Interesting to compare pentimento and palimpsest. Used metaphorically, wouldn't they be interchangeable?

They have their differences, for sure, but metaphorically, yes, I believe you're right.

Well, maybe a slight difference in connotation: Pentimento involves merely covering up while palimpsest implies an active attempt to erase the past. It should be noted that neither is entirely successful in the long run.

If you eat a grilled cheese sandwhich and it makes you sick, that's a pentimento cheese sandwich.

[/directly to jail, doesn't pass Go]

grilled cheese sandwhich

A) And I thought it was a board game distantly related to go moku/renju

2) Wich kind of cheese did you have in mind?

Where is emanuela when we need her? I suspect that the first syllyable of this word
is pronounced more like "pain" than "pen".

No,"pen" is the correct pronounciation

I tried to pronounce pentimento as you suggested and the result is ... a strong american accent.

Do yo know also "sentimento" = feeling?

Dear emanuela: thank you for your setting me straight. I guess I was being influenced
by Spanish penitentes. Of course I may be wrong about that too.

grilled cheese sandwhich Wich kind of cheese did you have in mind?


Argh! I actually had made that typo, corrected it, and then in re-writing the whole joke [no doubt the extra effort shows] I made the same typo all over again. *sigh*

And I thought it was a board game distantly related to go moku/renju

What is moku/renju?

Go moku It's a sort of tictactoe game. You're trying to get five in a row, orthogonally or diagonally on a nineteen by nineteen board. Renju is the version with tweaks to counteract the first player's advantage and the fact that there is a relatively easy way to force a win.

I tried to pronounce pentimento as you suggested and the result is ... a strong american accent.

That's great, emanuela!

penitentes
pen-ih-ten-tays
the eee sound of the i gets a little squished between the pen and the ten.

pen-ih-ten-tays
the eee sound of the i gets a little squished

yes, but is there a rule (guideline) which tells us when (not) to use the aaa sound for an e? (only used once in penitentes) somewhere I learned that 'standard' continental vowel pronunciation was 'ah,aa,ee,oh,ooh'.

The e-n combination seems to flaunt the ah ay ee oh uu rule of thumb. Rules? There are steenkin' rules?

Sounds like the guy who originated your dictum had the problem.
When I was in; the Philppines, my Filipino doctor friends could not say the word "ship"
without it's sounding like "sheep".

One day down in old Sacramento
I purchased an antique memento,
And much to my pleasure
Uncovered a treasure
Beneath it: a rare pentimento!

A touching Russian song:
"Oche chornya, opissonya, Excremento, Kalifornya..............

One day down in old Sacramento

See, Juan? It can be done.