Thursday 25 March 2021
Saturday 20 March 2021
MAR 20 (2021), TOURISTS' PALINDROMIC GUIDE: The Old World #4
This post represents a follow-up to these posts...
- Tourists' Palindromic Guide: The Old World #1
- Tourists' Palindromic Guide: The Old World #2
- Tourists' Palindromic Guide: The Old World #3
SATIRE COMPOSED: Dr. G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio (registered pseudonym), 2019.
WORDPLAY LINK: Geographically focused concoctions are among the many palindromic treasures honored and displayed on this site. Check out the list of entries for "The Palindrome Suite".
SONGLINK: Some readers will be delighted (others will continue to groan) at our collection of songs based on palindromic phrases -- check out the links shown on earlier blogposts.
Suomi' is the natives' name for 'Finland'
Addendum: Readers might also note that ...
Pool revile: Liverpool
Readers might note that there have been a few unfortunate omissions from the panels shown above, including ...
Pool revile: Liverpool.
You can change directions, and check out the series of helpful palindromes from the Americas, HERE!
Do you still crave more palindromic fun? Click HERE for 'concluding remarks' about New-World and Old-World palindrome.
DIRECTION FOR WEB-TRAVELLERS:
To resume daily titillations on our blog 'Daily Illustrated Nonsense', click HERE. Once you arrive, you can select your time frame of interest from the calendar-based listings in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 to the present. (As of February 2023, there are 1100 entries available on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on 'Edifying Nonsense' in topic-based collections.)
Monday 15 March 2021
North American ANAGRAM SWARMS: 'R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C-A-N V-O-T-E-R-S' (Canadian version)
To start, here's a review of 'wordplay maps' for the American locales implicated in this anagram swarm, previously posted. Considering the large number of entries on each map, a rather small font was required, so remember that all you have to do to expand an image is to click on it. (And, remember that to get out of expanded mode, you will need to click on the little 'x' in the upper right hand corner.)
And now for the Canadian sites ...
These locales are designated in a more formal internationally used format, with the national designation (the two-letter abbreviation 'CA' for Canada) at the end of each locale (town + province). Interesting comparisons can be made with the initial map that focused on American (U.S.) locales, and used 'US' to terminate the location's address.
In this treatment, we have left out the national designation (CA) at the end of each destination. This format represents the familiar form of postal address used by Canadians when sending domestic mail. Note that the provinces of Alberta (AB) and British Columbia (BC) have now joined in the fun.
And there are even more!
In Canada, we seem to have the propensity to name many of our towns and cities to highlight adjacent geographical features, e.g. Niagara Falls, Goose Bay, Rankin Inlet, Rainy River, Trois Rivieres, etc. The above collection honours that propensity, eh?
Wednesday 10 March 2021
Reversing Verse: Limericks About CLASSIC PALINDROMES, part #4
This post provides a continuation of previous wordplay collections displayed on December 5, 2020, January 5, 2021, and February 5, 2021. In those earlier posts, classic palindromes (phrases and sentences whose letters are ordered identically when they are read either forwards or backwards) were described and extolled in verse; the topics of discussion, eight in each post, were as follows:
1. Dennis sinned
2. Drawn onward
3. Gnu dung
4. Yreka bakery
5. Lonely Tylenol
6. UFO tofu
7. Too hot to hoot
8. Never odd or even
9. Sex at noon taxes
10. No 'X' in Nixon.
11. A Santa at NASA
12. T. Eliot's toilet
13. Madam, I'm Adam
14. Sex of foxes
15. Able ere Elba
16. A Toyota's a Toyota
17. Mr. Owl ate my metal worm
18. Emil's lime
19. Critique of palindromes, To idiot:
20. A dim or fond 'No!' from Ida
21. No lemon, no melon (fruitless)
22. 'Contrived' (saw- and see- lines)
23. Flee to me, remote elf
24. No sir, prison (Roger Stone)
CURRENT CONTENTS
Please note that, continuing the convention adopted in the previous posts, there will be an exclusive correlation between green italicized font and palindromes. But not all of the palindromes displayed within the verses' lines are in the 'classic repertoire'. Some are recent concoctions by the authors.
25. Zeus sees Suez (canals)
26. Step on no pets
27. Do geese see God?
28. No 'D'; No 'L' -- London (negation)
29. Dogma? I am God
30. Mix a maxim
31. Egad! no bondage
32. Go hang a salami.....
Authors' Note: The author apologizes that the above verse conjures a nightmare of sado-masochistic behavior. It must be admitted, however, that the sensitive dominatrix and the vengeful masochist do not fit the stereotypes (see the relevant poem by SheilaB.)
Egad, no bondage! and Egad, a bad age! are found in lists of classic palindromic phrases.
Egad, no bondage! and Egad, a bad age! are found in lists of classic palindromic phrases.
Authors' Note: Hanging a salami is an easily accomplished, but important step in the process of dry curing this meat product.
'Go hang a salami; I'm a lasagna hog' is a frequently cited palindrome of relatively recent origin. It has been variously attributed to Jon Agee, a cartoonist and children's writer, and Baby Gramps, a musician and wordplay guru. A lesser known variant of this phrase, possibly primally inspirational, is 'Yo, bang a salami. I'm a lasagna boy.'
The second palindrome cited in this verse is of limited longevity and suboptimal quality, as admitted by our protagonist, little Bobby; it is a brief variant of a classic phrase of unknown origin, usually cited as 'God, a red nugget: a fat egg under a dog.'
Web-resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Gramps
https://jonagee.com/
Stay tuned for further posts that will bring you poetic discussion of more classic palindromes:
33. Racecar
34. No left felon
35. A man, a plan, a canal -- Panama
36. The Dacha: palindrome-enhanced American satire, a brief saga
37. Leigh Mercer's Palindrome Workshop, a brief saga
DIRECTION FOR WEB-TRAVELLERS:
To resume daily titillations on our related blog 'Daily Illustrated Nonsense', click HERE. Once you arrive, you can select your time frame of interest from the calendar-based listings in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 to the present. (As of March 2024, there are over 1500 unique entries available on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on 'Edifying Nonsense' in topic-based collections.) The 'Daily' format has the advantage of including song-lyrics, videos and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.
Friday 5 March 2021
Nurse-Verse: PATIENTS and their MALADIES, part #1
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| Coaster for a medical school reunion, University of Toronto. |
SATIRE COMPOSED: Dr.G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, September 2018 (original posting February 2019). This group of terse verses has also been published at OEDILF.com.
CURRENT CONTENTS
Amblyopia
Anosmia
BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy)
Brain symptoms (post-concussion)
Common cold
Conn's syndrome (aldosterone excess)
Claudication
Diabetes insipidus
(for continuation, see the link below)
Authors' Note:
pas-de-deux: a term, originating in French, for a balletic performance with two dancers, often moving in unison
Amblyopia includes a number of conditions in which the single affected eye provides less useful information to the brain, resulting in suppression of that information in comparison to that from the more normal eye. Double vision or strabismus (crossed-eyes) from weakened eye muscles on the one side is a common cause. When strabismus is relatively minor, the persistence of two discordant images under certain conditions with resulting double vision, may be disconcerting to the adult patient. Reduced lighting, head position and fatigue may enhance the problem, but corrective prismatic lenses may help in reachieving integrated binocular vision.
Amblyopia includes a number of conditions in which the single affected eye provides less useful information to the brain, resulting in suppression of that information in comparison to that from the more normal eye. Double vision or strabismus (crossed-eyes) from weakened eye muscles on the one side is a common cause. When strabismus is relatively minor, the persistence of two discordant images under certain conditions with resulting double vision, may be disconcerting to the adult patient. Reduced lighting, head position and fatigue may enhance the problem, but corrective prismatic lenses may help in reachieving integrated binocular vision.
Authors' Note: Patients who have suffered a loss of sense of smell (anosmia) are known as anosmics. Rarely, this sensory disorder along with manifestations in other body functions can be attributed to a marked deficiency of dietary zinc. Whether zinc supplements can help with recovery in well-fed anosmics remains unresolved. The metallic element osmium, which has no known biologic role, is named for the stench emitted by its poisonous tetroxide derivative.
Authors' Notes:
-trophy: a Greek suffix, as in hypertrophy, atrophy or dystrophy, derived from trophe (nourishment)
trophy: a decorated cup or other prize, from the Greek root tropaion, a rout or victory.
The author has had first-hand experience of these unpleasant symptoms. In fact, despite the comment in the verse, having BPH does not eliminate the chance of also having cancer. Consult your physician; they will likely do tests to ensure that cancer is not also present.
Authors' Note: In American football, 'rushing' means running the ball after starting behind the line of scrimmage, not including forward passes. The play continues until the player carrying the ball, usually a backfielder, is tackled.
The most common site of symptomatic arterial blockage is the coronary arteries, which provide nutrient blood flow to the heart muscle. Surgical bypass grafting of multiple sites of obstruction is a common treatment for this disease. Following such surgery, patients such as Jack need to remain attentive to risk factors including dietary fats.
Authors' Note: High blood pressure (hypertension), most commonly has no definable cause. Rarely, there is a relatively fixed and excessive production of aldosterone, a hormone produced by the cortex of the adrenal glands to regulate the exchange of sodium and potassium in the kidney. The medical entity was known historically as Conn's syndrome. The abnormal hormone levels are due to an overgrowth of well-differentiated adrenal cells, resulting in either a small localized benign tumor, or to diffuse overgrowth of both glands.
The levels of blood pressure attained are relatively mild, and the local disorder of growth in the adrenal glands does not develop malignant transformation. Nonetheless, the disorder is best treated specifically, sometimes requiring adrenal surgery.
Authors' Note:
claudicant: limping, lame
Pain occurring in one or both legs with exercise in patients with blockages in their leg arteries is termed 'intermittent claudication', a condition particularly prevalent in longterm smokers.
Discarded cigarette butts, which may release toxins injurious to wildlife, have been identified by environmentalists as an ecological hazard.
Authors' Note: A deficiency of the pituitary hormone ADH (anti-diuretic hormone, also known as vasopressin), is the most common cause of a spontaneous development of polyuria due to diabetes insipidus. This disorder, characterized by passing of large volumes of urine, is partly compensated by increased thirst. A lack of sugar in the urine despite its large volume would exclude glycosuria due to diabetes mellitus. Radiographic tests done in this situation would definitely include evaluation of the skull base, as a tumour involving the posterior portion of the pituitary gland is a common cause.
Requests from many health professionals and layfolks as well have come to fruition; there are now two followup posts continuing this theme that you can easily access. Click HERE for part #2.
Here's a LIST OF LINKS to collections of intriguing poems (over 160 of these!) on medical/dental topics that can now be found on various posts.
A NOTE FOR WEB-TRAVELLERS:
If you want to resume daily titillations on our blog 'Daily Illustrated Nonsense', click HERE. Once you arrive, you can select your time frame of interest from the calendar-based listings in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 through 2022. (There are now over 900 daily entries on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on 'Edifying Nonsense' in topic-based collections.)
GIORGIO'S SONGS ABOUT DOCTORS and PATIENTS (on our sister blog "SILLY SONGS and SATIRE")
HOTLINKS TO MEDICAL-THEMED SONG-POSTS
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