OddsnSods08

Homophone     27 Dec 08

The term homophone is used to describe words that sound alike but are not spelled the same. Examples: to, too, two and they’re, their. Some people call these sound-alikes homonyms.

Here’s one I saw the other day, as part of a care tag on a pair of new shoes.

Please remember that no sole is 100% slip-proof.

Clear enough you’d think. But someone hearing this sentence read out loud might imagine it as a sermon title or a pithy saying on a church notice-board:

Please remember that no soul is 100% slip-proof.

Phyllis McGinley  27 Dec 08

“Surely the ability to enjoy Heine’s exquisite melancholy in the original German will not cripple a girl’s talent for making chocolate brownies.”– Phyllis McGinley, an American poet popular in the 1950s for her light verse. An educated, highly successful and diverse writer,  McGinley did not agree that a liberal arts education was wasted on young women if they subsequently chose to be homemakers rather than pursue a career. [Source: NY Times essay, 'Suburban Rapture', by Ginia Bellafante, 24 Dec 08.]

More McGinley quotes

• Gossip isn’t scandal and it’s not merely malicious. It’s chatter about the human race by lovers of the same.
• In Australia, not reading poetry is the national pastime.
• Words can sting like anything, but silence breaks the heart.

20 Dec 08. From Arlene’s blog. arlenetoth.wordpress.com

Last night, my friend and I were sitting in the living room and I said to her, ‘I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that EVER happens, just pull the plug.’

She got up, unplugged the computer and threw out my wine.

She’s such a bitch.

9 Dec 08. Sent by Jon.

• I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.
• Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.
• I’m not a complete  idiot—some parts are just missing.
• Consciousness: that annoying time between naps.
• Ever stop to think—and forget to start again?
• Procrastinate Now!
  

30 Nov 08. Sent by Hal.
The more you learn, the more you forget.
The more you forget,the less you know.
The less you know, the more you learn.
The more you learn, the more you forget.

30 Nov 08: From Poefusion blog.
I’ll walk where my own nature would be leading. It vexes me to choose another guide. Montaigne

29 Nov 08:  Sent by Jon.
◊ Never laugh at anyone’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.
◊ Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.
◊Talk slowly but think quickly.
◊ Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
◊ When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
◊ Observe the three R’s: respect for self; respect for others; and responsibility for your actions.
◊ Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
◊ Spend some time alone.

28 Nov: Find the saying or phrase that each word picture depicts. (answers at bottom of page)

27 Nov. Find out about yourself. (From Alan Parker)
If you’re into self-analysis, you may like to answer these open-ended sentences:
I can’t…;  I won’t…;   I don’t know why…;  I don’t know how…; I want to know why…;  I want to know how…;  I try to be…;      I will be…;  I should be…;  I have to be…;   I will be …;    I will…;  I won’t…;    I’ve learned that….;   I’ve decided to….

26 Nov. Puzzle.

Billie, the bookkeeper, was born in the sign of Gemini, with her twin sister Bobbie. She likes all words with double letters, e.g., balloon, woolly. Her sister found a word that has THREE double letters in a row. It’s the only common English word that does so. What is it?Answer at bottom of page.

25 Nov. A different look at the world.

◊Dyslexics of the world, untie!
◊Time is nature’s way of keeping everything from happening at once.
◊ Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. (The problem is to get a computer to understand the difference in usage.
◊186,000 miles per second. It’s not just a good idea–it’s the law.

ANSWERS

Picture-words (left to right): Hands down. I over ate.  Back-up.  Just between you and me. Easy on the eyes. I understand. Mind over matter. Life after death. Stay overnight.  Three degrees below zero.  Touchdown.   Quit following me. Crossroads. Neon light.

Puzzle: bookkeeper