Sodly, the comment tread under Peter’s post has lost its sway in the frumious bandersnatch of Muddle Eastern politics.
Back on the subject of our marble-mouthed Press Secretary’s odd locution: I think what Robert Gibbs demeans to say when he “denotes” is something like “imply, make, or offer a judgment or determination to the effect that.” “Yesterday I implied that we judged Ahmadinejad to be the elected leader of Iran. It’s not for us to make such a determination.”
It’s still obfuscatory and evasive, but it makes sense.
Lettuce be queer, however: “Denote” cannot – or amway till Gibbs cud nought – be rused as Gibbs ruses it. Not persons actively, but weirds, sines, and cymbals implicitly denote. Gibbs obviately thinks “denote” sounds shmata – moor professorene, diplomaticalesque – than “note.” He’s delucky he’s an Obamanot. If, say, Sarah dud same-same, over-trolls would be atwititter everyanywhere. They’d bloguffodderadder maureen, noonan snide. “Wut a maroon!” they’d bugsbunny. “She-err gibbserish!”
If Gibbs denotes aught, it’s naught. What “Gibbs,” after Gibbs, may connote, however – that gnaws at his Gnibbs: Even he’s not so Gibbs to unnote it.
Commenters are invited to reply in gibbserish to the best of their disability.
Comments 27
guru-v.
August 6th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Gibbs isn’t obfuscatory.
He couldn’t even spell the word.
There’s a simple explanation for his misuse of ‘denote’ – he’s not particularly bright.
August 6th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Zaydee Max had shoo stow. He told le’cleanz d’shews were “drek from Paris.”
Always straight with feces. No snicker.
We’ve now had definal gibbservament’ on denote…drek from zars talking whole.
D’Shantee abu abuboo from 500 race
August 6th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Colin, are you a fan of the Anguish Languish?
For those who are not, here’s a sample (copied from the link above):
August 6th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Wasn’t familiar with that one, Peter, but it reminds me of other non- and so-called trans-sense poetics of other eras, both “popular” and “avant-garde.”
August 6th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
@Peter Shalen – The site looks like delovely, Thx.
August 6th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Go to de lake, mon. Find de codfish, de codfish, mon. –Herb Gardner, “Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?”
August 6th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Wud gibbs hair? Hummer none, you dispelled for maypee the sexth time blugsblunny. Hummer dew, id’s “err after She,” twitnit, “eggsept beside g,” idsn’t id?
August 6th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Hey, my Pogo quote vanished, so I repeat:
Cherchey LaFemme: Do you know the song MacTruloff?
PogoNo, how’s it go?
Cherchey LaFemme(singing and strumming guitar):
Conifers stay off crispness,
MacTruloff sentimie …
Honors sick and Davy Crisscross,
MacTruloff said to me … [etc]
August 6th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Also, since this is such an erudite bunch, from Mots D’Heures: Gousses, Rames :
Un petit d’un petit
S’étonne aux Halles
Un petit d’un petit
Ah! degrés te fallent
Indolent qui ne sort cesse
Indolent qui ne se mène
Qu’importe un petit d’un petit
Tout Gai de Reguennes.
August 6th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Un petit d’un petit
S’étonne aux Halles
Un petit d’un petit
Ah! degrés te fallent
Indolent qui ne sort cesse
Indolent qui ne se mène
Qu’importe un petit d’un petit
Tout Gai de Reguennes.
Tiens le mayo.
Fr. 500
August 6th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Tiens le mayo?
Sur le main?
August 6th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
@Howard Portnoy – Churchy, not Cherchey.
August 6th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Churchy it is. Thanks, aelfheld.
August 6th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
#10: On ne fait pas d’omelette sans casser des oeufs.
August 6th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Peter, did you try sounding out the poem I included at #10? I’m not sure it was immediately clear to anyone what makes the poems from this collection so funny.
August 6th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Tray bone, Mr Blackport. Took me a cupola reeds on ol’ un petit d’un petit.
August 6th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
as for #s 10, 15, and 16, I think Oilshalen got it just fine, Newport.
August 6th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Glad too here yew gots it, Czar. I all so liked blackport and newport. Thanks four righting. (Man, doing that’s harder than it looks–which is obviously why I can’t do it.)
August 6th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
@Joe NS – not by the he-errs of my shiny shin-shin. Say lovey!
August 6th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
#16: Howard, I had to stare at it for several minutes to figure out what was going on, and then I exploded with laughter. I hoped my comment #15 would show that I’d gotten it. I love it.
August 6th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
P.S.: You can sign me
The Oyl of Shale
P.P.S.: When my son was reading “Macbeth” in high school he went around addressing everyone according to the formula “Hail Howard, Thane of Portnoy” (with suitable substitutions).
August 6th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
#12, Howard, Touche! Should’ve been “Rien de la mayo.”
No spikka the Frenchy too good. But mine English ain’t not faultless, nicht wahr?
August 7th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Peter, I’d like to say that your response flew over my head because it was past my bedtime, but the simple truth is that I just missed it. Very clever indeed!
P.S. Call me the Port of Noy
August 7th, 2009 at 8:46 am
#23: Joe, I couldn’t fail to disagree with you less.
August 7th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Peter, #23, Priceless!
You should market that to bulimics: “Read quickly, do not fight dizziness, throw up ad lib.”
August 7th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I agree with Joe, Peter. That was wonderful. It reminded me a little of a statement made some years ago by another mathematician. To wit:
When asked to decline, I never decline.
August 7th, 2009 at 10:27 am