Modern Proverbs Appeal

[James A. Landau]

"Underwater basket weaving" works much better than "submerged basket weaving" because it is trochaic tetrameter.

Which brings up another Bob Johnson story:  he had a standing gag about the madrigal "Though Philomena Lost Her Love":  "nobody knows if it's /PhiLOMena/ or /PHILomena/."  Unfortunately for him I spoiled the gag by pointing out that it had to be /PHILomena/, so as to make the title iambic tetrameter.

Aside to Mark Mandel:  you are correct.  One of the two commercially-printed posters I mentioned was illustrated with a line drawing of a baby sitting on what was literally a pot.  The other one had a photograph of a man with his pants around his feet (or maybe he was nude, I don't remember) sitting on a conventional toilet.

    - Jim Landau

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