Imagine a game of "What's My Line," in which either a cherub or an imp whispers into a blindfolded panelist's ear.

Are the whispered words pictured on the right of an angelic or a diabolical nature?

Answer: Diabolical. "Within me my rebellious demon whispered, 'Now is the time! Break through into the superluminous, hey?'” —Paul Goodman, The Empire City, 2001, p. 471. (The answer is in black text on the black background. Highlight it to view.)

Prof. Oddfellow reads some penetrating literature: Jonathan Safran Foer's Tree of Codes.

From her lips ampersands and percent signs
Exit like kisses.
—Sylvia Plath, "An Appearance"

Here's a photo of an ampersand kiss.

"We are both deaf and blind, and surrounded by mysteries we don't recognize."
—Geof Huth

"My answer is simple.  Because we need culture, and we have anarchy.”

—Samuel Lipman, Culture and Anarchy (1994)

• what works best for you
• your incredible insecurity
• the individuals involved
• coaching
• a failure to execute
• money management
• a simple choice
• being a coward
• how much weight a name will carry
• behavior
• emotional chemistry
• how you spin it
• hitting a key on the computer
• forming a word
• freedom and choice
• rhythms
• what you know and what you don't
• using your brain
• trusting your gut
• this election
• desire
• dedication
• finding your market
• higher aspirations
• memory
• negotiation
• safety
• character
• what you're throwing out
• blood
• human beings
• one girl
• attitude
• priorities
• accepting responsibility
• which way you pass the butter
• greed
• trust
• control
• whether you want your life to be full of accomplishments and triumphs, laughter and good times, or anger and frustration, bitterness and disappointments

"Okay, this isn't rocket science, I told myself, it's just pizza!" —D.A. Koelbransen, My Li'l Paradise: Built to Last (2010)

On a related note, here's the world's only compendium of things that are not, in fact, rocket science.

"You can call it a hunch or a gut feeling but either way something is not quite right with this picture and it is annoying the hell out of me." —Rebecca Hackney (Love Blooms in a Blizzard), surely not referring to the perfectly perfect picture that is Young Frankenstein.


A still from the perennially hilarious Young Frankenstein.

"This may surprise you, but as many as 4% of all applicants to top colleges never complete their application."
—Andrew Allen, College Admissions Trade Secrets (2001)

"We've all heard it a hundred times, but it bears repeating: Don't turn your back on the ocean."
—Fodor's Hawaii

"On the map missing data stare out as a blank, often risking giving a misleading impression."
—John Langton & Robert John Morris, Atlas of industrializing Britain 1780-1914

"Hands-on testing reveals the surprising truth. Many people take only average precautions against life's numerous hazards."
—PC (1984)

"It's a fine line between standing along the shore like an idiot with a stick in your hands and going fishing."
—Ethan Wolff, Frommer's NYC Free & Dirt Cheap

Which word is funnier: turpentine or spatula?

Clue: The answer is also funnier than yogurt and llama.

Answer: turpentine. (The answer is in black text on the black background. Highlight it to view.)

Citation: Alan Madison, 100 Days and 99 Nights (2008)

"There are many more enigmas in the shadow of a man who walks in the sun than in all the religions of the past, present, and future."—Giorgio de Chirico, Hebdomeros (and other writings)

(via our co-blog at Anima Tarot)

 

Imagine a game of "What's My Line," in which either a cherub or an imp whispers into a blindfolded panelist's ear.

Are the whispered words pictured on the right of an angelic or a diabolical nature?

Answer: Diabolical. "While thus forsaken by all human help, all human pity, a tempting demon whispered that it would be better for her to return to her former way of life." —Anna Jameson, Legends of the Monastic Orders, 1852, p. 329. (The answer is in black text on the black background. Highlight it to view.)