Greetings Readers! I’ve been absent online for over a month; my apologies. Let’s just say that if I explained why, I’d have to kill y’all, god forbid. So let’s just move on toward a more peaceful world.
Ok Palindromes: phrases which ‘spell’ the same left-to-right or vice versa. I use the search for them to fall asleep nights and have a couple to present here.
For some reason it’s important to me, first off, to state that with the exception of the first examples all the ‘creations’ I post are my own ‘discoveries’ as far as I know. There are enough google-miners these days; somehow we’ve forgotten the joy of creating ‘content’ all by our precious lonesomes; and I do not intend to go gently into that copy-cat wanna-be night.
Start:
Using palindromes daily is a challenge, I’ll admit. The classic ‘A MAN A PLAN A CANAL PANAMA‘ had its day once, in the early 20th century but is now so ‘yesterday’. Likewise the luscious Lisa Bonet has for over a decade eaten basil. ever since she started putting on weight after her Cosbys romps.
…And so we are condemned to swim ever onward and upward against the tide, by own own devices. And equally important is the need to constantly check the sea. so to speak. As in: not every conversation-partner is as fascinated by palindromes as he/she should be, in a perfect world. For this I suggest waiting until the ‘victim’ evokes some rhyming cliche/guide to Life, and then quickly stating:
‘E-GAD, AN ADAGE!’ If the dear soul seems to raise a thoughtful eyebrow, and, by chance, has a cat or dog within reach, you can follow with ‘STEP ON NO PETS!’, and the start of a beautiful relationship may well be in the cards.
Ok Examples: Do note that each palindrome requires a particular luck of set-up. You may well spend the better part of a year finessing all the ducks into line for the magic verbal bullet, but know that Dr Greblos will reward you profusely when you go to that final DRAWER… um.. REWARD, in the skies. Let’s begin:
1) Here’s one for a beloved fellow Word-pressor, Mr Roadkill himself.
TIM MUST ASK CAJUN GAL FOR (ROFL) A GNU. JACK’S AT SUMMIT.
Ok, despite being laudably proficient in a larger-than life list of realms, our hero, Tim decided to race his childhood buddy Jack to the top of Mt Belzoni, Louisiana’s highest peak. It was neck and neck, we’ll say charitably, for the first kilometer or so, but those of us watching and cheering him on soon started in with ‘Get a horse!’ and the like. Sure enough, four hours into the match, Tim agreed, and entered into negotiations with a female zoo-keeper, there at the critical ‘Mile 15’ waypoint, who offered for a fee, to allow him to ride a wildebeast to the top. Too late though; after shelling out his last 350 shekels and mounting the brute, he heard on the radio that Jack was already drinking Heinekin(s) at the peak. Oh well, at least we all had a nice chuckle. And anyway, Jack’s a bonehead mono-lingual, so look who laughs last.
2) This one’s a bit sad, but c’est la vie:
TOM got a bit more than he expected on his vacation to BOSNIA. A bit of a drip, let’s say, courtesy of the ladies of pleasure:
BOSNIA: GASP… EEW… SUPPLE HYDRA TALE: TOM/ MOTEL, A TARDY ‘HELP!’; PUS WEEPS AGAIN. SOB.
One needs to be wary of the tentacles of the songstresses on the riverbanks. Oh well, penicillin may save him. At least the staff at the hostel send their condolences, along with an ‘I told you not to…’
3) This short one none-the-less requires searching for a guy named Eli (common enough in these parts) who has a reason to attach an explosive device to the vehicle hired by a debutante for her ‘coming out’ gala affair. Talk about a party-pooper:
ELI BOMBED A DEB-MOBILE
4) BAD PISTON, PLUGS. GOD DAMN! IT IS SO T…’TARDED… ARGZZ! Z-GRADE. DRAT. TOSS IT IN. MAD DOGS GULP, NOT SIP, DA ‘B’
Ok, for this one we need to simply buy an MG-B. A sweet motorcar; I’ve owened a bunch of ’em. Of course keeping the engine running can be a maddening challenge. One becomes convinced that hounds from hell are gnawing on the motor, especially the specific sub-standard components which go with the turf. And so, sooner or later you will find yourself quoting this palindrome. All in all, still beats the Sunbeam Alpine with its steel block and aluminum head… or vice versa…
5) And finally, for this go-around,
HANDEL’S ‘BOB‘ STIPULATES: ‘SET AL UP!’ IT’S ‘BOB-SLED’? NAH.
Many of you may be unaware the Georg Frederich Handel (of ‘The Messiah’ fame) also wrote a short teaser work he called ‘Bob’. And only for the smirking pleasure of watching his rival, Albrecht Handelbar, a composer of little note but a noted Austrian downhill racer par excellence discover that the work was in fact not, *NOT* about bob-sledding. The penned-in liner notes are variously read as ‘For Al, what a tosser!’ or something even less generous.
At any rate should you be at a performance of this piece, be sure to remember this phrase. It’ll be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
I’ll shortly return with more even-more usable palindromes you can use daily to spice up your conversational life. Meanwhile keep your ROTORs LEVEL/ JS
jxsolberg 
Arguments frequently arise between Scots and English regarding the last letter of the alphabet, much as they do between zealots of different religions regarding the first day of the week. My pal from Watford, Emil, was recently (yet again) making some assertions which evoked from me the following counter-argument,.
“Y? As I say, as I say, as I say, as I say, as I say, Emil! Not on, Limey, as I say, as I say, as I say, as I say, as I say.”
Overjoyed to see the return of the great Greek maestro, Kirios Greblos.
Well. I say. nay. ‘je accuse’. your buddy of abject tosser-in-a-saucer-ness. Yes, EMIL R. ZOLA’S A LOZ-R-LIME of the worst sort. One would think he’d go for ‘Z’.
Ok, a shame I can’t visit your site… until the code (recently added?) which executes a fatal freeze of Firefox is ID-ed and killed.
Great to see you plying the same trade what troubleth my sleep without end these days. There’s magic in lettersI say.
Welcome back, JS. You have been missed.
Nice to be missed. I been shot at and missed 3 times so far, in my travels. Exhilarating.
Now to resume commenting here-abouts, incl your site. .
Notice how the bad guys always have terrible aim? I thought this was just in James Bond movies, but life seems to imitate art. Looking forward to seeing more of you.
It has to have been WAY over a month. It feels like six months. Glad you’re back. I love the word palindrome. I wish the word “palindrome” was a palindrome.
Happy to see you, OBL Ha I can always claim that the sentence meant “I have been {at least once, in the past} absent offline for over a month.” (Or that ‘over a month’ coveres periods of, as you rightly note, six months.)
Verbal aerobics are an apt tactic during palindrome season, when the reulting on-the face nonsensical phrases need intensive care in order to justify.
Oh, and the reverse spelling is actually now a name for a phrase which reads coherently but differently in the opposite direction.
I do admit to something of an obsession, yet the only way out is back through the front door/ Cheers/JS
I’m curious to know the location of this month that you say you were over. Would the Australians agree that you were over it, or would they say you were under it?
Anyone’s guess what those down ‘n under penile colonists think. Haven’t forgiven them for pronouncing ‘mate’ as ‘might’. Suppose living in Gonowandaland get to you…
And having called this ‘Part One I do need to keep up the steam. More shortly.
I was high, neckin’ with a zookeeper, is the real reason I lost the race.
Oddly enough, I was indeed in Louisiana at the time of the race. Business trip and all that. I had the best seafood soup of my life (can’t remember the word that isn’t chowder), and confirmed that crab meat and my body don’t get along for long.