APR 24r, scopes of medicine: endoscopic spectrum

 a) reprise from April 2020

APR 24, scopes of medicine: endoscopic spectrum

Authors' Note: 

Uro: medical jargon for 'urologist'

scope: (jargon, as here) in modern usage, a camera with flexible fiberoptic cable to visualize internal viscera; abbreviated from endoscope

   This verse deals with endoscopic procedures that use flexible fiberoptic devices to inspect and sometimes to biopsy or to treat the lining of various hollow body organs (viscera). Recently, as  such instruments have become more technically sophisticated and widely used, these procedures have expanded their role and their accuracy in specialty medical practice. Advanced training is required for practitioners to acquire expertise. In addition to the procedures mentioned in this collection of verses, similar considerations underlie operative laparoscopy, culdoscopy, etc.

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 !

b) rainy-day excursion:

trip to a charming rural church for a chamber-music concert

APR 23, American satire (prolongation): obstruction of justice

 

Author's Note: 

A.G.: Attorney General, a political appointee heading the US Department of Justice   

prez: casual term for president, used in lightweight discussion of the American political situation

Forty-Five: a sequential numbering system is used in the United States for successive holders of the elected office of President; we are currently on number Forty-Six (Joe Biden)

capo: 'head', or 'boss' in Italian, frequently used in connection with the Cosa Nostra (Mafia)

We hope that you enjoyed this verse. You can find 40 more on this topic in 6 collections on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE to start! 

 

APR 22, submitted palindromes, targeted: "No 'X' In NIXON"

The enthusiastic reader can also find a nice little illustrated verse about this featured palindrome by clicking HERE.

For word nerds like us, who adore palindromes, hours of delight await  on our blog "Edifying Nonsense".

First of all, there  is a series of posts, on the 25th of each month (2020 through 2024) featuring collections of "submitted palindromes", attributable to the contributing authors shown above, constituting a loosely organized compendium of intriguing back and forth phrases; frequently, these are inspired by the "classic" palindrome repertoire, as is the case in today's offering as shown in the above slide.

Then, on the 20th of each month, original topic-based collections of wordplay items are displayed, often as "wordplay maps". These include anagrams and other forms of wordplay in addition to palindromes. However, the latter lexical device is honored in major outpourings including "New World Palindromes", "Old World Palindromes", "Magical Palindromes" and even a post on "The Meaning of Life as Revealed in Palindromes". 

The first three posts of each month on "Edifying Nonsense", (on the 5th, 10th and 15th), are the repository of short poetic verses, mostly limericks and "limerrhoids",  the majority of which have gone through rigorous collaborative editing on an online site. But even there, wordplay, particularly palindromic phrases are honored and discussed. So you can, by following the links, find some five collections (with eight verses each),  dealing  with the "classic palindrome repertoire", not to mention  extensions displaying terse verses about the fabled "Palindrome Valley" and parodies about the "Panama canal". 

And, even further, there is under construction a group of parody-songs honoring the classic palindromes. The song lyrics will be posted here, on this blog ("Daily Illustrated Nonsense") and also, with more musical direction on "Silly Songs and Satire."  We will update you when that project has been completed, but if you insist, you could sneak an advance peak at the song "Sin and Redemption".    

APR 21r-, mammalian wildlife: star-nosed mole

reprise from 2020

APR 21, mammalian wildlife: star-nosed mole

You can find a song about the star-nosed mole on our blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE to access it! 

You can also 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".

  

APR 20, singable patter-satire: "The UNIQUENESS OF NUCLEAR"

ORIGINAL SONG:  "The Elements", Tom Lehrer, 1959. 

Tom Lehrer, parodist

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, October 2013, a follow-up to our childhood enjoyment of Latin classes, as expressed in the earlier song "No Elements". Please note that T.L.'s genius has provided inspiration for a further handful of parody patter-songs. 
An earlier version of this particular song was first web-published in 2013 on the site "AmIRight" under the title "Residents and Presidents". It has now been extensively updated for presentation to you, our favorite readers. 

PARODY-SONGLINK: To find ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany this song on your favorite instrument, proceed to our lyrics-blog "SILLY SONGS and SATIRE" by clicking HERE (and when you get to the bottom of the SillySongs post, you can find links to our other songs inspired by Lehrer.) 

THE UNIQUENESS of 'NUCLEAR'

(to the tune of Tom Lehrer's "The Elements")

Singable Introduction:

There was a swarm of parodists who pounced straight for the jugular;

They satirized a Prez whose speech was smug yet sometimes struggular;

Disdain for George the Son, less blame for James from Plains in evidence;

They pegged the mis-spoke "NUCULAR" the catchword of the Presidents.

I toiled for several decades in the Section known as "NUCLEAR";

Though now fairly famili-ar, I still find it peculi-ar

That highly educated voices, palatal and uvular

Would schedule tests, requests infested with the mis-spoke "NUCULAR".

Presidents
 Jimmy Carter and George W Bush

test requests
(web-illustration)

 

Patter-Song Lyrics

There's popular and insular and regular, oracular

Cuticular, vehicular, vesicular, vernacular

And tabular and tubular and muscular and modular

And cellular and singular and circular and nodular.

There's fibular, follicular, and pustular and jocular 

Vestibular and valvular, auricular and ocular

And vascular, crepuscular and titular, testicular

Peninsular, peduncular, avuncular, particular.

Triangular, corpuscular, spectacular and annular,

Articular and angular, glomerular and granular,

And glandular and scapular and spicular and globular

Molecular, trabecular, lenticular and lobular. 

And endless adjectival terms in Med'cine and Biology

With current usage driven by their Latin deriv-ology,

Like saccular and secular and ovular, fascicular

Reticular, radicular, furuncular, funicular.

So, clearly there's no stimulus for apparatus cochlear,

That simulates the sound unique of proper-spoken "NUCLEAR".

 

APR 19, postal places, USA: Hoboken, NJ

 

Authors' Note:  NJ is the official abbreviation for the American state of New Jersey, in which Hoboken, a town with population of about 60,000, is situated, commuting distance from New York City.

THe town was first settled by Europeans in the 17th century as part of the New Netherland colony. Following the Dutch era, it became known as the site of the first recorded game of baseball, and as the birthplace (1915) and hometown of Frank Sinatra. 

At one fell swoop, 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 !

APR 18, photo-collage: this week's Carolina lowcountry wildlife

green anole, on backyard fence

Henrietta, the sociable great egret,
at Shem Creek boardwalk

"Blue-tailed skink",
 the origin of that common name is obvious here;
(juvenile five-lined skinks and broad-headed skinks
 have a similar appearance)

jellyfish, recently washed ashore,
Sullivan's Island, SC

a weight-lifting skink

foraging nocturnal opossum
 captured in our porch light 

Henrietta watching kayakers

"Hop to it" (on one leg),
peculiar habit of many shorebirds

African iris
(floral break from all the fauna)

pelican flight

Editor's Note: More photos on this topic can be found on a later posting HERE.

APR 17, palinku (poetic novety): diapers

 

APR 16r, classic palindrome: 'Do geese see God?'

a) reprise from April 2020 

APR 16, classic palindrome: "Do geese see God?"

Authors' Note:     As with many classic palindromes, the origin of the iconic query,  ‘Do geese see God?’ is, in fact, unknown. The verse, however, suggests that it dates back to at least the fifth century B.C.E. The philosophic query is felt by some to be tarnished, and it remains unanswered into modern times.

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".

web-photo
Plato (portrait bust)
sculptor: Silanion 370 B.C.E.

APR 15, selected OEDILFian verse: "identity verse" (G.Coniglio editor)

 For a different take, you could check out Giorgio's collection of  "homophonous" (identity) rhymes by clicking HERE.

APR 14, ambulatory verse: lurk (ambulation lacking)

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

APR 13r-, geysers: second-hand geyser

reprise from 2020

APR 13, geysers: second-hand geyser

Authors' Note: Björg(f.) and Björn(m.) are typical Icelandic names.  In Britain, the term geyser, has come to mean a secondary water heater at the point-of-use, e.g. near a bathtub. In Iceland, hot water is distributed to all homes as a part of geothermal energy systems; devices such as 'geysers' are not needed, and probably not available.

In North America, such auxiliary plumbing devices are known as ‘tankless water heaters’. Björn originally conceived of his gift idea based on occasional offerings of spent hydrogeologic geysers in Icelandic second-hand stores, e.g. the original reliable vent at Geysir which thrilled Victorian tourists has died back, 'replaced' nearby by other vents. The reader is left to judge whether such second-hand devices represent a figment of the author’s imagination or contrived nonsense. 

 

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Poetry that Spurts: Verses about Geysers' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense".

APR 12r-, patients and their maladies: the common cold

 

reprise from April 2024:

APR 12, patients and maladies: the common cold

 

Be sure to check out the whole collection of verses on 'Patients and their Maladies" by proceeding to our full-service blog ,"Edifying Nonsense." CLICK HERE !

APR 11r, waterfowl: snowy egrets

 

a) reprise from 2020

APR 11, waterfowl: snowy egrets

b) related recent birdie-pic

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'

APR 10, singable satire: Julie Andrew sings "JEUX-DE-MOTS" from the musical "The Sound of Homonyms"

 PARODY-LYRICS, continuing from our prior blog-post of December 10, 2023.  

ORIGINAL SONG: "Do-Re-Mi", as performed by Julie Andrews and the entourage of von Trapp family children in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's hit musical "The Sound of Music".

"When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything"

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, September 2014; the medley, in fact, started with two spoofs based on English language homonyms, set to the same original song, developed for a never-performed spectacle entitled "The Sound of Homonyms". The parody-medley was added to Giorgio's predecessor-blog "Giorgio's Ukable Parodies" as one of his earliest parody-songs. The French counterpart, shown here, evolved shortly thereafter.

PARODY-SONGLINK: To find ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "Jeux-de-Mots (the French homonym medley)" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

JEUX-de-MOTS

(to the tune of "Do-Re-Mi") 

Mère (mare) -- a Mom whose "NAY" means "NO"
Père (pair) -- for two adopting Dads
Frère (fray-er)-- a nearly worn-out Bro
Soeur (sewer) -- big Sis with mouth that's bad
Chat (shah) -- our middle-Eastern cat
Tante (taunt) -- Ma's sibling who's a tease
Bébé (bay-BAY) -- Brest is where he's at:
Partie (par-TEE)/part of our famille (fa-MEE).

Mère, père, frère, soeur, chat, tante, famille !  

Sol (sole) -- the fifth note in the scale

Sol (sole) -- for soil from land of Oc

Seau (so) -- bright bucket or a pail

Sceau (so) -- means "SEAL", and so does phoque

Saut (so) -- from pan to fire, a leap

Sault (so) -- most Anglos say it "SOO"

Sole (sole) -- lone flatfish in the deep

Weeping willow: it's saule (sole), too !

Sol, sol, seau, sceau, saut, Sault, sole, saule ! 

Solfège system (English version): the 5th French note is named "sol"

Language development in France

Editor's Note (added April 20, 2024):

"When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything."

The melody and words of this delightful song remain with us as an "earworm".  With this fact in mind, we have concocted yet another spoof dealing with the French version. We have labelled this effort, a French homonym song, as "Jeux-de-Mots, Encore". (Click the link to enjoy it, available in mid-May).