All hints are in the comments!

Friday, May 8, 2020

May 8, 2020

|| || gripe, shirt, appear, hybrid, high praise.
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.

12 comments:

Ol' Man Keith said...

When lions initiate a new member into their team, do they observe Spooner etiquette and dub it a Pride Haze?

Seriously, I find that today's illustration of a famous French church reminds me of the recent fire in Notre Dame de Paris.
I note that while flames destroyed the tower and weakened the main structure, they somehow spared the stored body parts of saints. As a non-theist, I call that a wry blaze indeed.
~ OMK

Wilbur Charles said...

Thorin then approached Bilbo with these royal words,
"High Praise you've earned and just reward,
In addition I want you to have this princely elven shirt,
A hybrid of steel and other metals. With It you'll be unhurt
Should you encounter orcish arrows or enemy spear."
"Except dragon fire", Bilbo thought. "Should Smaug appear".
"I'm not griping, I just suggest that we leave this place
And find a way out to a more secure and hidden space".

Misty said...

This Jumble was a total delight. Got all four words with only a moment of work on the third, and the solution, of course, popped right up. Liked how colorful the nice couple looked in the cartoon.

Ol'Man Keith, nice to see you at the top of a sly phase with those cheerful glosses.

And I hope Bilbo doesn't enter a fly maze when he gets to that secure and hidden space, Wilbur.

Wilbur Charles said...

Misty,Keith, Sandy, Owen etal: The shirt is of Mithril and it and the ring saved Bilbo's skin and later his nephew Frodo on several occasions

WC

Sandyanon said...

Wilbur, I think you must be the most dedicated reader of The Hobbit ever. How else would you be able to insert the jumble words coherently into poems that keep to the story line? It's a puzzlement!

The jumble clues came pretty easily, though the fourth one took a few extra seconds. I wasn't quite as delighted with this one as Misty; the solution seemed connected to the cartoon, but not essentially so. I am a nitpicker by nature, however, as all must know by now.

Ol' Man Keith said...

It's my turn to greet you, Misty. You won't need to pry heys! from me. Welcome to the Rhymers/Spooners Club!
~ OMK

Wilbur Charles said...

Sandy, as much as possible I adhere to JRR T. I re-read before posting. From the time Bilbo gets chased out of the cavern by Smaug to the assembly of the (5) armies there's a lull in the action - Except of course at Laketown which I briefly described in the last poem before returning to the beginning in Hobbiton.

In fact, I'll repost that one.

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

Ok, here's the last three posts that concern Smaug's attack on Laketown.

Fruit,Usher,Overdo, Canary; Trans-furred

The fruits of his reckless riddling would usher in
Fire and brimstone on the Laketown men.
He'd just had to overdo it. He'd got away
So Smaug transferred his rage to they
Who'd helped the Hobbit. What would betoke
Bard and his kin and the kindly townfolk.
He thought of young Tommy and sister Mary
His teddy bear and her beloved pet canary.

*****
Hefty,Shiny, Finite,League; Fee-lines

The shine of Smaug's armor glistened as he neared
Alarm bells rang , it was what Bard had always feared
He'd have a hefty chore defending the beleaguered town
Those not incinerated would most likely drown.

An infinite shower of arrows proved to no avail
Those that hit their target merely bounced off the serpent's mail
Dragon strength and feline cunning had come to comprise
The futility of struggle and Laketown's certain demise.

Bard was down to the black arrow, he mustn't rush
When a voice was heard, could it be the ancient thrush?
"Aim under the left breast, Bard and send it flying through"
Strange advice, strange source but somehow sounding true

And there was Smaug in all his glory and all his pride
And there was the target and the noble Bowman let it ride
Yes the humble Hobbit had devined the fatal flaw
The bolt flew straight and thus it was the dragon's last hurrah.

*****

OwenKL said...


Sorry to be so late. Blame writer's block, not depression.

Sir Reele had a gripe, twas clear
About chain-mail in which to appear.
Some hybrid shirts
With junk-mail inserts
Got higher praise for wear and tear!

Sandyanon said...

Good to see you any time, Owen.
Seems like a useful function for junk mail!

Ol' Man Keith said...

On the horizon! Look there!
A limerick, I do declare!
By Owen
It's showin'
So fair! -Don't stare!
~ OMK

Misty said...

I had to deal with some troublesome plumbing problems today, and was just about to turn the computer off when I came here for a last look. Wow! What amazing offerings from absolutely everyone, one of our best days yet. Congratulations, everybody, you are deserving of high praise!