Oddly Enough Blog

Putting in a good word for good words

Most of us have favorite words, and it is a very personal choice. We enjoy the images they evoke and the sound that they make.

I remember hearing that someone’s favorite word was marmalade. Damn, that is one fine word. It brings to mind color, taste, aroma and sweet childhood summers.

Language is important in my blog, and I have tags for word play, puns, even mondegreens.

My own favorite word may be haberdasher. Most of us learn that word when we are taught that Harry Truman started out as one. Then we never use it again.

That’s a shame. I’ve been trying to bring the word back. I have used it nine times in my blog, never in connection with Truman. It is an uphill battle.

Some of our language’s best words are used to describe the worst people. Scalawags, knaves, rapscallions, miscreants. Oddly enough, we still have those people, we just call them less colorful names now.

The Oscar for Best Picture goes to…

Blog Guy, the Oscars are this weekend. I hope you’ve stockpiled lots of movie photos so you can cash in on the extra Internet traffic.

You bet I have. I’m loaded for bear and ready to roll, as you can see from this picture at the top.

Uh, what the hell IS that?

It’s the King of Sweden and his wife, eating a peach. I’ll post it when “The King’s Peach” wins the Best Picture award.

The King’s Peach? You are just too stupid to live! That’s not what the movie is called. It’s “The King’s BEACH.”

Beach? Really? Oh thank you! You’ve saved me from serious embarrassment in the blogging community.

It’s like they always say…

Hey Blog Guy, I just saw some new pictures of Jean-Marie Le Pen, that extreme right-wing French politician who once called the Holocaust a detail of history.

I saw those, too. There’s been a transition of leadership in his party.

You know who he sort of looks like? That baseball guy, the former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda.

Yeah, I can see that, looking at them side by side. But the French guy is heavier.

No, I think Lasorda is bigger.

Eleven pipers piping, ten snipers sniping…

Blog Guy, a few days ago you made reference to a “long” version of the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Is there really a longer version?

Yes. The full album version is seldom played these days, since it takes about six hours.  Who has that kind of time?

Well, I love that song, so it’s great news to me that there are dozens of verses I never knew. Is the format the same as in the short version?

You bet. It starts with “On the 40th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 40 fractured femurs…”

And then?

Um, 40 fractured femurs, 39 dairy creamers, 38 vintage Bemers, 37 leering lemurs…

You must be Round John Virgin?

Blog Guy, somebody told me you’re working on a book.  I presume they meant you’re READING one?

Nope, writing one. I’m doing serious academic research into a fascinating subject.

I’ll probably be sorry I asked…

Have you ever wondered about the people mentioned in Christmas Carols? We sing their names every December, but who were they?

You mean like Jesus? We do know who he was.

It’s Slick and Mick! What are the odds?

Welcome back to a regular feature we like to call, “What are the chances?”

Think of the odds against you going out one day and running into Bill Clinton or Mick Jagger. I’ve never come across either of them, and yet, they go to catch a soccer match and find each other.

This is almost as amazing as a couple of weeks ago, when President Barack Obama ran into Paul McCartney.

Me, I always wonder what kind of small talk these celebrities make when they are together.

“Mick Jagger! Hey, my old vinyl copy of “Sticky Fingers” is kinda scratchy. Can you get me another one?”

“I’ll try, Bill. That’s from 40 years ago, but I’ll look around my boxes of old junk in my flat. Say, this is embarrassing Bill, but I left my wallet back in the hotel. Can you lend me $20 so I can get some cheese nachos and Mountain Dew?”

And the winner is…

Blog Guy, you’ve kept us in suspense long enough. Give us the answer to your “feebus” puzzle from yesterday.

Just to recap for newcomers, you showed an odd assortment of photos – the sleeves on some new fashion designs, Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey, a Chinese wok and a Tour de France winner with a tray of champagne.

You said these somehow suggested a classic rock song. So, what was it?

Have you checked that post recently? A genius named Tim got it right, which just knocks me out. He correctly identified it as that great ’60s Mamas and Papas hit that begins…

All the sleeves are brown,

And this guy is Grey

I’ve been out for a wok

Big contest! Waste your time, win nothing!

Blog Guy, you remember a couple of times you did puzzles for your readers where photos were clues to a phrase or message?

Sure I do. That’s called a rebus.

Oh. Named after Rebus Philbin, right? Can you do another one?

Um, no, that’s REGIS Philbin. Anyway, my earlier Rebus was too easy, but here is a new one that is much harder.

All of these photos taken together suggest the lyrics to a classic rock song.

What do you mean suggest?