LEIGH MERCER'S PALINDROME WORKSHOP

A LIMERICK-BASED ANECDOTE 

LIMERICK VERSE:  Original verse composed by Giorgio Coniglio, November 2016, modified from the version accepted for publication by OEDILF.com, the online limerick dictionary.
ORIGINAL SONG: These verses can be sung to  the tune of "The Limerick Song", as in "The Flea and the Fly" (see sactoGranny's recording on YouTube here.). A blogpost on our song-lyrics site shows the ukulele chord-charts for this oeuvre.

BACKGROUND:

Leigh Mercer (1893-1977) was credited with the iconic palindrome, "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama." Mercer, an isolated British eccentric, worked during his lifetime at a variety of low-level jobs, and occasionally communicated with journals and contest organizers about wordplay and mathematical puzzles. After his death, notebooks filled with inventive palindromes were discovered, as described here. 

The lyrics describe an apocryphal workshop conducted by Mercer, during which the iconic canal palindrome is almost invented.

LEIGH'S PALINDROME WORKSHOP

Note: All italicized phrases except the first are legitimate palindromes.

Several of these have been reported for the first time by the author.

"A man + a plan, a canal —
Panacea: A palindrome, pal?"
My friend Leigh seemed contrite —
"No! The ending's not right.
Zeus sees Suez — that seems less lame, Mal."

"A man, a plan, IF final, Pan-
ama works, (like Name male pipe, lame man!)"
My friend Leigh looked uptight,
"No! It lacks enough bite.
It's ambiv'lent, like Nab, rob or ban."

"Amen + a pit, Ipanema"
(Voiced in Portuguese, with no disclaimer).
Leigh: "No! Tip-top pot pit
Is a much better fit,
But Amen! Icy cinema's lamer."

"A mar on a pan — a panorama:
Has poor scansion, but not such bad grammar".
Leigh groaned, "Dammit, I'm mad;
Stuff those phrases so bad;
No sir, prison — that warrants the slammer."

Tremendous Thrice-Monthly WORDPLAY Mar '18 #3

WORDPLAY post #106
Periodic postings of palindromes, Scramble-Town Maps (creative cartography), binomial phrases, limericks, etc. 

SONGLINK: For those readers who like poetry set to music: You can find lots of singable limerick-medleys and other spoofs on our sister blog "SILLY SONGS and SATIRE", such as this recent post. 

HOT LINKS: Review the entire collection of IMAGINARY NAMES for 

    ATLANTIC CANADA, and for WESTERN CANADA. 

HOT LINKS to collections of Classic/Goofy Palindromes #1,#2,#3

HOT LINK to NEW WORLD PALINDROMES - complete series

#1. Rise! Revere, sir.           Sarah Palindrome

#2. Nu? Fondle held. No fun.  Pedro, the Goofy‘ Dromer

#3. Revenge: stamp mats,e.g.? Never.   Sarah Palindrome

#4. Hair, a plan, a canal – pariah.    Ed, the Derailed Liar    

#5. Retap: tape pat, Pater.      Pedro, the Goofy ‘Dromer

#6. Elapses pale.                                  Sarah Palindrome

#7. No, in uneven union.                Ed, the Derailed Liar

The Origins of TRIGONOMETRY (LS)

WORDPLAY post #99, A concoction to honour Robbie Burns Day
LIMERICK VERSE:  The corresponding poem by Giorgio Coniglio was originally web-published  at the OEDILF website 
'LS' = Limerick Saga. On this blog, we will be using this abbreviation to designate poems whose verses, each in limerick form (5-line AABBA stanzas), number three or more.  These lengthier poetic endeavours give more room for the development of relevant details, and the inclusion of further elements of plot and character, when compared with the single-verse form. Readers are asked to note that for a limerick writer, 15 lines of poetry seems like a lot. 
  The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form is an online humor dictionary that has accumulated over 105,000 carefully edited single-stanza poems, including three hundred or so by Giorgio.  In general, OEDILF is not terribly keen on the submission of multiverse limericks, but Giorgio seems to be trying to corner the market on this particular poetic modality. 

SONGLINK: Another song (to the tune of "Auld Lang Sine") about Simon Lang and his trigonometric adventures in later life can be found on an earlier blogpost on our sister blog "SILLY SONGS and SATIRE". 

*  The mathematical expression in the second line of the fourth verse should

 be read as "sine-over-cos", cos being the mathematical abbreviation for cosine. The mathematical abbreviation for tangent is tan.

SINGABLE VERSION -double click on thumbnails to enlarge.

Giorgio's Weekly WORDPLAY Oct 9 '17

WORDPLAY post #85

Periodic postings of palindromes, Scramble-Town Maps (creative cartography), binomial phrases, limericks, etc. 

SONGLINK: For those readers who like poetry set to music: You can find lots of singable limerick-medleys and other spoofs on our sister blog "SILLY SONGS and SATIRE", such as this recent post. 

HOT LINKS to collections of Classic/Goofy Palindromes #1,#2,#3

HOT LINK: See the entire collection of Magical Palindromes

HOT LINK to the Anagram Sister Cities Initiative - complete collection

#1a. A sane dame made NASA.

     b. A sane man, “Yams may name NASA.”

     c. A sane elf, “Deer freed. Flee NASA.”   Pedro, the Goofy ‘Dromer

#2. A man, a plan, a canon anon, a canal – Panama.  Hal Lelujah

 #3. P.m. or a.m. – God’s time emits dogma-romp.    Hal Lelujah

#4a. Ma is a nun, as I am.                       

     b. Ma is at sensuous nest, as I am.    Don’s Ho

#5. Yawn! Amore, Roman way.              Don’s Ho

#6. A man, a pate. God! Do get a panama.   Sarah  Palindrome

#7. Amen: a pie-man. No, Miss. Simon name – Ipanema.       

                                                                      Sarah Palindrome  

Brilliant Weekly WORDPLAY Oct 2 '17

WORDPLAY post #84

Periodic postings of palindromes, Scramble-Town Maps (creative cartography), binomial phrases, limericks, etc. 

SONGLINK: For those readers who like poetry set to music: You can find lots of singable limerick-medleys and other spoofs on our sister blog "SILLY SONGS and SATIRE", such as this recent post. 

HOT LINKS to collections of Classic/Goofy Palindromes #1,#2,#3

HOT LINK: See the entire collection of Magical Palindromes

HOT LINK to the Anagram Sister Cities Initiative - complete collection

#1. “Even it felt left in “, Eve.   Don’s Ho

#2. Tender red net.               Don’s Ho 

#3. Ev, lovers revolve.         Don’s Ho

#4. Ev, losers resolve.        Ed, the Derailed Liar

#5. Re ‘flip’ – pilfer.           Ed, the Derailed Liar

#6. Not ‘UF’! Not on futon.       Don’s Ho

#7. Retract bed-debt, Carter.  Sarah Palindrome