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Mar 16, 2025
This week’s themeFive-letter words This week’s words eclat bosky fubsy gleed sapid How popular are they? Relative usage over time AWADmail archives Index Next week’s theme Food words used metaphorically 
Send a gift thatkeeps on giving, all year long: A gift subscription of A.Word.A.Day or the gift of books 
AWADmail Issue 1185A Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Tidbits about Words and LanguageSponsor’s Message: “Scrabble on steroids, with a thieving twist.” One Up! -- where stealing is the name of the game. “My daily dose of dopamine.” A wicked smart Christmas gift. Game on! From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org) Subject: Wordle Poem Contest To celebrate Wordsmith.org’s 31st anniversary this week we organized a Wordle Poem Contest. The challenge was to write a biographical poem using only five-letter words. So many delightful entries poured in. Readers wrote about themselves, their spouses, grandchildren, pets, friends, public figures, etc. Before we get to the winners, a few selected comments from our readers:
Congratulations! I remember signing up in Mar ‘94, though I cannot recall
how I found out about you. 31 looks “special” in base 2 anyway, the 11111th. -Vinay Kashyap, Stoneham, Massachusetts (kashyap.vinay gmail.com) Dear Anu Garg, it is a pleasure, not only to congratulate you on such a merry occasion, but also to express my admiration and respect. -Edward Shornik, Novosibirsk, Russia (edshornik gmail.com) I signed up for Wordsmith not long after you started, I think it was late 1994. I signed up not for a love of words but because dial-up internet was notoriously unreliable and connection time was expensive. I was using an OS/2 server to dial up the connection and start the email MTA. I had a client who wanted a reliable email system, and wanted me to be on top of any problems. When I saw A.Word.A.Day, I found my answer. I subscribed and set it up so that when the Wordsmith email came into my server, it was forwarded to my client and re-forwarded to my company’s email. If I didn’t get two emails, I knew I had to visit my client to restart the OS/2 box. I am retired now, so have more time to actually read your messages. -Brian Hancock, Pennant Hills, Australia (brian brileigh.com) Since “Congratulations” is not 31 letters and too long for the five-letter word challenge, may I offer: Super! Happy! A-okay! Great! -Marnye Langer, Burbank, California (marnye langershows.com) Wow, 31 years! Happy Baskin Robbins birthday! -Peter O’Carroll, Lake Charles, Louisiana (pocarroll ocarroll.com) Contest Results Many thanks to Barbara Wallraff, a columnist for The Boston Globe and author of many books on language, for judging the contest. The winners, in no particular order, are:
Music Maker Dylan Dylan, named Bobby Great Lakes child strum, croon, scowl hairs often riled Folky music rebel vocal style rarer maven among poets vivid lyric carer Civil right voice urban ennui blues album after album tours after tours famed, discs (names redid): “Blond... Blond” “Times Shift” Nobel Prize haver media leave alone blows alike winds rolls alike stone -Aerienne Russell, Los Angeles, California (aerienne.russell gmail.com)
Garbo Lithe Swede Movie queen Grand Hotel woman Known ‘round world Hates glitz Shuns crowd Quiet, aloof Leave Greta alone. -Robert Moy, New York, New York (broguery19 gmail.com)
Loves LEGOs Idols Messi, Dhoni Likes maths (eight minus seven) Reads large tales. -Vivaan Jain Tomar (11 years old), Mumbai, India (vivaanjaintomar gmail.com) Congratulations to the winners. They’ll receive their choice of any of the following prizes: Read on for honorable mentions.
Verse Twist “offer ideas slant” sadly, Emily never wrote haiku -Brenda J. Gannam, Brooklyn, New York (gannamconsulting earthlink.net)
Salem Witch Woman whose rebel heart sings Stone tough, never stops Swaps vital herbs, talks tales, cures vices Begin folks’ fears False trial Slurs, riots, fists, fires Stake. -Erin Marshall, St. Louis, Missouri (marshall.e wustl.edu)
Dream. Story. Rhyme. Teach. Laugh. Seuss. -Carol Barton, Odenton, Maryland (cbartonphd1 verizon.net)
Pablo Verse Pablo takes backs, necks, hands, gives stars. Child under waves, under Chile skies. Pablo tends words. Poems bloom -- heart seeds. Magic lifts every stone. Every thing magic likes those poems. Lines fight, bring light, songs crack again. Storm. Sings until liver stops. Pablo stays, roots sound under earth. -Mackenzie Cole, Missoula, Montana (mackenzie climateride.org)
Wilde Eclat Oscar Wilde, witty, grand Words bloom among lands Sharp sense, life’s light gleam Artsy, testy, about every theme -Milo Grika, Houston, Texas (milo grika.com)
Brian - Story Learn Music Early, Teach Music Later. Right Pitch Right Rhyme Right Tempo Right Thyme Loved Every While. -Brian Tillman, Band Director (soon to retire after 31 years in public education), Irion County High School, Mertzon, Texas (btillman22000 yahoo.com)
Steph Curry makes crazy shots. Fluid moves speak power. Teams cower. Hands afire - shoot! Skill meets class - score! Stats count three. Night. Night. -Dane Clarke (clarke.dane gmail.com)
Magic Harry Harry lived Under stair, Magic giant Found there. Found Ronny, Smart girly; Learn magic Train early. Evils afoot, Grows tough, Tommy rises, That’s rough! Magic fight Using heart, Death tears Black apart! Brave Dobby Helps fight, Quite sadly Loses light. Years march Until close, Final fight Split souls, Taken apart, Evils drain Voldy ended, Peace again! -Richard Donnan, St. John’s, Canada (rdonnan hotmail.com)
Grand-Sonny Birth Sweet child comes Newly feels world Cries, wants bosom Sucks. knows peace Momma opens heart Agape Waltz. -Andrea Tovar, Coventry, Rhode Island (actovar2 gmail.com)
Dolly Sings Dolly sings heart grief songs, plain, clear, spare tales -- angel voice pours purrs, trills, chirps -- Dolly gives sagas, takes goose bumps. Dolly knows their Wishy-Washy cycle never stops: Spins, folds, warms human hearts, minds, souls. -Marla Rose, Chicago, Illinois (marla veganstreet.com)
Smile Nancy! Nancy loves: Hubby, Child, Doggy, Quilt, Walks, Books. Nancy would enjoy these. -Nancy Robertson, Scituate, Massachusetts (nancyrobertson101 gmail.com)
Daily Diary Mommy alone -- house clean, twins minus storm. Early dawns -- cries shift cribs, sound, kicks, yawns. Brain going boing - lunch ready, every mouth chews. Silly songs -- sleep short, messy rooms again. Clock shock -- roast bread, cease world please! Bathe twins -- cling close, smell sweet scent. -Amy Einspahr, Burke, Virginia (einspaha hotmail.com)
Santa Claus Happy Fella Gives Gifts Whole World -Bruce Gerhardt, Brisbane, Australia (bruceg42 gmail.com)
Tesla chief fires lives below Lower taxes needs great dough Takes funds under fully false guise Nixes cures among frail lives. -Robert Dean, Atlanta, Georgia (robdeanaia gmail.com)
Panic! Daily!! World seems sadly worse (Today: email reads - write basic short verse) Brain: Focus! Think alone about rhyme; Eject scary ideas, block White House crime While doing: angst lifts, skies clear, pulse slows; Words, lines agree, share paper; story grows. After: Inner peace! Hopes again. Fewer tears. Maybe shift views, alter dream, crush fears. -Margaret May, Sun City West, Arizona (mail2mrm yahoo.com)
Sweet Mummy Loved Cared Brave Adieu ...Angel. -Lucille Dass, Penang, Malaysia (lucidlucille gmail.com)
Swift loved irony, Hated folly, Dying, found peace. (This exercise in quintuple verse proves two things: 1. writing poetry requires immense effort for scant reward and 2. limiting one’s store of words in this fashion forces some of us to write in the stilted manner of epitaphs. Which led me to write a memorial to Jonathan Swift, whose own epitaph recites that he was “Ubi sæva Indignatio/Ulterius/Cor lacerare nequit,” which translates as “where fierce indignation can no longer injure the heart.” -Henry Willis, Los Angeles, California (hmw ssdslaw.com)
Great Poets Think Alike ‘Hell’s Bells!’ First lines ought never chime. Chant ‘Hocus Pocus’? Spoke still, stern crime. Begin again! Pitch magic words aside, Olden names might offer wiser guide. Homer, Dante, Greek Latin dudes, Sages opine while gloom bards brood. (Sorry, above logic feels quite crude). Large empty abyss, fiery shaft below, Those angry souls, sooty soles, Burns... hello! Enter Auden, Byron, Brits drawn apart, Stout, rural Hardy, broad brave heart. Comes Oscar Wilde: Anglo-Irish, witty Swift begat Synge, burnt sharp, quick ditty. Según Lorca, gemäß Heine, selon Camus... Wrong ‘Rambo’ wrote false would align -- adieu! Eliot, Plath, Pound: harsh angst, Yanks unite, Ralph Waldo loved stars among clean black night. Would Frost boots tread paths woody? Worry, never! Death sweat, sweet gents climb, fever bliss shall sever. Keats below Yeats! Seems match, looks happy. Ayres under Clare! Sound rhyme, truly zappy. Stark Blake, bough-angel, often glory spied, Blank Woolf, stone laden, muddy water bride. Short verse waits close, drags every tonne, These words weigh heavy, sadly, Donne. *** Extra Final Piece Haiku lyric would River banks burst, grave Rilke Liked fresh liver wurst. (I’ve got to say I haven’t done anything like this in years. I really had fun doing it yesterday. So, thank you for this unexpected bit of entertainment. It ended up a bit long, maybe. One of the names mentioned isn’t really a poet but I couldn’t find a 5-letter French one who wasn’t pretty obscure. I think 25 writers (24 poets) are shoehorned in...and only one is homophonically misspelled. 🙂 I had the haiku in the middle for a bit -- but thought it funnier to make it into a PS.) -Mike Grundmann, London, UK (mikegrundmann hotmail.com)
Sylvi makes éclat using first-class skill. Craft, tools, plans, uncut metal Spawn novel forms. Color flows, plate bends. Later, jewel-color items arise. Every piece holds charm. Belle! (I was delighted to see eclat as the word for the day, and to correct my mistaken assumption that eclat had something to do with anodizing aluminum. (Somehow I heard “clad” in there.) Sylvi Harwin is an artist and craftsperson who makes delightful jewelry at: éclat by silvi harwin.) -Bonnie Packert, Escondido, California (bpcom317 willowgrace.net)
Guess: Drain? Nadir. Cater? Crate? React. Timer? Remit? Merit. Shade? Shape? Shave. Close, loser. (That’s me when I play Wordle, sometimes.) -Jennifer Galloway, Bullhead City, Arizona (jenggalloway gmail.com) Trump had the dubious distinction of having the maximum number of poems submitted after him. Here’s a selection:
Guess Whose Story? Cruel times, these! Nasty bully leads. Doing cruel deeds. Gives flush crony reign Above other human being. Greed ahead again! Alack! cruel times! Shame! -Esther Kendig, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania (wekendig yahoo.com)
White House felon makes worry ensue. Fifty along fifty along fifty along fifty along eight weeks Might leave world askew -Charles Hain, Toronto, Canada (hain.charles gmail.com)
Trump Grump Proud felon, proxy prexy Flame hairs, nasty scowl, quick anger. Loves, hates, plays women. Fires hires, hires liars. Hails Elon’s musky ideas. Damns guest dress, drops buddy. Taxes chums; stops helps, abets Putin. Jails legal alien. Daily false faked facts. Spurs, whips, goads, rages, riots. Total moral lapse. -Madeline Johnston, Berrien Center, Michigan (johnston andrews.edu)
Chief Fears, hates, fools Stirs loyal stans Razes civil rules Lords brick lands -Sara Bass, New York, New York (sarajbass aol.com)
Major knave rules above. Knows every minor thief. Wants money, gifts, legal br ief, Lives large minus grief. -Robert Dean, Atlanta, Georgia (robdean bellsouth.net)
TRUMP Humps rumps, Dumps mumps. Fears blues. Chaos loose. (Fried goose.) After Trump: fiscal slump, chump praxis: death, taxes. -Sue Parman, Hillsboro, Oregon (sparman fullerton.edu)
Voter: Elect moron chief Would reign above every plain thief Amend great rules every month Raise money below every dunce. -Rob Dean, Atlanta, Georgia (robdean bellsouth.net)
Media li(n)es Anona Blond bully grabs power, fakes truth, slurs amici, loves Putin, spews abuse, lacks shame. Fraud felon deals cards, keeps score, seeks Nobel Peace Prize, falls short, needs grace. -Joanna Watson, Leicester, UK (joannawatson doctors.org.uk)
Donny Trump Every truth small, Every error large Worst times, great grand times Great, great, grand times White House crisis Laugh, blame, anger, worry Unity, right? Great again Quite! Whose world? -Dave Rissik, Cape Town, South Africa (davewrissik gmail.com)
Words might right wrong: Putin-aping admin. ruins world state; makes chaos. Sound alarm! Yanks, avoid apish fools -- Bigot blurs bonds; axmen cause agony. Shame! World taken aback -- names idiot Trump, “smart” aleck. Ample cause. Finis? Think Dante; Hades, await! Abyss... Boils... Hurts... Pains... Fool’s realm. (smirk!) -Mark Fedor, Peterborough, Canada (fedormark hotmail.com)
North lands where bides peace; Folks watch crazy antic stuff. Daily tweet: Steel! Dairy! Annex! South, fever seems alive there. Years await afore silly cease. -Charles Hain, Toronto, Canada (hain.charles gmail.com)
Trump talks, Truth walks. Power grows, Phony shows. Greed, graft, Moral shaft. Doge’s liars, Cruel fires. Press abate, Voice State. Maga’s rules, Hater fuels. Heavy sighs, Voter cries. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)
While Trump fumes, stews, spews, While Vance poses, barks, yells, Voter anger jells. -Carl Caton, Bel Aire, Kansas (catoncb yahoo.com)
above white skies cloud banks blest fruit plain acres where exist olden oaths grown noble under human shade aegis fever dream MAGAN votes shrug chose mumbo jumbo rogue money talks shock waves angry winds crost paths Unite! Great White North chaos reign rains toads funky musky smell arose cyber truck flood zones while hoary Uncle dozes right lefty fight wrong right force block chain slash logic fault abyss storm dread ahead enjoy truth still alive sapid mango grove juicy fruit found among fresh sweet water oases (A poem about Uncle Scam and the Doge Dough Boy-Man) -Charles Harp, Victoria, Canada (Not the 51st state) (texzenpro yahoo.com)
Crazy felon voted chief Grift, large gifts, cause major grief Rogue aides allow awful deeds Leave knave alone, judge often cedes. -Robert Dean, Atlanta, Georgia (robdeanaia gmail.com)
Trump leads, votes storm, Folks cheer; folks scorn. Talks large, sparks light, World hopes, some fight. -Michael Keany, Huntington, New York (keanymichael gmail.com)
Faces share tears. Wrong since years. River grass earth, Trade under worth. Ocean water stink. Bully, never think. Empty heart awake, Honor, trust break. Watch. Quiet. Stone. Upset. Sorry. Alone. World wheel turns, Every value burns. -Prof. Patricia M. Martin, Essen, Germany (martrdcall aol.com)
Dodgy Unfit Mogul Plots Theft Rapid Upset Means PEACE -Stephen Maynard, Alamo Heights, Texas (stephen.maynard.2015 gmail.com)
First thing first Trump worst POTUS Never focus Hopes poem’s write Never spell check Maybe poem’s wrong Judge gotta judge Wrote write. Right? Write wrong Sorry Judge Meant right Poets gotta write! -David Heimowitz, Queens, New York (davidh224 verizon.net)
Lofts twins Forge words, shape, frame Story, scoop, rumor, quote Facts, deeds, birth, death Wacky, wonky, kooky, kinky Comic, witty, jolly, silly Taunt moron Mango Trump Donny Dunce, idiot, chump Judas, viper, Devil spawn Scorn awful “Пыня” Putin Beast, brute, fiend, Satan Alarm about Musk’s mania SNAFU, SUSFU, lemon Tesla Perps, thugs, goons, hoods Tulsi, Patel, Bondi, Rubio JFKen ruins USFDA 4ever Crazy picks wreck lives Tarot cards augur havoc Feuds surge, peace wanes Weird world, orbit sways Garg’s Times posts sense Adept, great, savvy, smart Sound, lucid logic, sober Kudos, pride, glory, honor Kiwis favor A’gram Times! -Julian Lofts, Auckland, New Zealand (jalofts xtra.co.nz) A special recognition to Nicole Caruso Garcia for her poem:
Chaos, Trump Style
Yikes, honey -- these sheep, these boobs elect Mango Satan. Again. Grave error. Extra years. Lying Judas. Lucid voter, whose dream aches, whose dying realm weeps, teach truth. Stand, fight power. Trump feels, Truth yucky. Theft yummy. Books Trump reads? Zilch. Bible? Zilch. Trump still feels Trump words score First Place. Gravy-faced, Trump wears baggy suits while winds upset poofy, tufty updos. Sharp voter hears toxic audio where Trump tells Billy: Trump grabs women, never waits. Kissy kissy. Scary virus. Trump lazes, waits waits waits, hints, Swill harsh toxin, knock Covid! Trump likes power. Putin loves using Trump. Think daddy issue, maybe. Panic about urine whizz video means Trump fawns along trail where beefy Putin (minus shirt) rides horse. (Drool!) Trump plans: Rally music? Macho macho dance! Fated sixth: Trump lacks proof, fakes facts about votes until folks seize other white house, smear feces, chant Nancy, stalk Pence. (Pence ducks lynch posse.) Trump golfs: teeny hands swing bigly while Ivana rests below. Hello, grave - Trump putts along, while under tight, white sports pants, lumpy wazoo. While China makes tacky Trump merch, shady shill Trump sells scams, steak, coins, shoes, watch, bible. Hopes rubes shell bucks. Trump works crime bigly. While Trump faced trial: sleep, farts, sleep, farts. After Trump shags famed Storm Storm, Trump still holds, Never sexed Storm Storm. Never feels shame. Felon power photo? Tough frown. Trump loves Latin lives, grins about lunch tacos, token bowls. Smart Black woman baits Trump. Trump cries, Folks munch Rover! Folks chomp Kitty! Trump wants toady veeps whose “yeses” icily yield. Weird veeps. (Pence loves lunch, minus women.) Twice, weird veeps. Folks troll Vance about Couch Elegy. Still, couch bride aside, North folks taunt Vance, claim skier Vance wears jeans while using slope. Trump hates valid labor, signs order order order. Fires folks, tests union. Vroom! Along comes unhip Cyber Truck mogul, sugar daddy whose money wooed Trump. Musky mafia wants havoc. Break apart. Shady setup, shady scope. Techs wiped, undid, toyed until voila! Stole datum datum datum. After wussy wagon burst afire, Tesla stock tanks. Laugh, droll voter. Waken, voter! Saner voter. Local women, unite. Vocal women, fight. Witty women, write. Write gayly. Write daily. Fudge Trump! Heart makes earth great. Again. -Nicole Caruso Garcia, Trumbull, Connecticut (ncgarcia5 aol.com) From: Ross Paul (rpaul uwindsor.ca) Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--eclat An old theme song of the legendary Montreal Canadiens hockey team is: Éclat! Éclat! Éclat! Les Canadiens sont la! Ross Paul, Vancouver, Canada From: Lyn Horine (lynhorine gmail.com) Subject: Eclat In the 1950s a young singer captured my attention as “The Park Avenue Hillbilly”, Miss Dorothy Shay... and one number on the album I purchased at the time was “Will You Treat Me In The Style” with a memorable line “anything plebeian is like Greek to me, my training has been one of great eclat... so ya better watch yer grammar when you speak to me, just remember it is I to whom you’re speaking... at!” Remains forever engraved in this 96-year-old brain. Lyn Horine, Salem, Oregon 
Subject: eclat The motto of the Red Arrows, the RAF aerobatic demonstration team. It describes their performance perfectly. Tommy Thomason, Mystic, Connecticut From: Helga Kleisny (helgakleisny gmail.com) Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--eclat First, congratulations on your outstanding work over all those years. You made a lot of readers happy and improved their lives, including mine. Now (caution humor)... Don’t insult the Germans:
...using only 31-letter words. Just kidding. Even the Germans haven’t gone that far. Please. Give me a break. The standard for this would be Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän. And since you guys do not have the ä, you would have to write it even longer: Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitaen. Helga Kleisny, Frankfurt, Germany From: Khay Ooi (khay.ooi health.govt.nz) Subject: A Thought for Today - Kate Sheppard
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: All that separates, whether of race, class, creed, or sex, is inhuman, and must be overcome. -Kate Sheppard, suffragist (10 Mar 1847-1934) Thank you for featuring Kate Sheppard. She was instrumental in the suffrage movement in New Zealand. As a result of her and her compatriots’ work, New Zealand became the very first country in the world to give women the vote, in 1893. Since then, we’ve had women prime ministers, women Governors-General, women in top positions in the government, including that of Solicitor-General. Khay Ooi, Wellington, New Zealand From: Frank Lisa (ftlisa gmail.com) Subject: bosky There are places in the US Southwest called bosque that are generally wooded areas along a stream or river. Obviously from Spanish but in use in the US. Bosque del Apache is famous for the thousands of sandhill cranes that use it as a resting point on their migration. Frank Lisa, Yakima, Washington From: Grace Judson (glj gracejudson.com) Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--bosky Ha. I thought, Oh, I know this one! but it only reveals that I read too much Regency romance. In my world, bosky means inebriated. Grace Judson, San Diego, California From: John Ayer (firevexil gmail.com) Subject: fubsy King Charles II of England and Scotland had a number of mistresses, the favorite being Louise, Duchess of Portsmouth, whom Charles called Fubs, she being well-upholstered. He had two boats, a state yacht, the Katherine, named for his queen, and a knockabout boat, the Fubs (or Fubbs, or Fubbes), named for Louise. John Ayer, Norwich, Connecticut From: Paul Castaldi (paulcast55 verizon.net) Subject: Hot Topic: Gleed Lord of the Rings fans know this word, albeit with slightly different spelling. It was uttered by the Númenórean prince Isildur when he cut the One Ring of Power from the defeated Dark Lord Sauron’s hand: “It was hot when I first took it, hot as a glede, and my hand was scorched, so that I doubt if ever again I shall be free of the pain of it.” Paul Castaldi, Havertown, Pennsylvania  
Subject: fubsy and eclat Here’s the skinny on the Spanish words flaco and gordo. Flaco means skinny and gordo means stout, or dare I say fubsy? Who better to exemplify these traits than novelist Miguel Cervantes’ tall-in-the-saddle Don Quixote and his short/stout companion, Sancho Panza? Here, the slender knight takes a respite from charging at windmills to engage his sidekick in a joust of words. 
From my three years of struggle with obligatory high school French back in my hometown of Toronto, to this day I’ve managed to retain a fair amount of French vocabulary. Can’t say the same for grammar. But one expression that seems to have stuck in my noggin is eclat de rire, simply translated, “burst of laughter”. These days we could use a lot more laughter. Non? Alex McCrae, Van Nuys, California Anagrams
Make your own anagrams and animations. Limericks Eclat Whenever a concert he’s played, How great an impression he’s made! The crowds ooh and ah At Lang Lang’s eclat, Though critics are not always swayed. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) They greeted my song with eclat But it wasn’t a prizewinner; nah, First place was Corinne Who was destined to win; The committee was chaired by her ma! -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) The pastry chef heard her sigh, “Ah.” And then she remarked, “Oh la la!” For his scrumptious sweet treat, She rose to her feet, To praise his eclair with eclat! -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) When at last Stormy took off her bra, From Donald burst forth an eclat. “A chest of that ilk Must be loaded with milk! Oh, please, nurse me as though you’re my ma!” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Bosky Last month I went skiing at Stowe, Where some trails are quite bosky, you know. I’m on crutches, you’ll see. Yes, I did hit a tree, Believing I skied like a pro. -Rudy Landesman, New York, New York (ydur36 hotmail.com) “What dangers the children would face, If left in that dark, bosky place! Abandonment’s awful And likely unlawful -- How Grimm is this fairy tale case!” -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) “As I’m hiding from Stalin,” said Trotsky, “Perhaps I should go somewhere bosky. But wait! Frida Kahlo My troubles will swallow; She swears no one there will accost me.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Fubsy She’d dreamed of George Clooney, it’s true, But went on a blind date with Stu. “He’s funny and kind And has a fine mind -- So what if he’s fubsy? He’ll do!” -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) That fubsy guy down on my street Sorta scares me whenever we meet I’m confessing to this It is my prejudice All I see is a lump -- and two feet! -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) “I’ll develop Las Vegas,” said Bugsy, “For gamblers both lanky and fubsy. From hotels on the Strip Money won’t merely drip; It’ll gush like a torrent that’s sudsy!” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Gleed A bucket of water I need To put out that last glowing gleed. It’s Smokey the Bear Who made me aware Of rules that we campers must heed. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) Said the child, “Please, sir, I’m in need; It’s so cold, could you spare just one gleed?” Answered Elon, “When kids In despair hit the skids, That’s efficiency! DOGE hearts don’t bleed.” -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Sapid I think that your cooking is great. A Michelin star you would rate! How sapid this dish -- It’s truly delish! And that’s why I’m licking my plate. -Marion Wolf, Bergenfield, New Jersey (marionewolf yahoo.com) When I told her I longed for a bite That was sapid and tasted just right, Said my missus, “You mean My fine kitchen cuisine? Or a nip in the bedroom at night?” -Bindy Bitterman, Chicago, Illinois (bindy eurekaevanston.com) Though his speech to the Congress was vapid, Republicans cheered it as sapid. As their love each one feigns For the madman who reigns, Our descent into chaos is rapid. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) Puns “I do d-eclat, Rhett Butler, you are a scoundrel,” Scarlett O’Hara teased. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “For your tummy eclat-ts of Alka Seltzer will do the trick!” said the ad. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “I figured him for a DEI matador, but for a Bosky’s not bad,” admitted the right-wing Spanish politician at the bullfight. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “Our slang for the never-ending screwups begins ‘F***ed Up Beyond’, or FUBsy? Then it continues ‘All Recognition’, or AR. All together, FUBAR,” the sergeant explained to the new recruit. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) The musical star’s pet name for her stout movie director was Fusby Berkeley. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “How do I despise thee? Let me count the ways. Thou art a prickmedainty, a cumberworld, a sapid-iot, and reprehensible senescent ostrobogulous reptilian dandiprat,” wrote the anonymous contributor to Anu’s poetry contest, ignoring the five-letter-word rule and describing herself only as a former Slovenian model. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) “Slipping on that maple syrup on the floor was really sapid,” laughed Arnold. -Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com) “If you watch the TV series Gleed-on’t expect much in the way of intelligent dialogue or plotting. There’s some good singing, though,” wrote the critic. -Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com) A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The fetters imposed on liberty at home have ever been forged out of the
weapons provided for defence against real, pretended, or imaginary dangers
from abroad. -James Madison, 4th US president (16 Mar 1751-1836)
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