tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post5389351420323448162..comments2024-02-25T20:07:56.114-06:00Comments on Mr. Verb: Proud Verbs angrily reject "Intelligent Design"Mr. Verbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-86569414525886229682007-08-21T20:04:00.000-05:002007-08-21T20:04:00.000-05:00It is indeed Humpty Dumpty talking to Alice. But i...It is indeed Humpty Dumpty talking to Alice. But it's "Through the Looking Glass" - <A HREF="http://www.sabian.org/Alice/lgchap06.htm" REL="nofollow">Chapter 6</A> to be precise. The lead-in is the discussion of "un-birthday presents":<BR/><BR/>"... and that shows that there are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents --'<BR/><BR/>`Certainly,' said Alice.<BR/><BR/>`And only one for birthday presents, you know. There's glory for you!'<BR/><BR/>`I don't know what you mean by "glory",' Alice said.<BR/><BR/>Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. `Of course you don't -- till I tell you. I meant "there's a nice knock-down argument for you!"'<BR/><BR/>`But "glory" doesn't mean "a nice knock-down argument",' Alice objected.<BR/><BR/>`When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.' <BR/><BR/><BR/>This is the conversation with the grimmest joke in either book (note Carroll's idiosyncratic (possibly idiotic) use of apostrophes - call Lynn Truss!):<BR/><BR/>`I mean,' she said, `that one ca'n't help growing older.'<BR/><BR/>`One can't, perhaps,' said Humpty Dumpty; `but two can. With proper assistance, you might have left off at seven.'The Ridger, FCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01538111197270563075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-67251846968090904432007-08-21T16:21:00.000-05:002007-08-21T16:21:00.000-05:00D'oh! BWT! (Blogging while tired.)D'oh! BWT! (Blogging while tired.)Mr. Verbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04048931596146402872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33159158.post-14285332054320399092007-08-21T16:14:00.000-05:002007-08-21T16:14:00.000-05:00Mr. Verb -- It's dialogue from "Alice In Wonderlan...Mr. Verb -- It's dialogue from "Alice In Wonderland" (with Humpty Dumpty in the role of language boss, as I recall). Haven't checked the original post for depth of tongue in cheek yet, though.Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173219179480606941noreply@blogger.com