There are several other Jumble blogs, but the ones I checked all started off by listing the answers. In this blog, answers can be either hinted at or masked by burying them in comments. No overt spoilers!
IN MEMORY OF PROF. SPOONER, I must recount the tale of a famous mid-20th-century cruciverbal constructor who had his home near a cliff overlooking Lake Ontario. This creative fellow was asked by the New York Times to make a crossword with a theme celebrating Mr. Eisenhower’s inauguration as president. He did so, a XWD he considered one of his finest productions. But just as he was hiking down to the local post office to send his work to meet his deadline, he tripped over an exposed tree root—and tumbled sideways down to the lakeside, a good 70 feet below the cliff. He feared less for his own safety than that he might miss the post office’s schedule for submitting his crossword on time! What to do?!
Happily, he spotted a familiar creature drinking from the lake. He had seen this jackass many a time at the post office; it belonged to the postmaster! He quickly staggered over to the beast, opened the saddlebag on its withers, and inserted the MS of his crossword. He scrawled a note to the postmaster, asking him to send it, registered, and by special delivery. He spanked the critter’s flank and watched it climb up to the road and head to the P.O.
Amy needed no excuse to make jokes that did her friends amuse, by letting them choose an array of clues full of drivel from the local news.
This turned her day into a muddle but her boyfriend still liked to cuddle and refused to let her jokes him roil or otherwise a pleasant evening spoil.
But one evening they began to tussle and Amy accidentally pulled a muscle. So her boyfriend rubbed her with some balm and the crazy relationship finally became calm.
Interesting, Misty, that your Wordle started with the final letter in place— while mine began with the first one locked in. Glad you succeeded in landing the critter for the victory dance!
BTW, do you recognize the clue I left, in the phrase beginning, “Ohwa…”?
Your poem ends with a snapshot of nurturing bliss, with Amy’s BF taking care of her wounded bod. Along the way, it seems she was inclined to work herself into a daily tizzy of nervous jokes. Could it be she was headed for a career in standup comedy, while her pal wanted her to stay at home? Your verse offers a lot of material for a feature film, or at least a mini-series. ~ OMK
I had to read your Ohwa clue over and over a few times before I finally got it, Ol' Man Keith. Made me laugh!
Until I started composing verses every day when I came to this blog, I had no idea that I was not only happy to rhyme, but that my rhymes always took the form of a little story of some sort. A surprise to me, but I like it, and so I've continued and continued. As Subgenius would say, "It makes me happy."
Glad you caught on to the "Ohwa" gag. When I was a rookie in Boy Scout camp, the first year kids were all taught this saying. It was explained to us as an old Indian chant, asking the gods for help in doing well in the hunt. We were told to chant it loudly as we marched round a big camp fire, and to only take ourselves out of the line (to sit down) when we had "a revelation." I figured it out about half way through. I wasn't among the first to sit and laugh at the others--but I was not the last either! (In later years we sometimes used nastier words than today's Wordle offering.)
Yes, your poetic tales contain all sorts of plot twists. Although they often end with either marital or romantic bliss, they take many different paths to get there. The J-words can lead you into strange places, but that's the fun of it, isn't it? --to see how our brains forge unforeseen connections among random words. The words can lead you into tangents and dead ends (too much like real life), but when you manage to steer a piece back onto the main road-- like today--you create fascinating tales. Kudos to you!
-----†----- I like my haiku today, & although small, it ranks among my better efforts. The problem with this form in English is that the syllabic count may seem a strict discipline, but it is a low bar. Japanese is like French in that it does not demand stresses. Poets rely on readers to provide the "music." In English we need to avoid "grunting" and clarify either a conversational tone or declarative voice. I usually fail, but today I think my simple piece works, switching from the former to the latter. ~ OMK
OMK, you got me looking at your haiku again, and I too like it very much.
Took me a minute to get that the cartoon gives us those guys drawing a rope or a line, echoing the double meaning in your verse. And then you did it again: worked all four Jumble words into your ten word haiku (ignored the a). That's pretty remarkable, and yes, the voice telling us tersely and compactly what not to do is declarative. I too will count this as one of your best haikus.
And thank you again for the kind words about my verse. It is tricky to figure out how to link 'spoil' 'amuse' 'cuddle' and 'drivel' into a narrative poem. Maybe I too should try a haiku.
I think/hope they are checking things out, Misty. Owen says he always looks in. And Wilbur is likely to read the page later on, an hour when he often posts.
I find I enjoy writing out the background stories for Spoonerisms. Sometimes, they are so far-fetched they crave a backstory to make them half-way plausible. Today's is a good example. And then I find I really enjoy composing a detailed set-up. That may stem from my years of training/practice as an actor, learning to improvise--providing logical connections in support of surface "facts."
Today's tale is sort of a "shaggy dog story," but it is unlike that old gag in that it offers a punch line. The classic shaggy dog must end on an anti-climax, NO punch. But isn't the lack of a punch also a punch? Of sorts? ~ OMK
OMK, I finally looked up "jackass" to try to get a better fix on your story. I didn't know it was a donkey. (I didn't learn English till I was 11 years, having grown up in Austria speaking German, and I'm afraid my English still isn't up to par in spite my being a 'chancellor' professor in the field). Anyway, your "shaggy dog story" is delightful, and does it end with the guy pulling the donkey's muzzle?
Great to hear from you, and to see your Wordle, Wilbur--we were hoping you'd stop by and so glad you did. Looking forward to how Chet and Lois' week is going to continue. Have a great Sunday tomorrow.
Great to see CanadianEh! & Wilbur late in the day! Thanks for the acknowledgment of my efforts, guys! And of Misty’s. I think Wordle was tough today simply because of its double vowel. We are not prepared for that.
I may not be here tomorrow either, as it is my usual day off, and I am still a day behind in my holidays. Depends in part on the J-words ahead. ~ OMK
spoil, amuse, cuddle, drivel, pulled a muscle.
16 comments:
“Draw the Line”
Don’t spoil a cuddle
adding baby talk drivel.
“We are not amused.”
———§———
Whoops! This one took me a little longer.
Ohwa Tagoo Siam…!
Wordle 357 4/6
🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
~ OMK
IN MEMORY OF PROF. SPOONER, I must recount the tale of a famous mid-20th-century cruciverbal constructor who had his home near a cliff overlooking Lake Ontario.
This creative fellow was asked by the New York Times to make a crossword with a theme celebrating Mr. Eisenhower’s inauguration as president.
He did so, a XWD he considered one of his finest productions. But just as he was hiking down to the local post office to send his work to meet his deadline, he tripped over an exposed tree root—and tumbled sideways down to the lakeside, a good 70 feet below the cliff.
He feared less for his own safety than that he might miss the post office’s schedule for submitting his crossword on time! What to do?!
Happily, he spotted a familiar creature drinking from the lake. He had seen this jackass many a time at the post office; it belonged to the postmaster!
He quickly staggered over to the beast, opened the saddlebag on its withers, and inserted the MS of his crossword. He scrawled a note to the postmaster, asking him to send it, registered, and by special delivery.
He spanked the critter’s flank and watched it climb up to the road and head to the P.O.
Thus, he successfully…
Mule’d the Puzzle!
~ OMK
"Crazy Relationship"
Amy needed no excuse
to make jokes that did her friends amuse,
by letting them choose an array of clues
full of drivel from the local news.
This turned her day into a muddle
but her boyfriend still liked to cuddle
and refused to let her jokes him roil
or otherwise a pleasant evening spoil.
But one evening they began to tussle
and Amy accidentally pulled a muscle.
So her boyfriend rubbed her with some balm
and the crazy relationship finally became calm.
Saturday Wordle toughie, but I got it with a "phew" at the end:
Wordle 357 6/6
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜⬜🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Interesting, Misty, that your Wordle started with the final letter in place—
while mine began with the first one locked in.
Glad you succeeded in landing the critter for the victory dance!
BTW, do you recognize the clue I left, in the phrase beginning, “Ohwa…”?
Your poem ends with a snapshot of nurturing bliss, with Amy’s BF taking care of her wounded bod. Along the way, it seems she was inclined to work herself into a daily tizzy of nervous jokes.
Could it be she was headed for a career in standup comedy, while her pal wanted her to stay at home? Your verse offers a lot of material for a feature film, or at least a mini-series.
~ OMK
I had to read your Ohwa clue over and over a few times before I finally got it, Ol' Man Keith. Made me laugh!
Until I started composing verses every day when I came to this blog, I had no idea that I was not only happy to rhyme, but that my rhymes always took the form of a little story of some sort. A surprise to me, but I like it, and so I've continued and continued. As Subgenius would say, "It makes me happy."
Glad you caught on to the "Ohwa" gag. When I was a rookie in Boy Scout camp, the first year kids were all taught this saying.
It was explained to us as an old Indian chant, asking the gods for help in doing well in the hunt.
We were told to chant it loudly as we marched round a big camp fire, and to only take ourselves out of the line (to sit down) when we had "a revelation."
I figured it out about half way through. I wasn't among the first to sit and laugh at the others--but I was not the last either!
(In later years we sometimes used nastier words than today's Wordle offering.)
Yes, your poetic tales contain all sorts of plot twists. Although they often end with either marital or romantic bliss, they take many different paths to get there.
The J-words can lead you into strange places, but that's the fun of it, isn't it?
--to see how our brains forge unforeseen connections among random words.
The words can lead you into tangents and dead ends (too much like real life), but when you manage to steer a piece back onto the main road-- like today--you create fascinating tales.
Kudos to you!
-----†-----
I like my haiku today, & although small, it ranks among my better efforts.
The problem with this form in English is that the syllabic count may seem a strict discipline, but it is a low bar. Japanese is like French in that it does not demand stresses. Poets rely on readers to provide the "music."
In English we need to avoid "grunting" and clarify either a conversational tone or declarative voice.
I usually fail, but today I think my simple piece works, switching from the former to the latter.
~ OMK
OMK, you got me looking at your haiku again, and I too like it very much.
Took me a minute to get that the cartoon gives us those guys drawing a rope or a line, echoing the double meaning in your verse. And then you did it again: worked all four Jumble words into your ten word haiku (ignored the a). That's pretty remarkable, and yes, the voice telling us tersely and compactly what not to do is declarative. I too will count this as one of your best haikus.
And thank you again for the kind words about my verse. It is tricky to figure out how to link 'spoil' 'amuse' 'cuddle' and 'drivel' into a narrative poem. Maybe I too should try a haiku.
We miss you, Owen, Wilbur, and CanadianEh!, and look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
I think/hope they are checking things out, Misty. Owen says he always looks in. And Wilbur is likely to read the page later on, an hour when he often posts.
I find I enjoy writing out the background stories for Spoonerisms. Sometimes, they are so far-fetched they crave a backstory to make them half-way plausible. Today's is a good example.
And then I find I really enjoy composing a detailed set-up. That may stem from my years of training/practice as an actor, learning to improvise--providing logical connections in support of surface "facts."
Today's tale is sort of a "shaggy dog story," but it is unlike that old gag in that it offers a punch line. The classic shaggy dog must end on an anti-climax, NO punch.
But isn't the lack of a punch also a punch? Of sorts?
~ OMK
OMK, I finally looked up "jackass" to try to get a better fix on your story. I didn't know it was a donkey. (I didn't learn English till I was 11 years, having grown up in Austria speaking German, and I'm afraid my English still isn't up to par in spite my being a 'chancellor' professor in the field). Anyway, your "shaggy dog story" is delightful, and does it end with the guy pulling the donkey's muzzle?
First I see Wordle 357 6/6
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟨⬛⬛⬛🟩
🟨⬛🟩⬛🟩
⬛⬛🟩🟩🟩
⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Never posted.
I'm going to make multiple posts because posting on both sites is chancy
Bad internet
WC
Finally, post #1 made it. My morning post is lost.
Misty, I have observed that you dream up a tale inspired by the J's
And of course rhyme J's like muscle with tussel . Which leads to speculation...
In my experience Two things can happen when a boy "tussuls". He can lose outright or she can let him win. The latter is more embarrassing
OMK, you worked those J's neatly into a haiku with a message. eg. Either cuddle or not but no drivel
WC
Great to hear from you, and to see your Wordle, Wilbur--we were hoping you'd stop by and so glad you did. Looking forward to how Chet and Lois' week is going to continue.
Have a great Sunday tomorrow.
Late to the party, but loved the haiku and Mule’d the Puzzle, OMK, and your poem, Misty.
Busy weekend. I will probably not make it here tomorrow.
Wordle was a hard one today.
Wordle 357 5/6*
🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Great to see CanadianEh! & Wilbur late in the day!
Thanks for the acknowledgment of my efforts, guys! And of Misty’s.
I think Wordle was tough today simply because of its double vowel. We are not prepared for that.
I may not be here tomorrow either, as it is my usual day off, and I am still a day behind in my holidays.
Depends in part on the J-words ahead.
~ OMK
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