All hints are in the comments!

Monday, February 24, 2020

Feb. 24, 2020

|| || shame, crush, sludge, pimple, speechless.
Image from the Internet.

The opening poem contains all the words (or variations of them) from today's Jumble.
Comments are welcomed!
Do not explicitly reveal any of the actual answer words until after closing time, but embedding them surreptitiously in comment sentences is encouraged.

10 comments:

Ol' Man Keith said...

When Walter Raleigh learned of Elizabeth I's plan to have Mary Stuart beheaded, he was horrified.
"YEECH! Bess!" he cried, "Ye don't mean to lop off your successor's mum's bonce!"
~ OMK

OwenKL said...

Since Wilbur is doing such an exemplary job with the poem, I'm going to give some cryptic clues again. Last time I just gave the cryptic word-play parts, but a true cryptic clue should have two or three parts -- the wordplay, a straight clue, and maybe a transition between them that might hint at how the cryptic is put together. Since we don't have a puzzle grid to help, I've set the transitions off /between slashes/ instead.

In the Southeast, ham /is/ disgraceful.
Pressure /may cause/ a hundred Romans to rush.
Slimy lubricant, unclean dust, greasy electrolyte /all start to create/ gunk.
The French past procurer /exhibited/ acne.
Mute /played/ speed chess, -d, +l.

Wilbur Charles said...

A little brief today. If you still have questions, I'll spell it out here

Smaug continues(He's more than just cranky):

"Among the peoples of this world you're a mere pimple
Of the sludge of the earth, you're just one.
I'll crush you all. Let me make it simple.
I'm the destroyer, and when I'm done
You'll rue your shameless trespass."

At this Bilbo was speechless and aghast.
Ready to disappear and make a quick exit.
For if truth be known, his life'd be forfeit

Misty said...

Wow! Two poems with fun play on the Jumble words. Think I got all your cryptic ones, Owen, and your straightforward ones in your Bilbo verse, Wilbur. And then, on top of all that, Ol'Man Keith's crazy-funny gloss!
Got all four jumble words instantly this morning, along with the solution. Lots of fun all around.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Double wow! Owen's creative juices keep flowing with several different forms of cryptic clues.

And Wilbur, I continue to be impressed by your gift for verse. I appreciate your ability to avoid overuse of end-stops, a curse of which I'm often guilty.
~ OMK

PS. Misty
, thank you for the compliment on my pseudo-Elizabethan dialog!

OwenKL said...

Misty, I'd hardly call my effort a "poem", since it has neither rhyme, meter, nor coherence.

In case any lurkers are curious about the cryptic clues:

SE < HAM = SHAME
(Roman numeral) C + RUSH = CRUSH
(S)limy (L)ubricant, (U)nclean (D)ust, (G)reasy (E)lectrolyte = SLUDGE
LE (following) PIMP = PIMPLE
SPEED CHESS -D +L = SPEECHLESS

Ol' Man Keith said...

Got 'em all.
But then, solving is so much easier than thinkin'-'em-up!
Good on you, Owen!
~ OMK

Wilbur Charles said...

Here's a different style and type of poetry from awhile back. A eulogy (ODE?) to a friend.

He was a most congenial man.
A sign of welcome in his smile and voice.
Coming into his presence the cacophonous din
Of negative emotions and false fears
Would fade away in the walking meditation session
That was David,
That most congenial man.
He was a helpful, giving and generous man.
"What can I do for you?" beckoned to those
Whose needs and fears, like the slush and ice of a
Nasty, New England day, melted in the warmth
Of that open, charming smile of
That most congenial man.
And most of all he was a loving man.
Not just for those closest to him in life.
But for those, too, having the yearning need of love;
Having only a paucity of human kindness to enrich their lives.
Any and all would instantly be embraced by the spirit
That was David.
Loving husband, giving father or faithful friend.
And what of that spirit today?
That warm, generous and loving spirit that
We so cherished and relied on while He walked and talked and smiled;
Who, today, can bring such warmth
And make us so comfortable and secure?
Let us never forget, in our moments of doubt or depression,
That we who knew and loved this man, David, have only to
Look up to the clouds above to see his siloutte and hear
His voice saying "Live!".
Then let us all
Recall our fondest memories of this special, this remarkable,

THIS MOST CONGENIAL MAN

Misty said...

Wilbur, that is an amazingly, heartbreaking, loving and generous tribute to a friend--I was utterly moved by it. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Yes, Wilbur, truly an endearing ode, enriching to read, and vividly recalling a generous and--yes!--congenial life!
~ OMK