CRAIG CONLEY (Prof. Oddfellow) is recognized by Encarta as “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation.” He has been called a “language fanatic” by Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams, and a “cult hero” by Publisher’s Weekly. An eccentric scholar, Conley’s ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the “virtual pet” in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular “Tamagotchi” in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley’s website is OneLetterWords.com.

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A Turkish Delight of musings on languages, deflations of metaphysics, vauntings of arcana, and great visual humor.
Neither Saint- Nor Sophist-Led

Be neither saint nor sophist-led, but be a man.
—Matthew Arnold


August 23, 2010 (permalink)

From our Magic Words outpost:

When Andrew Lovatt kindly praised us for "bringing the excitement and the hunt and mystery back into lexicogaphy," we realized that he had identified the patron saint of our magical dictionary: Artemis, the Roman goddess of the hunt. Thanks, Andrew!


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July 4, 2010 (permalink)

Christopher
Patron Saint of Time Travelers


Art by lisby.
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June 27, 2010 (permalink)


By k2/Ken Keirns.  See original here.
Terry
Patron Saint of the 80s
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March 3, 2010 (permalink)


Photo by meredith.
The Patron Saint of Towels

Motto: "Holy absorption of the wring of truth."
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January 20, 2010 (permalink)


A sauna door in Finland, photographed by aixcracker.
"More like the patron saint of saunas."
—Bernard MacLaverty, Grace Notes
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December 12, 2009 (permalink)

Some Forgotten Saints You Might Want to Call Upon in Your Hour(s) of Need

courtesy of William Keckler

1. Saint Grippius--Patron Saint of Jar Lids So Tight They Drive One to Blasphemy or to Sell One's Immortal Soul

2. Saint Orapurulentia--Patron Saint of Tongue Piercings Which Get Infected and Do Not Respond to Amoxicillin or Second or Third Line Antibiotics

3. Saint Blepharius--Patron Saint of Annoying But Probably Harmless Eyelid Twitches

4. Saint Prophylactscissus ("Father Rough Plow")--Patron Saint of Broken Condoms (better offer a Novena!)

5. Saint Uhmm--Patron Saint of Awkward Silences

6. Saint Papyrmnesia--Patron Saint of Forgotten or Lost Receipts

7. Saint Hydromnesia of Antigua--Patron Saint of Those Who Forget to Flush (especially before the arrival of company)

8. Saint Pousseriana--Patron Saint and Protectress of Dust Bunnies

9. Saint Orthoplastia--Patron Saint of Plastic Surgery Gone Awry

10. Saint Pseudomirthia--Patron Saint of Those Who Must Fake Laughter at the Unfunny Humor of Bosses, Spouses, etc. (She will help loyal supplicants conjure a suitably "believable" fake titter).
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December 8, 2009 (permalink)


Photo by Erik.  See full size here.
"Slouched against a wall and rolling his eyes like the patron saint of boredom."
—Chris Fuhrman, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
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November 30, 2009 (permalink)


"Saints of the Lower East Side, Part 7."
"He was born on the Lower East Side in 1967; he is hovering saintly on the edge of all my action."
—Andrei Codrescu, License to Carry a Gun
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November 4, 2009 (permalink)


Dear Professor Oddfellow,

I would not write you if a matter of the gravest concern and import did not daily and nightly press upon my chest and constrict my very breath like a "way-too- presumptuous-dude" incubus.

A parrot-cormorant hybrid has been flying about my domicile recently...a horrible nuisance and eyesore.

I notice that it casts no shadow, but that its echoes are doubled and sometimes even trebled, so I'm fairly certain this is a creature escaped from one of your books or incantations.

It flaps from floor to floor and the only thing I could find which repels its natural and unnatural curiosity about anything I am doing (the beast has mastered the art of doorknobs with those claws!) is the sound of the homilies administered by one particularly pedantic minister down in Arkansas.

As this homily only runs at three in the morning and lasts a scant three hours, I find myself deprived of rest the remainder of the day and night, and I assure you my villainy is suffering.

If villainy needs anything, it is a good night's rest.

I notice the bird has mastered several human languages and I admit that I have found it a help in my Icelandic studies. Yestreen it was declaiming one of the ancient Sagas, albeit in a rather monotonous delivery.

Other nights it seems to be acting out some obscure Slovakian television drama or other, complete with laugh track. And worse fare. To call these raucous soundtracks vexsome would be meiosis, which I'm sure you know (I say with no condescension whatsoever) is the opposite of hyperbole.

Today it interrupted me as I was studying a dossier of medieval illustrations I have gathered providing definitive proof that many early martyred saints had begun attempts to blog. I had found clear illustrations of medieval blogging and was nearly ecstatic. Do you realize what a gift this will be to the Mother Church? I am attempting to write a monograph on the subject.

I believe there is a blogging-Purgatory connection. People in Purgatory have been blogging for millenia, but we have been confusing these messages with spam!

Rome must hear of this, and hear of this soon.

Your parrot-cormorant hybrid (and I do believe it is yours) is a handsome creature and I admit to admiring your handiwork, but I was wondering if you might convince it through telepathy or other means that other nearby dwellings might offer more appealing symbiotic "digs."

I thought it was a nice touch that the feathers have the ability to manifest images with a clarity to rival that of the flattest plasma television screen. Have you thought of marketing the beast along those lines? If you could somehow get the beast to articulate vocally in synchrony with the television program its feathers broadcast, you might be onto something.

I confess I watched a documentary on the little-known St. Thisbe of Malta upon the creature's wings as the avian was slumbering on my second floor landing this afternoon.

St. Thisbe was killed by an angry mob of theologians when he attempted to create the first God chain-letter spam. It was in the form of rocks that had Christian messages written upon them, which were to be passed on to twelve friends, who then had to copy the message onto twelve new rocks and spread the divine message to twelve friends each, etc. Here was proof of early faith spam!

It was clearly too early. The plan backfired and St. Thisbe was stoned to death with his own spam rocks, once they were traced back to him. I found this incident memorialized in a little-known etching by Goya entitled (in Spanish): "Pass this on or burn in Hell for donkey years, you cursed widget of Satan..."

Also, your winged beast thieves. Yesterday, I noticed three cupcakes, an edition of Balzac, a scatter pillow, a set of fingernail clippers and an invisibility amulet were all missing from the downstairs.

Needless to say, it is that last theft which troubles me most.

The prospect of an invisible parrot-cormorant with polyglossalaliac logorrhea haunting my dwelling is not one I wish to entertain seriously.

Any assistance you can give me upon this matter will be greatly appreciated, and know that I remain, as ever,

Yours in Logodaedaly and Phrenological Dodginess,

Wilhelm
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January 9, 2009 (permalink)

Saint Axl
Patron of Egomania.


Art by Live Wire.
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December 26, 2008 (permalink)

Saint Ravioli
Patron of Pasta Making.


Photo by Make Up Your Mind.
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December 12, 2008 (permalink)

Saint Robert
Patron of Post Rock.


Photo by Great Danes.
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December 5, 2008 (permalink)

Saint Morass
Patron of the Bog.


Photo by chotda.
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November 28, 2008 (permalink)

Saint Garrison
Patron of Backpack Guarding.


Photo by cabbit.
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November 21, 2008 (permalink)

Saint Trotter
Patron of Fleetfootedness.

Also known as "the patron of *flat*footedness, in the Eastern Orthotix Church" [thanks, Jonathan!].


Photo by meadowood.
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November 14, 2008 (permalink)

Saint Chuck
Patron of High Rolls.


Photo by Hell'sCook.
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November 7, 2008 (permalink)

Saint Terricloth
Patron of Charming Drunks.


Artwork by pavee lackeen.

---

Jeff writes:

That would have to be Saint Egolatría, patron of poorly planned head trips.
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October 31, 2008 (permalink)

Saint Limon
Patron of Lemonade.


Photo by Trevira.
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October 24, 2008 (permalink)

Saint Snowshoe
Patron of Winter Sports.

Jonathan Caws-Elwitt quips: "He can walk on water, weather permitting."


Photo by trailerfullofpix.
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October 17, 2008 (permalink)


Photo by skeletonkrewe.
Saint Ray Ray
Patron of Frequent Flyer Miles.
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