poetic) exclamation: YIPPEE!

 

Authors' Note:  As shown by verses collected at OEDILF, the slang term chippy has a spectrum of slang meanings including 'prostitute/loose woman', 'argumentative' and 'fish-and-chips eatery'. Where I live, the first two uses are in effect. In the US, postal zip-codes roughly identify the location of one's residence.

You can review our collection of poems on the topic of "Terminal Exclamation (Limerick Variations)" as it evolves on our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense"; click HERE.  

AUG 20, singable satire: Chubby Checker sings "LIMBO ROCKS, OR NOT"

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: "Limbo Rock", as recorded 1962 by Chubby Checker, used here primarily for music and meter.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, June, 2015.

PARODY-SONGLINK: To find ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "Limbo Rocks, Or Not" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

The lyrics for this Canto are condensed and re-arranged considerably, but the words are primarily Dante’s, preserving to the extent possible the original 14th century Tuscan language. My English translation follows the Italian, with liberal adaptations for modern readers.

Inferno Canto#4: 
LIMBO ROCKS, OR NOT

(to the tune of "Limbo Rock")


Intro:
So our boys are on the road
In this all-new episode.
Valley dolorous, no bliss
Lurks inside that dark abyss.
Dante peer down from his ledge
(Limbo’s It. for ‘hem' or ‘edge’)
Now he'll start to learn who dwell
In those horrid rings of Hell. 

Dante:
“Discendiam nel cieco mondo
Io primo, tu secondo”
Quindi mio guida disse,
L’angoscia l’impallidisce
Primo cerchio mi fé intrar
I sospiri a ascoltar - 
Una gente disdegnata
Perché non è battezzata 

Every Hell-bound guy and guide
Brush their Limbo-fear aside

Planned to stop at Level #1,
Dance and have a little fun.
But first circle that we found
Rang with sorrow – Limbo’s sound 
Limbo’s sin-free folks - despised,
As they’d not been Lim-baptized.

Virgil:
Porta de la fede credi
Non basta loro mercedi,
Dinanzi al cristianesmo
E cotai son io medesmo.
Adorammo mal a Dio
Tai difetti, non altro rio
Sanza spema semo perduti
In disio vivemo tutti.

Portal of the faith you hold
If I may be Limbo-bold
Was no Christ back in B.C.
Couldn’t pray right, damned are we.
Without hope in Limbo-mire
Worthy types locked in desire.
Hey, eternity’s not quick
Hung up in this Limbo-shtick.

Ero nuov’in questo stato
Vidi venir un Beato
Trasseci ombre dei Parenti
E di Moisè l’ubidente
Uscicci mai per merto
Né per su’ parlar coverto 
Altri spiriti salvati - 
Tutti uomini dannati.

Newbie me in Limbo-town
When a Nimble Guy came down
Played St Nick and filled his sleigh
Drove the Forefathers away,
Caused those left to Limbo-wince
Nothing like it ‘fore or since.
Recent dogma you’ll know well – 
Called the ‘Harrowing of Hell’.*

Dante:
Al pié d’un gran castello -
Intorno un fiumicello
Per sette porte con i savi
Genti v’eran con occhi gravi.
La compagnia si scema
Dell’aura queta a che trema
Mi mena il savio duca
Vegn’ove non è che luca.

We passed through a Limbo-glade
Lamp-lit, Limbo-poles with shades
Reached the Limbo-central square
Virgil’s buds were gathered there.
Quite a Greco-Roman crew
Leaders, sages, poets too.
Had to split, say Limbo-Bye - 
Other fish to Limbo-fry.

Virgil (spoken):
Leaving Town limits
Lower Circle next
How low can we go?

Outro:
Limbo gets misunderstood - 
It’s Hell’s premier neighborhood.
They house heathens, babes and Jews,
None who’ve pledged and then refused.
Your case takes a diff’rent Twist
Once you’ve danced with John Baptist.
Sinning-Lyte - if that’s your story - 
Best apply to Purgatory. 

Dante (spoken nervously):

"Il Limbo"
G.Stradano, 1587

A drink at LimboBar
Before we get too far?
How low can we go?
* Tradition had held that before the Resurrection, Christ went to Hell to claim the souls of the Old Testament heroes and transport them to Heaven. This ‘Harrowing of Hell’ became official church dogma only in 1215. The event had presumably occurred in A.D.34, when Virgil (who died in A.D.19) was still a relative newcomer to Limbo. 

 

AUG 19, Carolina lowcountry: excursion to the beach at Sullivan's Island

previously unmarked trail

the shipping channel appears so close to the Island

Fort Sumter is close by
(the Civil War started here!)

another denizen of the beach