Sunday, February 17, 2008

Wiseacre

It's a lovely word. It describes a seemingly simple person who is capable of surprising you with their profundity. An example I love is the BBC reporter who was sent to a rural area in the southwest of England to interview an old boy who had achieved some fame in his village for I can't remember what (The biggest marrow in Europe maybe? Sorry, I've forgotten).

Interviewer: "Tell me, sir, have you lived in this village all your life?"
Old boy: "Not yet."

Follow that.

Another story with wide currency is the traveller asking a country bumpkin for directions.

Traveller: "Tell me, how do you get to Dorchester from here?"
Bumpkin: "If I wanted to go to Dorchester, I wouldn't start from here."

Follow that.

I am in the mood now to tell you the story about the Three-legged Pig, but I have already trespassed on your patience enough. Maybe another time, if I can catch you off guard.

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