I'm reading The Unfolding of Language by Guy Deutscher and he quotes this German proverb
"Keeping order is a crutch for those who are too lazy to search for things …" ("Wer Ordnung hält ist nur zu faul zu suchen").
I couldn't help feeling a lot better about my desktop when I read this (similar to the feeling I get when I see a photograph of Francis Bacon's studio).
You had a white dress on
When we met for a second,
Forty years ago.
Relationship guidance. Stick to Sudoku. That way you'll have fewer cross words.
If you had asked me just a couple of days back what word in English has the most zs in it, then I would have instantly replied 'pizzazz'. It's the obvious answer (and has a lot of pizzazz).
But I have learned better. The correct answer is 'zenzizenzizenzic', referring to numbers which are "squares of squares squared".
So (if I have it right) 3 squared is 3 x 3 = 9; square that is 81; square 81 and we get 6561. There you go. 6561 is a zenzizenzizenzic number.
The word erupted briefly in the 16c, like a sort of linguistic supernova, but sadly soon faded in favor of 8, more compact but less zedful.
Swans bittern twite shrike
One thing in Spring I wisheses,
Can someone tell me why,
There's some folks sez Narcissuses,
But others, Narcissi?
Doctor Blunder went down under
On a tourist plane;
He died in combat,
With a hairy-nosed wombat,
And never returned home again.
This is not a Monday grin.
Here's another mondegreen, one I'd forgotten about. It's absolutely genuine, not made up, and was told me by a friend.
Spoken: "A Graham Greene novel".
Heard: "A gray and green nozzle."
Nikos Katzantzakis was a controversial Cretan writer, most famous for the book and film "Zorba the Greek'. His epitaph is famous.
It's often translated in a literal way, but how the capture the spirit? Here's my attempt.
Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kazantzakis_Grab.jpg
I've heard eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Thanks, but I can do without electronic seabirds watching me.
Buy buy!
Why?
Bye!
The Hicks Basin exists and we don't need a Large Hadron Collider to see it!
http://www.hicksandhicks.com/antiques/antique-basins/
"How will I know when the celestial wind blows?"
"You will see the guava tree wave."
Sire Lancelot was late atte the lists. Butte Sire Gawain was joust in time.
Everyone takes Paras A, B and C seriously. I just don't know why they laugh at Para D.
Me and some of the other Picts tried to invade. Problem was, we ran right up against the Large Hadrian Collider.
Roses are red, Violets are blue.
Phew.
Q. What do you call a man with an axe on his head?
A. Hugh
Our factory can supply similar jokes on demand. Please write for our catalogue.
Black grape — sign of mourning
Jujube — video sharing site
Lemon — arctic rodent
Medlar — interfering busybody
Pear — French dad
Quince — shrink with pain
Strawberry — two kinds of hat
"I'm fondue", I said.
But she's just gone "Bleu!"
Seems I wasn't goud enough.
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