It's Poetry Monday, and this week's topic is ..... PUZZLES.
Join
Diane,
MotherOwl,
Mimi and me as we work our magic, turning puzzles into poetry. You can leave your poem in the comments or post on your own blog; if you do the latter, please leave a comment so we can find you and your poem. Use the topic, or choose another; the idea is to have fun and exercise our brains.
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I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not a mathy person.
It's fine if
you are a mathy person. More power to those who enjoy numbers and have an aptitude for them.
But that's not me. I'm a word person.
So it would be easy to guess what interests me in the realm of puzzles.
(Once again, I'm illustrating my poem with pictures, with the hope that you will not notice how short my poem is.)
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How To Entertain Me
Su-do-ku?
No-can-do
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my solution to Sudoku puzzles
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Spatial toys?
Real killjoys
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This pile of stuck-together blocks will, theoretically, fit together to form a cube. Unfortunately, that remains theoretical when it's in my paws.
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But -- wordplay?
I say Yay!
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please ignore the fact that one of the obvious words you can make with these tiles is "smut" -- Pixabay beggars can't be choosers
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And a pun?
Oh, what fun!
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This seems like a good time to break out all the puns and wordplay memes I've been collecting.
And because there are a couple of regular readers here whose first language is not English, I've put some notes under the pictures to explain the jokes. I hope that helps. I think wordplay must be very difficult in a second (or third or fourth) language. It was even difficult to explain some of these, I found. If you're not having fun reading, feel free to ignore them! This is supposed to be enjoyable :)
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escapea (escaped pea) = escapee (one who escapes)
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boulder (a large rock) = bolder
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stock = soup base; laughing stock = someone who is the subject of a joke; humerus (arm bone) = humorous
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Alpacalypse = Apocalypse (and while llamas and alpacas are not the same thing, they look enough alike that it makes the joke work)
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90 degrees = a right angle in geometry = a corner
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alterNEIGHtor = alterNAtor (car part)
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I think this one explains itself . . . I think
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helium = heal 'em (heal them); curium = cure 'em; barium = bury 'em
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open toad = open-toed (like a sandal)
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hay = hey; and that's a roll of hay kitty is sitting on, and, well, it's kind of a dumb joke, isn't it?
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"end construction" really means "end OF construction", but "End Construction" is also the kind of thing you would see on a protest sign, too
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... puffin (for everybody who's not familiar with this bird) - a play on the phrase "huffing and puffing"
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giddyup is what you say to a horse to make him go; also, giddyup = get up
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shift is a key but it's also a word for the hours you spend at a job
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explains itself, I think
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mustache (see kitty's white mustache?) sounds like "must ask"
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this time, toad = towed
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explains itself, I think (a Roomba is an automatic vacuum cleaner that moves around by itself)
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plethora literally means "a lot"
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"rain, dear"= reindeer, that guy above with the antlers
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. . . and that something is a nose!
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"in a nutshell (acorn)" = a short explanation
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stuffed = full because they ate so much AND stuffed with stuffing
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stables = where horses are kept; this is meant to sound like the phrase "the tables have turned", meaning something now is happening the opposite to the way it used to be
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Toucan (the name of this bird) = two can
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an oying = annoying
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a Yamaha is a brand of motorcycle
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For more puns and corny jokes I've posted in the past, see
here and
here.
And for even more puns, go
here.
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Hope your week is filled with hahahahas -- or at least a chuckle or two.
Next week's topic will be ..... your choice of gnomes, combs, and/or foam ..... something for everyone! Thanks, Diane.
Good luck :)
I like plays on words and puns. the harder they are the better they are. I like something that makes me think about it.
ReplyDeleteThey're good for the brain!
DeleteWords are my first love, but I cannot do crosswords. They make my head hurt, since they so often cheat.
ReplyDeletePuns on the other hand I love. Thank you for these wonderful ones. I do like what's an noying.
My favourite is a Dorothy Parker gem.
Champagne for my real friends,
Real pain for my sham friends.
Yes, I like my crosswords straightforward, too.
DeleteI love that Dorothy Parker quote - very satisfying!
The alpacalypse is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteZsuzs' mom taught me a kind of puzzle game after Christmas dinner. I can't remember the name of it, but it seemed kind of like Scrabble using numbers. I texted her to ask what the name is, and if she texts me back before I'm through typing this I'll tell you what it was.
I remember it being fun, but after the Hungarian dinner she served us, my memory for names is foggy, because that dinner was heavenly.
-Doug in Sugar Pine
If you find out the name of the game, let me know? Sounds like your Christmas was excellent.
DeleteThe game is called Rummikub.
Delete-Doug in Sugar Pine
Aha - I've heard of that but never played it. I wonder if that might be the miracle game that teaches me to like math ...
DeleteI got a kick out of your poem! I love word puzzles too. All of the funnies are great. I especially loved the Alpacalypse!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed them :)
Deletehaha
ReplyDeletei so much enjoyed your selection of jokes dear Jenny :) i got most of them but had to get help from your explanation for lamas one :)
i always love your funnies but this time they were more and funnier
i share your feelings about puzzles as they go straight above my head ,honestly did not try harder until now but if i have had tried i would have not be able to do it in ages i think as i have seen video about trick to solve it and it had lots of logarithm and i know nothing about it :(
i like solving puzzles or riddles as sudoku but it takes quite time and energy lol so i try to do it only during vacation when routine squeezes indoor due to hot days
i hope your days are blessed with positive energy and peace my friend!
take good care hugs!
I started out trying Sudoku because I knew I should try something that wasn't easy for me, but I think now that there are other ways for me to grow brain cells that don't raise my blood pressure - ha ha
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the funnies. Hugs, my friend :)
Hehe That toucan joke reminds me of a very early computer game for kids where one og the puns was "one can - two can" It was called something like Flash the Fly and Flash the Fly in space. It was filled with puns - I liked it very much, and my children too.
ReplyDeleteAnd I like your poem too, and mostly agree. To me sudoku is "can do but extermely boring", no maths at all involved, only logics.
Yes, more logic than math - definitely. They are really a challenge for me.
DeleteI love all the puns :)
ReplyDeleteI can't do Sudoku either, not even the easy level ones. I do love word puzzles though and crosswords but not the Cryptic ones. I love the code crackers. The set of blocks to be put together to make a cube is the sort of thing my grandson loved when he was little. very little, about five and six.
Five and six? He must have a great talent for them! I'm glad to know someone else can't do Sudoku :D
DeleteNo, no. No more please. I found the Roomba vacuum cleaner joke very funny and your illustrated poem was good.
ReplyDeleteAw, just ONE more, Andrew! lol
DeleteI agree though, there's such a thing as too many puns :)
There is so much joy in puns. I am (was) a mathy, but as the years have gone by, I realized that my number was up.
ReplyDeleteHAH! I see what you did there :D Good one!
DeleteLol. Many chuckles in this post, Jenny! Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteYou too, Marie!
DeletePUZZLES
ReplyDeleteWhy is ice cold?
Why do people die when they grow old?
Why does summer disappear?
Why are there no elephants round here?
What is the difference between right and wrong?
What was here before God came along?
What makes someone foolish or wise?
What makes tears form in our eyes?
When did the very last dodo die?
When did the last pterodactyl fly?
When will I learn to think like you?
When will my dearest dreams come true?
All great examples of puzzling thoughts. Thanks for contributing, Mr. P.
DeleteHallo Jenny, loved the puns, but my favourite was the puffin striding along with his wings behind his back. I would love that on my wall where I would be guaranteed a smile every time I look at it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your post the thought came to me that we were seperated at birth as a) we collect notebooks, b) we love boxes (Ilona's post), c) we love crosswords and d) don't like suduko or numbers games. I think the only place we differ is that you are a cat person whilst I am for dogs, oh and we both have or had 'wild' hair. A bit of a coincidence isn't it? Lol.
I'll have a go at cryptic puzzles, but am not too good with them, but my favourites are the skeleton crosswords where you have to fill them in completely from scratch.
Have a good week Jenny, take care.
All or most of the pictures here came from icanhas.cheezburger.com - and I've merely pinched them for use here. So you could do the same and pinch them from here to print for your wall. Two wrongs don't make a right, but I don't think anyone will arrest either of us; at least I hope not! hah
DeleteWe do have a lot in common! That's just a good thing, the way I see it! Kindred spirits.
Skeleton crosswords are hard! My hat's off to you for doing those.
Describes me to a tee...
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the club :)
DeleteGood ones...every single one of them.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked them!
DeleteOh, that cat eyeing the Samoyed. The former Mr. Boulder.
ReplyDeleteThe look on his face, eh? lol
DeleteBahahaha!!! I'm still laughing. I adore wordplay, and puns in particular! (And now I really hope somebody says 'plethora' at my funeral.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the LOLZ!
My pleasure! I expect there will probably be plethora said at your funeral :D
DeleteHmmm. True. Too bad I'll miss it... ;-)
DeleteHow i love puns! That's one reason i so love The Bard.
ReplyDeleteYour poem was fun and your funnies were very funny indeed!
Happy to entertain you!
DeleteI'm with Doug and Bonnie-loved the Alpacalypse. I don't know where you find these-you seem to have a never-ending supply of animal memes lol. The cube/puzzle reminded me of this thing I've been doing. I should probably sit down and write a blog post about it. Basically, GiGi started using mushroom tincture to help with memory/cognitive function. I decided to give it a try to. But I wanted a test to see if there was improvement over time or if I was just handing over my hard earned cash to the mushroom oil snake. I joined this online community where you can take these little tests every day and get graded against the rest of the community on your performance. Turns out I'm pretty dumb. They test you on spacial relationships, cognitive function, verbal reasoning, etc. You get the picture. I did improve greatly over time but only because I started to understand how to complete the puzzles and there's not much variation to them. Or maybe it's the mushroom tincture. I still don't know.
ReplyDeleteYes, crossword puzzles are like that too; there are weird words that are often used and once you know them you can solve more quickly. It's still good for your brain to learn those things, like it's good for your brain to do the online puzzles and figure out the tricks.
DeleteYou don't need a memory tincture; you're just a spring chicken, Chicken! hah
Bwahahahaha! Oh, this is priceless! Started laughing with your poem(s) and just kept on. Where do you find these?! Just the laugh I needed to start my last day in Guadeloupe. (Yes, we’re still here...) I was feeling just a bit sad. (Orange you glad I didn’t say ‘Blue’?)
ReplyDeleteYes; yes I yam :) (speaking of orange things)
DeleteThe last day of a holiday can be so hard. I hope you have lots of great memories to take home with you.
OMG -- so many puns! Like you, I am more a word person than a math person. Math is NEVER fun for me, even in puzzle form. (Although I can make exceptions for geometry and spatial puzzles -- that's not really math to me.)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I kind of lumped math and logic together for simplicity's sake. I'm equally bad at both :)
DeleteHopeless at math but wonder if it was the way it was taught way back in the dark ages. Have you read Smilla's Sense of Snow? There is a description in it of the beauty of math which I wish I had read long ago. I feel like I've missed out on something both lyrical and exciting.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read that but I will look for it. I'm always keen for recommendations.
DeleteI had good math teachers and I did well in school; I know that wasn't everyone's experience, though. I think the bigger issue for me is just that I don't have much interest in math (or logic). Maybe the book you mention can tweak my interest!
"Plethora" is one of my favorite words. I'm not good with spatial relationships, yet I can load a dishwasher better than anyone else I know. Language comes naturally to me. I always had to work hard at math and I needed the right teacher to explain it. My daughter is the best math tutor ever.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I bet you can pack a car trunk well, too - I was amazed the day I realized I can do that as well as (or better than) my husband. Not bragging, just stating facts, right? lol
DeleteYou're lucky to have a good math tutor in the family!
You're right--I was always better at packing the suitcases that needed to go in the trunk.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I knew it!
DeleteWe might be opposites. I'm good at identifying patterns and I love sudoku. I've never been very good with words and dislike crossword puzzles. Thanks for a plethora of laughs!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome - and I envy your skills! Thanks for dropping by.
DeleteI hate maths. I hate board games. I hate crossword puzzles. I hate Scrabble.
ReplyDeleteActually, what don't I hate ..... your memes! They cracked me up!
And you don't hate jigsaw puzzles - which is a whole other kind of puzzle that not everyone "gets" :D I like them, myself, but so do the cats, so . . .
DeleteHAHA! These were so much fun. I really enjoy board games and puzzles. And I prefer words over math ALWAYS! :)
ReplyDeleteSome people (like my husband) are good at both, but I'm with you, Martha :)
DeleteMy goodness. Lots and lots of memes. And it is hard choosing my favorite but I did enjoy the cat and 10 doctors one quite a lot. I enjoyed your poem a lot as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mr. S - and it's funny, I didn't even think to interpret the "10" as meaning doctors, I thought it was appointments! Both of them work, which makes it even better, IMO.
DeleteAll those women candidates running for president should certainly give us men a pause...
ReplyDeleteHah! I see what you did there :D
Delete