Dullest Headline?

Came across this while browsing the web.

Claude Cockburn's famous candidate in the competition among Times sub-editors for the year's dullest headline:

"Small Earthquake in Chile: Not Many Dead."

About A Word

This is a poem about my favourite word: quinquennium, which means a period of five years. This is fresh from the Incubbator! Track its history there.

Not sure how much literary value it has; there is no theme as such, just some facts in verse. But if you are here for the wordplay, this is it.

-------------------
ABOUT A WORD
-------------------

English words starting with 'Q'
Are, queerly, but a quiescent few.
Query anyone, "Not many in queue".

A quixotic five-year quest (quite untrue),
Cupid's arrow struck me, a random lexicon view;
I had found the one most q-true-blue!

Quinquennium: It's quite my word favourite.
Quin-quenni-yum: Say it aloud and savour it.
Take my cue: over "half a decade", favour it.

Indeed the Queen Of Words. Aye aye, so true!
Not only does it start with a 'Q',
But it has one to spare too: two!

-Thomas Jay Cubb

Song For The Quinquennium

I reproduce here my submission to My Favorite Word.

Quinquennium. Not too many words start with a 'q', and this one has two 'q's! Really like the way it sounds too.

-------------------------
SONG FOR THE QUINQUENNIUM
-------------------------
English's list of Q-words:
Not many in queue.
I searched "five years"!
At last found a good one
not just starting with Q
but which in fact had two!
I just love it, won't you too?
Please do take my cue.

-Thomas Jay Cubb
http://incubbator.blogspot.com

I wonder why this word is not more in vogue; a quinquennium is a more practical measure to track your life with than a decade is, come to think of it...

-------------------------------------------

This became, very soon, the first version of "About A Word" (final version at CubbSpace)

This is a poem about the word quiniquennium which means "five years", it is in fact my favourite word. somebody had asked me yesterday, so that's where the inspiration comes from all of a sudden..

it's very very experimental.has its rough edges, so let me know what you think... so that i can finalize... .

luv
thomas


ABOUT A WORD
--------------------------
English words starting with 'Q'
Are, queerly, a quite quiescent few.
Query anyone, "Not many in queue".
A quixotic five-year lexical quest (quite untrue)
And I found the word most q-true-blue!

Half a decade, it's my favourite
(The word's quinquennium)
Say it aloud, savour it
Ain't it cute, sounds so.. yum-yum?
No question, better than all the rest of'em.

For not only does it start with a 'Q',
It has one to spare too: two!

-Thomas Jay Cubb
(September 15, 2005)

FloccinAUSSIEnihilipilification

The recently concluded Ashes series saw the floccinaucinihilipilification of the Australian batting order by the English pace bowlers. There! I have used the word! In context!!!

Wonder why nobody else came up with that line... The word was just begging to be used, with even the "Aussie" bit in it!

Ashes 2005: Floccinaussienihilipilification would pretty much describe the series in one word, wouldn't it? For the record... :-)

Floccinaucinihilipilification is the longest non-technical word in the dictionary.

Cake In The Pantry

The birthday-poem...Dedicated to Thomas by Thomas!!!
Written on February 19, 2004 to invite colleagues to share some cake on the occasion of my birthday.

----------------------------------
CAKE IN THE PANTRY
----------------------------------
Personally, Thomas Jake-
ub invites you to partake
pieces of his birthday-cake!!
It's in the pantry,
but I remind you to hurry
for the problem with cakes
and other such sweet bakes
is that, a few moments is all it TAKES!!!

And hey on-sites
How I wish you could have a few bites!
Alas!
A loss!

- Thomas Jay Cubb
------------------------------------

PS I (as do you of course! :-) wish me a happy birthday!!