The Luck of the Irish to You! - Wiser Now Wednesday

The Quirky Quote
An Irish blessing: May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future.

The Quirky Facts

One of my favorite Broadway plays (first produced in 1947) has long been “Finian’s Rainbow,” largely for its beautiful music and clever lyrics. Very briefly and vastly simplified, the plot revolves around Finian McLonergan, who with his daughter Sharon has emigrated from Ireland to the town of Rainbow Valley in the mythical state of Missitucky. He is intent on burying a stolen pot of gold in the shadows of Fort Knox, in the belief that it will grow and multiply. Hot on their heels is Og, a leprechaun intent on recovering his treasure, before the loss of it turns him permanently human.

The lyrics to the play’s songs were written by E.Y. Harburg. One technique he used is called chiasmus (pronounced ky-AZ-mus), which means the reversal on the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases. Mae West used it when she said her famous line:

It’s not the men in my life, It’s the life in my men.

This week’s quiz asks you to guess the second line in four examples of chiasmus from the song, “When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love.”

The Quirky Observation

Mr. Harburg was also fascinated by all the real (hundreds) and made-up words that can end in “ish.” At one point, Sharon and Og are flirting with one another and sing a song called, “Something Sort of Grandish” about what they are feeling.

Here are a few of its lines:

My heart feels so sugar candish . . .
It's so terrifish, magnifish, delish. . .
Why should I vanquish,
Relinquish, resish,
When I simply relish this swellish condish?

That got me thinking about all the words to which we commonly add “ish.”

To people of particular nationalities: British, Danish, Moorish, Polish and of course, Irish . . .
To colors: blackish, bluish, grayish, greenish, purplish, reddish . . .
To ages: thirtyish, fortyish, fiftyish . . .
To human sizes and shapes: biggish, blimpish, frumpish, lumpish, plumpish, smallish, tallish, thinnish . . .
To human character: babyish, boyish, brutish, childish, clownish, coquettish, devilish, impish, knavish, nerdish, tomboyish, vixenish, wimpish . . .
To humans’ animalistic tendencies: coltish, mulish, hawkish, dovish, kittenish, sheepish, shrewish, sluggish, . . .

Start looking, and you’ll soon be astonished by how common “ish” is.

The Question
Do you have Irish ancestors? Do you enjoy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day? How do you like celebrating your heritage whatever it is?

Featured Product

This slide show was obviously made for March’s St. Patrick’s Day, but it offers enough fun to take you well beyond a single day. Here you’ll enjoy:

- Trivia quizzes on what you know (or could learn) about Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day, the meaning of Irish surnames, famous Irish and Irish-American people, and a few quotes of famous Irishmen.

- Word games on Irish proverbs (2 versions), Irish songs, and on the Swellish Condish of the Irish

- Irish blessings

Faith and begorra, you don’t have to be Irish to be delighted by the brain teasers in this. View an Excerpt of Celebrating the Irish

The Quiz:
Can you fill in the second line to these four examples of chiasmus? Can you make up your own?

1.When I'm not near the girl I love, __________________
2.When I can't fondle the hand I'm fond of, ____________________
3.When I'm not close to the kiss that I cling to,____________________
4.When I'm not facing the face that I fancy, _____________________

Answers provided at the end of the document.

The Shameless Request

Please share Wiser Now Wednesday with anyone you think might be interested, and if you represent an organization that would like a customized version, send me a note at Kathy@WiserNow.com.