Category Archives: Language

Euphony

Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2011 by bt

I’d always wondered why limericks sound so emphatically complete at the end. They shouldn’t. They’re five lines long, already an unstable number, and the last has to reach three lines back for its rhyme. Here’s the trick: A limerick is based … Continue reading →

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The CaRMS Match

Posted on Friday, March 4, 2011 by bt

“Any man making Rye Haven must first resign himself to the will of God, and consider, especially if the boat is running and a little over-canvassed, that death is but a mighty transition; that it is all sand hereabouts, with … Continue reading →

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Breakfast in Thunder Bay

Posted on Saturday, February 19, 2011 by bt

I’d forgotten what a comfort the Husky gas station and diner is. It’s the only chain built on that bastion of small hospitality (and therefore of Christendom), the leathery, blunt old waitress with a heart of gold. Countless weary truckers … Continue reading →

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The Latin Mass

Posted on Saturday, February 5, 2011 by bt

Of all the names used for the 1962 Missal, (Usus Antiquior, Extraordinary Form, Traditional, Tridentine), the worst is ‘Latin Mass’. It implies that the new one is the non-Latin Mass. Always in essence and ideally in practice, the Novus Ordo … Continue reading →

Posted in Language, Theological Musings | 1 Comment

Implications

Posted on Saturday, January 8, 2011 by bt

Why is it that when the cashier asks: “Would you like a receipt?”, it means the receipt isn’t printed yet, but could be, but when she asks: “Would you like your receipt?”, it means it’s been printed, and could be … Continue reading →

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You’re not kidding!

Posted on Monday, July 26, 2010 by bt

The second verse of the offertory chant for yesterday’s Mass concludes with a single word lasting ninety-seven notes. The word? ‘Semper.’

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105.9 CHPD-FM

Posted on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by bt

The Mennonites of Aylmer, Ontario. Because who else is spinning Elgin County the Christian mariachi top 40 in Low German?

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Sneaky Translation

Posted on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 by bt

English translations of Vatican documents are notoriously loose, and the critical reviewer can sometimes sniff out what looks like a deliberate distortion. The Holy Father’s letter to the Bishops explaining his Motu Proprio of July 7, 2007 offers a tidy … Continue reading →

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Double Entendre

Posted on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 by bt

Senior Medical Resident: (Frowning, feeling elderly demented patient’s chest for abnormal heart findings): “Hmm… yes, she does have a thrill.” Patient, scoffing: “Well, I’ve had more than that!”

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My Brother Would Like This

Posted on Thursday, October 15, 2009 by bt

Overheard on the local rap station the other day: “They say I should be a doctor, But I don’t have the patientce.”

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