A NAME BY ANY OTHER NAME
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. –William Shakespeare
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When I was young, the above was one of the first truisms I remember coming upon which took me beyond the surface of its simple truth….a proposition, if you will, that by any other name would be as true. After all, what is a name but a representation of what must be named because how else are we to picture in common what is being referred to? For example, if my name were Mister Muttonhead, I would still be me, though my name would be Mister Muttonhead, not Mister Muse (and I would still smell as sweet).
With that in mind, I thought I’d try my hand at furthering the Bard’s example by expounding on his original paradigm, to wit:
Flour by any other name would smell as wheat.
An alert cat by any other name would smell a rat.
An antique by any other name would cost far less.
The God of man by any other name would smell like WHAT’S UP WITH THAT.
Time by any other name would smell like a flier on life.
A duck by any other name would quack like the other name.
A Donald Trump by any other name would quack like an amuck Donald Duck.
Thanksgiving turkey by any other name would smell like a thankless (but not tasteless) turkey.
Such is life. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
carmen 2:24 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
So very true, Mister Muse.
I’m still ‘down under’ and wanted to point out to you that your last line – “Such is Life” is supposed to be the last words uttered by one of Australia’s infamous ‘hero’s – Ned Kelly. Before he was hung in the Melbourne Goal, that is.
Do have a lovely Thanksgiving and I really hope you avoid the spending frenzy of Black Friday. .. *she shudders*. Hope you enjoy your turkey though!
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mistermuse 10:13 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
Thanks, Carmen. It’s too late for me to wish you a lovely Thanksgiving because, as a Canadian, you had your holiday in October. In Australia, they don’t even have a Thanksgiving day, so the best I can do is wish you a lovely day thinking of Mister Muttonhead — I mean, Mister Muse — enjoying his turkey, while I try not to think of the poor turkey sacrificing his life so a bloke like me could stuff himself like a gluttonhead. Oh, well, at least I can take consolation in knowing it was for a good cause.
Such is life. 😦
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calmkate 2:32 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
love the play on words … enjoy the family and feast 🙂
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mistermuse 10:17 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
Thank you, Kate. You do the same. 🙂
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calmkate 5:27 pm on November 21, 2018 Permalink
lol not celebrated here I assure you 🙂
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masercot 5:49 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
Nice riff, Muse… How ’bout, “A nose by any other name would smell as sweetly”?
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mistermuse 10:25 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
I like it, I don’t care what others say — ha ha (sorry, that attempt at humor was a real turkey). Have a great Turkey Day.
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scifihammy 8:44 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
Nicely done and Happy Thanksgiving. 😀
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mistermuse 10:29 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
Thanks, scifi. Tomorrow probably isn’t Thanksgiving in your neck of the woods, but enjoy the day anyway. 🙂
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scifihammy 11:05 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink
No it isn’t – but we have Black Friday looming large!! Seems the shops like to make money!
And thank you 🙂
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rivergirl1211 9:53 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
An antique by any other name would be far cheaper if it weren’t for Antique Roadshow.
Great list!
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mistermuse 10:46 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
You got that right, r.g. They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so I guess Antiques Roadshow might then be called TRASH ROADSHOW. Somehow it doesn’t quite have the same appeal, and Shakespeare’s “rose by any other name” assertion would become a thorny issue. 😦
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rivergirl1211 10:53 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink
My husband loves anyone else’s treasure. We have full barns and a cellar you can hardly walk through to prove it…
😑
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D. Wallace Peach 10:46 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
The way your mind works makes me smile. Happy Thanksgiving!
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mistermuse 10:50 am on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
Thanks, Diana. Your words made me smile. 🙂
Have a Happy!
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Richard A Cahill 12:42 pm on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
Gobble, gobble to you as well, Sr. Muse.
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Don Frankel 5:41 pm on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
We could call it a mohaska and it would still smell as sweet but I’m sticking with calling it a rose. It has a certain history to it.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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mistermuse 6:12 pm on November 21, 2018 Permalink |
Same to you, Don, and a happy mohaska as well.
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America On Coffee 8:32 am on November 22, 2018 Permalink |
Undying! LOL! Happy feast day!… Nov 22nd.
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mistermuse 10:34 am on November 22, 2018 Permalink |
Same to thee, A.O.C. 🙂
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anne leueen 9:48 pm on November 24, 2018 Permalink |
Made me smile. And the quacking reference drew a distinct chuckle from me. Thanks!
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mistermuse 11:33 pm on November 24, 2018 Permalink |
Glad you liked it. Duck humor has always quacked me up since I was a kid, when Donald Duck was my favorite cartoon character.
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markscheel1 8:05 pm on November 26, 2018 Permalink |
Muse,
Indeed, some names are interchangeable. However, if Adolf Hitler had taken the name of his illegitimate father’s mother, Schicklgruber, would he still have been Hitler? Why, we might have avoided WW II!! LOL
Thank you, my Thanksgiving was most pleasant. Hope yours was likewise.
Mark
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mistermuse 11:34 pm on November 26, 2018 Permalink |
Mark, I must admit that “Heil Schicklgruber!” doesn’t command quite the same obeisance as “Heil Hitler!” Another ‘benefit’ of the name “Hitler” was that “Schicklgruber” would’ve taken a lot longer to spell and pronounce.
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Euphrates. 11:21 pm on January 1, 2019 Permalink |
LOL!😂
Enjoyed reading!
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