An illustration from an 1862 issue of Punch magazine.

An illustration from a 1907 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.

The moon's nose is responsible for arching the Hallowe'en cat's back.  The illustration is from Life Magazine, 1884.

An illustration from a 1903 issue of Life magazine.  The caption reads: "Hallowe'en and candle-light.  Show me my true love to-night."

From our blog on magic words and symbols spotted in the wild:

We're honored that our Magic Words: A Dictionary is cited several times in "A Treatise on Vowel Symbolism" by Joannes Richter.

Meanwhile, here's Chris' take on vowels:

Ghost teeth (what Goethe called Geisterzahn) are neutral entities, neither quite divine nor satanic, equally good and bad.  "Their realm may be beyond human rationality, but it is not inaccessible to human experience.  [Ghost teeth] have their home in the imagination.  Neither concrete, i.e. empirically verifiable, nor rational, they inhabit the above and below of human rationality.  They are a concrete experience of the non-concrete in the mind, an imaginary concretisation of extra-rational phantoms" (Maike Oergel, Culture and Identity: Historicity in German Literature and Thought 1770-1815, 2006, p. 241).

We wrote a macabre tale about ghost teeth, and it appears in the Spooky Tales ebook.

From Prof. Oddfellow's sketchbook:

For Gary Barwin.

An illustration from a 1911 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.  The caption reads: "The ceremony of 'Berrying' the Ghost.  Observe the berries in the children's hands."

An illustration from an 1892 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "Hey, black cat!  Hey, my pretty black cat!"

Write a novel which is composed of only the shadows of people on grass.
—William Keckler

"This might surprise you, but beautiful fall foliage can be found in all 50 states."
—Peter Greenberg, The Complete Travel Detective Bible

An illustration from an 1897 issue of The Strand magazine.  The caption reads: "The human obstacle."

"The correct answer is simply a restatement of the first sentence.”

—Master The Firefighter Exam (2009)

An illustration from a 1912 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "In a great illumination of the spirit he trembled and was astonished."

An illustration from a 1914 issue of Century Illustrated magazine.

An illustration from a 1916 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "There stood a tiny, an altogether improbable little woman."

"A routine traffic stop is complicated by an uncooperative driver." —TV Guide synopsis of a Cops episode (2000).

Thanks to Dan, who shot this paradoxical sign in San Jose, 1989.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but don't you think it might be worthwhile for you to take a holiday—a week or two in the country to unwind and get your breath?"
—Brian Garfield, The Villiers Touch

An illustration from an 1890 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "I think his satanic majesty himself sends a special messenger sometimes to preside over a woman's toilet."

Dedicated to Teresa Burritt.

Jonathan spotted this one in the wild.

Star of Dawn:  an illustration from an 1856 issue of Godey's magazine.

An illustration from an 1892 issue of Century Illustrated magazine.  The caption reads: "Conjuring back the buffalo."

Did you know the "sexy nun" costume goes back at least to 1879?  From Punch.

"A rose is a rose is an onion."
—Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)

An onion rose from Prof. Oddfellow's sketchbook.

A ghostly illustration from an 1883 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "The apparition."

"Women are, after all, extremely emotional people, so you must always remember that."
—Jonathon Jones, Dating ISN'T for Dummies

Emotionless woman image by Scott.

A precursor to the 2001: A Space Odyssey monolith, from Punch, 1851.

"It is surprising, but true, that the bulk of the best things we have were not introduced from the best motives."
—George Gunton, Trusts and the Public (1899)

"The Death of Death":  an illustration by Cyril Goldie in an 1899 issue of Quartier Latin magazine.

"Call it a hunch, call it a pipe dream."
—George Harmon Coxe, Deadly Image (2011)


A still from the perennially delightful Young Frankenstein.

An illustration from an 1896 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "The ball took the eye out of the portrait of our great-grandfather who came over the Mayflower."

A Plethora of Westness

Jonathan Caws-Elwitt shares a little-known fact: The city of Northampton, Mass., is home to the East Pole.  From that location and that location only, every direction is west.

Jonathan adds: Believe it or not, the road to Easthampton was directly to my left as I took the picture—and, no kidding, it takes the traveler to Easthampton by proceeding in a somewhat westerly direction.

An illustration from an 1894 issue of Pall Mall magazine.  The caption reads: "My library did not seem to afford him the kind of reading matter he craved."

An illustration from an 1871 issue of Godey's magazine.  The caption reads: "Where is the night key?"

An illustration from a 1916 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "Life itself is only a vision, a dream."

"The answer is simple: by creating keyword lists.”

—Brad Geddes

Today, we might liken an experience to "something out of a movie."  But back in 1872, things were different. "'Why this is like a book, isn't it?' said she" (Century Illustrated).

"Once, flowers were used as telephones."
—William Keckler

In the grand manner of spirit photography we see two spectral ladies join the pair when the Google scanner catches some sanguine bleed through.  Illustration from an 1847 issue of Godey's magazine.

An illustration from a 1901 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "So haunted at moonlight with bat and owl and ghostly moth."

Are only women doing it?  Max Cryer explains:


(Who Said That First?: The Curious Origins of Common Words and Phrases, 2012)

"The only certainty today is that one must be self-conscious."
—John Elderfield, De Kooning: A Retrospective (2011)

An illustration from a 1900 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "Mr. Hunt observes the fate of the hypnotist."

"Surprising but true, the avocado is not a vegetable, but rather an oil-rich berry, like the olive, albeit a bit larger."
—Larry McCleary, The Brain Trust Program (2008)

An illustration from a 1903 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "So the night passed."

"I know whenever I mention 'you should write a book' there will be an inevitable 'who, me?' reaction. Yes, of course you."
—ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income

An illustration from a 1904 issue of The Strand magazine.  The caption reads: "The carpet wants you to let it go to its old home."

An illustration from a 1915 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "Lazar had forgotten everything but the sense of immortal ecstasy."

Here are twenty tips for overcoming autumnal blues, from a letter by Sydney Smith to Lady Georgiana Morpeth, Feb. 16, 1820:

Dear Lady Georgiana,– Nobody has suffered more from low spirits than I have done — so I feel for you.

1st. Live as well as you dare.

2nd. Go into the shower-bath with a small quantity of water at a temperature low enough to give you a slight sensation of cold, 75° or 80°.

3rd. Amusing books.

4th. Short views of human life — not further than dinner or tea.

5th. Be as busy as you can.

6th. See as much as you can of those friends who respect and like you.

7th. And of those acquaintances who amuse you.

8th. Make no secret of low spirits to your friends, but talk of them freely — they are always worse for dignified concealment.

9th. Attend to the effects tea and coffee produce upon you.

10th. Compare your lot with that of other people.

11th. Don’t expect too much from human life — a sorry business at the best.

12th. Avoid poetry, dramatic representations (except comedy), music, serious novels, melancholy, sentimental people, and everything likely to excite feeling or emotion, not ending in active benevolence.

13th. Do good, and endeavour to please everybody of every degree.

14th. Be as much as you can in the open air without fatigue.

15th. Make the room where you commonly sit, gay and pleasant.

16th. Struggle by little and little against idleness.

17th. Don’t be too severe upon yourself, or underrate yourself, but do yourself justice.

18th. Keep good blazing fires.

19th. Be firm and constant in the exercise of rational religion.

20th. Believe me, dear Lady Georgiana,

Very truly yours,
Sydney Smith

(via Futility Closet)

An illustration from a 1917 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.  The caption reads: "Shirts jumped out of my dreams with hoots resembling ghosts."

Write a novel purely about the nasopharyngeal colorings of desire.
—William Keckler

An accidental androgyne courtesy of the Google scanning machine:  illustrations from an 1877 issue of Godey's magazine.

Here's a precursor to David Lynch's comic strip "The Angriest Dog in the World," about a dog "so angry he cannot move; he cannot eat; he cannot sleep; he can just barely growl; bound so tightly with tension and anger, he approaches the state of rigor mortis."  This vintage angriest dog appears in Puck, 1886.

"It may surprise you just who considers himself an optimist or a pessimist."
—The Everything Guide to Self-Esteem (2011)

An illustration from an 1890 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "It was like a black worm swaying its blind head to and fro."

"I think I've decided I now want my epitaph to read, THE SUN WAS IN MY EYES. Imagine a sprawling cemetery where every epitaph was only a variation on that, a different excuse on every tombstone? I'd love to visit." —William Keckler

An illustration from a 1906 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.  The caption reads: "She tried it, but the boy cried."

An illustration from an 1899 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "The soul-ship moved out with the tide."

Over a century before they called Shaggy "Mr. Boombastic," General Boombastes commanded the dancehall.  From Punch, 1892.

"Surprising, but true.  Living in trust turns out to be virtually the opposite of being naïve: you become more perceptive, not less."
—Go-Givers Sell More (2010)

An illustration from a 1910 issue of Hampton's magazine.

We're delighted to be referenced more than once in this Irish Times article about the popularity of the letter E.

It's been said that like a poet, a golfer is born and not made.  It may all boil down to a baby's affiliation with fairies.  The illustration is from Punch, 1892.

"The only certainty is it is almost impossible to please both audiences at the same time.
—Deacon Bill Rich, Joy: The Journey Home (2012)

An illustration from an 1869 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "The wise man's home changed."

(The following is our Guest Blog post for DeepFun.com)

The classic hand game of Rock-Paper-Scissors has a shadow side — quite literally. It’s played partially in the dark. Each move casts shadows on the wall. And the rules are reversed to whimsical results.

Requirements:

• a blank wall – a canvas for shadow-casting
• a lamp easily turned off and on (the sole illumination in the room)
• two handy players
• one scorekeeper/storyteller (scorekeeping is optional, a player may act as scorekeeper, especially if the lamp has a foot-operated switch)
• spectators (occupancy not to exceed fire marshall’s restrictions, of course) (also optional)

When the scorekeeper initiates darkness, each player opaquely forms one of three hand gestures in front of the lamp. At the count of three, the scorekeeper lets there be light, and the gesticulative shadows are writ large on the wall.

The so-called Rock is actually a Paperweight.

The so-called Paper is actually a Paper Doll (a butterfly, a bunny, a goat, or any other hand shadow figure the player desires)

The so-called Scissors are still cutting blades, but let’s call them Snippers just to be different.

Traditional Game	Shadow Game
Paper covers the Rock	Paperweight sensibly covers the Paper Doll and the Paperweight wins.
Scissors cut the Paper	Paper Doll is born of the Snippers and the Paper Doll wins.
Rock crushes the Scissors	Paperweight *sharpens* the Snippers and the Snippers win.

As a mnemonic, Snippers *need* to be sharp in order to fulfill their destiny, Paper Dolls *need* to be snipped in order to take shape and fulfill their destiny, and Paperweights *need* to rest upon Paper Dolls because everyone requires downtime to flatten out, relax, and recharge so as to fulfill their destinies.

There are three possible ties. In the traditional game, these are simply ignored. In the Shadow Game, these are celebrated as follows:

Both players throw	Both players act out
Paperweight	Shadow boxing
Snippers	Running with scissors
Paper Doll	The scorekeeper becomes a storyteller when two Paper Dolls grace the wall and interact as a shadow-puppetshow ensues

An illustration from a 1907 issue of The Strand magazine.

"'Call it a hunch.'  'A hunch?  You wouldn't happen to have anything solid to back that up, would you?'"
—Kay Hooper, Out of the Shadows (2000), as if adding some wit to Young Frankenstein


A still from the perennially hilarious Young Frankenstein.

"One letter words result in a sitting dog."  That seemingly absurd statement actually makes sense in the context of this unusual dachshund font (with duck, poodle, and chihuahua versions).  Please don't inquire about the period.

"This might surprise you—it sure surprised me—but one hundred reps of anything really, really burns."
—Charlotte Hilton Andersen, The Great Fitness Experiment

An illustration from a 1904 issue of Harper's magazine.

Q: "Do the clouds want to chime in on how they think my day went?" (William Keckler)

A: No; however, clouds do want many things:

1. The clouds want to know what they are. (The Journal of the Anthropological Society of Bombay, 1928)
2. The clouds want to be your clothes. (Shidao Xu, Origins of Chinese Cuisine, 2003)
3. The clouds want more elaboration. (Horatio Noble Pym, Odds and Ends at Foxwold, 1887)
4. The clouds want to hide the sun. (Don Marion Wolfe, Language Arts and Life Patterns, 1972)
5. The clouds want to rain on the parade; they have intentionality. (Jonathan C. Smith, Pseudoscience and Extraordinary Claims of the Paranormal, 2011)
6. Clouds want to be fields. (Nichita Stanescu, Wheel with a Single Spoke: and Other Poems, 2012)
7. The clouds want to play. (Kevin R. Fish, Poetic Justice For Nature, 2004)
8. In general, clouds want a full baptism in the sea. (Gaius Glenn Atkins, The Godward Side of Life, 1917)
9. The clouds want to go somewhere. (David Hicks, Ritual and Belief: Readings in the Anthropology of Religion, 2010)
10. Clouds want to be platforms. (Curtis Franklin Jr., Cloud Computing: Technologies and Strategies of the Ubiquitous Data Center, 2009)
11. Fragments of clouds want to align. (Paul S. Ropp, Banished Immortal, 2002)
12. Clouds want to move things around, get a better view where noise comes from. (Devan Malore, The Churning, 2008)
13. Clouds want to blow in and drop rain. (Marianne Sawicki, Crossing Galilee, 2000)
14. Our clouds want to mingle and form an even bigger and better cloud. (Sol Gordon, How Can You Tell If You're Really In Love?, 2001)
15. Clouds want more moisture in order to remain supportive. (Ham Kaima, My Arrogant Friends, 1992)
16. The clouds want to be smoke circles blown over lips. (A. Van Jordan, Quantum Lyrics: Poems, 2007)
17. Hovering dark clouds want to flatten the city. (Chinese Idioms and Phrases, 1977)
18. The clouds want fire from the rocks. (Courtenay Malcolm Batchelor, Folklore, 1952)
19. All clouds want a talent. (Dow Kump, Scooter's Sparking Stone, 2005)

Morning Star:  an illustration from an 1852 issue of Godey's magazine.

An illustration from an 1877 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "Almost unconsciously Sue sang to the night."

A still from the Scottish comedy brilliance known as Burnistoun.

"Surprising, but true, you don't need to sew to make a pillow."
—Faux Chic: Creating the Rich Look You Want for Less (2004)

(Dedicated to the Silly Pillows.)

An illustration from a 1905 issue of Harper's magazine.  The caption reads: "One of the new German kindergarten appliances."

Five years before the birth of the Elephant Man, Joseph Merrick, an elephant man appeared in Punch (1857).

A surrealist illustration from a 1906 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.  The caption reads: "A yawning chasm, to fall into which meant at least a broken neck."

Dedicated to Jordan Wright.

Here's a precursor to the song "Me and Mrs. Jones," who had a thing goin' on all the way back in 1857.  (Punch)

"This is happening, it's really happening. So why doesn't it feel better than this?"
—Catherine McKenzie, Spin

The foreground photo of this collage is from the very funny Arrested Development.

An illustration from a 1902 issue of The Strand magazine.  The caption reads: "The sexton, a preternaturally solemn person, danced a hornpipe on the table."

Did you know we were recently [d]reamed out by the estate of Martin Luther King, Jr.?  Did you know that hackers are diligently trying to erase our life's work from the internet (and that we can hardly blame them?)  We reveal all sorts of things in our controversial interview with author Janet Boyer.

The "Cone of Silence," made famous in the Get Smart comedy series, first appeared over a century earlier, in Punch, 1857.

[For Jonathan.]

See our explanation of this extraordinary project here.

Portrait from The Life and Letters of George Bancroft.

An illustration from a 1907 issue of The Strand magazine.  The caption reads: "If you insist on denouncing me, you little know the consequences you will bring upon yourself!"

Dedicated to Gordon Meyer.

"Miles and miles of dead leaves, either drifting, wayward and restless, like living things that are feverish and sick, or lying in piled-up heaps, corpse-cold and motionless, entering, it might seem, with some ecstasy too deep to betray itself by the faintest quiver, the huge dark dumb mysterious process, reeking with sepulchre-sweet rot and fetid with lust-satisfying decay, of the enormous vegetable dissolution, out of which, autumn by recurrent autumn, the organic life of the earth is renewed." —John Cowper Powys, Porius

We discovered a precursor to the film A Cry in the Dark (1988).  A dingo took her baby in this image from The Wide World Magazine, 1900.

"We would pass a joint and suddenly everything about this world and our place in it seemed hilarious. Simple observations became impossibly profound. Indubitably so."*
—John Grogan, The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir (2009)