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AWADmail Issue 747

Sponsor’s Message: What memories does “old school” evoke in you? “Thank you” instead of “No problem”? Saddle shoes. White handkerchiefs and white gloves. A hand-written note. Hitchhiking. Let us know -- we’re offering this week’s Email of the Week winner, Elizabeth Westmark (see below), as well as all you traditionistas out there a yuge chance to tell us what you miss most about the world we are losing or have already lost. You may even win some of our authentic ludic loot, to boot. ENTER The Old’s Cool Contest NOW.

From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)
Subject: Interesting stories from the Net

What It’s Like to Learn a Second Language When You Can’t Read and Write in Your First
Public Radio International
Permalink

Literary Classics Through Donald Trump’s Eyes
BuzzFeed
Permalink
See more

From: Ramar Quacko (ramar.quacko gmail.com)
Subject: ruminate

Maybe I was slightly off when I called this “ruminant”.

From: Andre Desnoyers (desnoyers msn.com)
Subject: ruminating

One day some serious enough brahmin, met in a Vishnu temple in India, told me, very religiously, that one of the best ways to communicate with god was to look deeply into the eyes of a cow... I’ve been ruminating on that one ever since!

My late father is the only person I knew who used the word bushwa. He was from a tiny town on the Florida/Alabama border called Jay, Florida. His family’s farm was in a wide spot in the road called Dixonville. It was in Alabama, but since the only hospital in the area was in Jay, my daddy was born a Floridian. My mother wouldn’t allow him to swear real cuss words, so “Ah, bushwa!” was as rough as it got around our house. Thanks for stimulating a memory. W.T.’s been gone since 1964 when I was little kid of 13.

From: Tessa van Rooyen (tessnic iburst.co.za)
Subject: Bushwa or Bushwah

So interested about today’s word as both my Afrikaans husband and his brother say “boogiewah” to describe something they deem a bit crazy or weird.

From: Alex McCrae (ajmccrae277 gmail.com)
Subject: ruminate and obambulate

Illustration: Alex McCrae

Illustration: Alex McCrae

In the spirit of famed former underground cartoonist, R. Crumb, I’ve co-opted his 1960’s “Keep On Truckin’!” exhortation with a slightly more prescient twist, i.e., “Keep On Obambulatin’!” President Obama is fast approaching the “sunset” of his eight-year tenure as our president. But as a still vital, brilliant, caring, relatively young man clearly committed to public service, I see him confidently striding toward new horizons and personal challenges, fulfilling a destiny that has many glowing chapters yet to come.

From: Jimmy Hoeks (jhoeks objectmastery.com)
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--trumpery

How did whoever invented this word in 1481 know that there would, one day, be a person called “Trump” who would epitomise all three of its meanings?

From: Nidia Edfelt (nidia.edfelt comcast.net)
Subject: Re: trumpery

In Spanish there is the very common word tramposo, which probably derives from the same Latin root as does the English word trumpery (via French tromper). Tramposo (adj.) means cheat, dishonest, swindler, crook. As a matter of fact, my Spanish-speaking friends and I refer to Trump as “el trumposo”.

From: Gisele Mesnage (giselemesnage bigpond.com)
Subject: Trumpery or Hilarity?

Had a good laugh at this week’s theme. I have to say, between trumpery and hilarity, the world would be much better off with hilarity! ;) Many thanks for this light-hearted but very well-timed theme!

From: Terry Morgan (tdmorgan qg.com)
Subject: YOU have to be kidding...

I am unsubscribing today after your insulting “Trumpeter” which was all negative and now TODAY’s “Hilarity” which is all positive.

From: Dharam Khalsa (dharamkk2 gmail.com)
Subject: Anagrams of this week’s words

From: Robert Jordan (alfiesdad ymail.com)
Subject: This week’s words anagrammed

From: Anu Garg (words at wordsmith.org)
Subject: Limericks

“When your bills pile up and accumulate,”
Says the Donald, “Don’t worry or ruminate.
On your debts just default,
Then some women assault
And your spirits will quickly rejuvenate.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

With words man can harangue or cogitate,
while Elsie and Bossy simply urinate
upon the grassy plain,
releasing deadly methane
gases with dispassion as they ruminate.
-Mariana Warner, Asheville, North Carolina (marianaw37 gmail.com)

Says Ivanka, “Yes, Jewish I am,
But my Dad isn’t part of the clan.
He spouts so much bushwa
We know he’s got chutzpah.
The trouble is that he’s a ham.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

In primaries, Trump bashed what Jeb said,
Called him a low-energy blockhead,
Accused him of bushwa,
Made fun of his Bush ma,
And then he began to insult Ted.
-Joan Perrin, Port Jefferson Station, New York (perrinjoan aol.com)

Although she’s quite aware
that he behind her chair
obambulates
with threat’ning gait,
she keeps her cool, whate’er.
-Anne Thomas, Sedona, Arizona (antom earthlink.net)

During the final debate,
Trump shamefully sealed his fate.
The mood was so tense
That Mrs. Pence
Said: “Mike, let’s obambulate.”
-Judith Marks-White, Westport, Connecticut (joodth snet.net)

The current political trumpery
that some think merely laughable mumpery
is no comfort to me;
scary outcome I see
and it makes me feel down in the dumpery.
-Zelda Dvoretzky, Haifa, Israel (zeldahaifa gmail.com)

Said the Donald, his face scowling grumpily,
“I’d never engage in such trumpery.
You really don’t get it,
Please give me some credit,
I won’t grab a girl who wears frumpery.”
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

A discussion about gender parity
might to some be a cause for hilarity,
but a presidentess
would make less of a mess
and subject us to much less vulgarity.
-Zelda Dvoretzky, Haifa, Israel (zeldahaifa gmail.com)

Both Clinton and Trump have a charity,
But between them there’s no similarity.
“Let’s treat HIV”
Or, “Buy pictures of me.”
It’s so sad that it’s almost hilarity.
-Steve Benko, New York, New York (stevebenko1 gmail.com)

From: Phil Graham (pgraham1946 cox.net)
Subject: Epon-amiss puns

Our pet cow was sad so she went to her ruminate balefully.

“If it hadn’t a’been fer Bushwa we’d a’never found them WMDs. We did, didn’ we?...”

Since I began submitting puns in May 2015, eight previous AWADs have ended with the “ulate” suffix. Each time I bent it into “you late”. However, I’m giving “obambulate” a different treatment than I gave to my other four pair o’ pathetic puns.

Versus 6 spades, partner led a club. With no clubs in my hand, I thought, “I better trumpery might make his bid.”

Golfers know that in hilarity shot goes farther than it does in valley air.