Michael Quinion is, after all, just a "pro-am" philologist
Quite true, tsuwm. There is no necessary co-relation between erudition and the ability to market one's intellectual output commercially. Still, the product would not endure if the quality was absent - an indirect endorsement for Quinion and Anu, both. [BTW I didn't know "Quinion" was a person until you mentioned his first name in your post today. I thought "Quinion" was a coinage playing on the word "Opinion".]
Speaking for myself, and giving a respectful nod to my critics, I freely acknowledge that if my limericks were any good I would have sold one by now. But I haven't.
Some people do crossword puzzles and some do "hogwash". I do limericks. [It's a new challenge for me since OEDILF.com started up and I'm still struggling with the technical challenges. Sometimes painfully obvious, I know. But it takes practice like other hobbies. It takes time and practice to get good at "Hogwash" as well, I assume.]
As you know, my limericks are now labelled as such in "Wordplay" to warn off the innocent. :)
