Ig Nobel Prize

[MsGuy]

LOL, give me a break, RA1. I'm working really hard here in the hope I might regain at least a faint semblance of dignity after that fierce beat down AS administered.

[AdamSmith]

We have every confidence in you, MsGuy.

[MsGuy]

Second:

Consider query in context. Toward the tail end (yes,yes, bow wow, I get it, RA1) of a bit of tit for tat in the forums between AS and Draker I posted, "If AS is clever but wishes he were pretty and Draker is pretty but wishes he were clever...what's the word for that?"

Now if one ignores the context and takes me to be asking a straight up question about identifying a literary device (or, worse yet, 'rhetorical figuration' (whatever that may be)), one is immediately lost in the bowels of the tar baby. But then why would anyone expect a straight question from the likes of me?

{Grand Reveal Finale up next.}

[MsGuy]

We have every confidence in you, MsGuy.

Thank you, AS. I appreciation your support and encouragement.

[AdamSmith]

Hm. The dawning of wisdom in oneself is seldom ever welcome, I can see I am about to be reminded.

[Guest callipygian]

who knew the absent pretty/clever portmanteau was still in play?

[MsGuy]

Third:

To cut all this short, I wasn't asking a question, I was posing a riddle. And with riddles typically you are required to look a little sideways at the words and maybe squint your eyes a bit.

What if I wasn't asking the word for the form of my post but a word for the interjection of a (mildly) inflammatory post into the middle of a tiff between two other posters, which tiff seemed to quieting down all on it's own?

====

OK the site software is telling me there are two posts waiting to be read, so I'm going to check them out before winding up.

In the meantime, feel free to make your best guess while you're waiting.

[AdamSmith]

There it is: I despise riddles.

I await the blade descending.

[MsGuy]

Hm. The dawning of wisdom in oneself is seldom ever welcome, I can see I am about to be reminded.

Hey, I very plainly stated that I was worried that giving you the answer would piss you off even more than withholding it. Well, maybe dangling it in front of your nose and then jerking it away, but still I did warn so don't go all Rambo on my ass. PLEASE?

[RA1]

Holy cow. Shades of "The Gift of the Magi". Here we are brandying cleverness and prettiness and to what exact point? I learned that from you, MsGuy.

Best regards,

RA1

[AdamSmith]

One confesses, in light of your Damascus Road experience earlier today, to be contemplating St Paul's legended fate.

Regardless, please continue.

[Guest callipygian]

I haven't been this anxious and uneasy about a finale since Breaking Bad's final season episode.

[MsGuy]

OK, without further ado, the word is trolling.

And believe me, I have learned my lesson from all this.

Kiddies, take my word for it, even the most (seemingly) harmless bit of trolling can get wholly out of hand fast, without anyone really intending it to do so.

Trolling is like crack or crystal meth.

You try a shot or two just for fun and soon enough you find yourself all wrinkled up and toothless, posting nasty shit at your friends at 4:00 am in the morning.

Thank God that AS swatted me down when he did or I'd probably still be in that hell.

[AdamSmith]

[MsGuy]

I learned that from you, MsGuy.

Best regards,

RA1

My take away from that is that you should take more care in your selection selection of mentors.

[Guest callipygian]

msguy, had you turned your GPS on days ago you could have spared us yourself all of this.

[Guest callipygian]

[MsGuy]

But AS, that's the whole point!

It was just a dumb-ass, silly post that you took up and ran with. Took as a challenge to your intellectual prowess.

What else was I to do except play along?

====

Hmm...who knew 'prowess' was spelled w/o a 'n'? Been saying it wrong my whole life, I guess.

[RA1]

So long as you haven't been doing it wrong.

At my stage in life, I am looking at mentees, not mentors.

OK, no jokes about your little fishing motor.

Best regards,

RA1

[AdamSmith]

Yes, I get that is the point. Cartoon is as much on me as anyone.

I would quibble a little bit with "challenge to ... intellectual prowess." How about -- this applies to striking the intellectual pose as much as running with the word game -- just flight from dread boredom?

[MsGuy]

BTW. I'm still not quite convinced there's no literary or theatrical word (rhetorical I concede) for juxtaposing two characters who envy and pretend to each others strengths. Seems like there ought to be, even if there's not.

====

Hey, what about juxtaposition?

Not quite right, maybe, but we're getting close, I think.

[AdamSmith]

P.S. Prowness is not a word to brandy about lightly.

[AdamSmith]

Theatre as the context!

See you all sometime next year, with dissertation in hand.

[MsGuy]

I would quibble a little bit with "challenge to ... intellectual prowess." How about -- this applies to striking the intellectual pose as much as running with the word game -- just flight from dread boredom?

OK, that seems like a fair characterization. I can go with that.

[MsGuy]

Theatre as the context!

See you all sometime next year, with dissertation in hand.

Now that's the AdamSmith we all know and love!!!

If there's a edible nugget of chocolate mousse in that tar baby after all, you can bet the farm AS will find it!