Did you know that TAIPAN and PINATA are both anagrams of PATINA but that, of the three, Twirl will accept only PATINA as a valid word?
No, neither did I, until a minute ago. I don't know about you, but I've used both 'taipan' and 'pinata' more often in conversation lately than 'patina'.
Now use these three words in a sentence. And I mean just the one sentence.
A taipan slithered out of the garish pinata onto my hand, disrupting my studied patina of tolerant ennui.
ReplyDeleteAs it would.
ReplyDelete«I don't know about you, but I've used both 'taipan' and 'pinata' more often in conversation lately than 'patina'.»
ReplyDeleteWell, not being Australian, I don't use the unhyphenated "taipan" at all. And the Twhirl (I presume that's what you mean) guys aren't Australian either. No surprise, then, that the dictionary doesn't contain all the Down-Under fauna.
And "piñata" is, arguably, spelled that way, with the "en-ye", so, again, no surprise that it's not in the dictionary with a plain "n".
I do actually think that I've used "patina" more often than I have "piñata" or "pinata". Hm.
Does it like "echidna"?
ReplyDeleteThe confetti from the burst pinata covered the bronzed patina of the originally bemused but now rather agitated taipan.
ReplyDelete- - -
Barry, I generally find dictionary based games allow all sorts of animal names from foreign parts - it's one of the few foreign word exceptions.
Ah dear, the age-old problem of tone online between people who do not know each other. Just a joke post, Barry.
ReplyDeleteIt is true, however, that I saw a bunch of piñatas in a party shop just the other day and was telling someone about them; and someone was telling me a story the other night about being outback with a group and coming upon a nest of dear little baby snakes and ooh-ing and ah-ing till someone said 'Run -- they're taipans and their mother will be around somewhere.'
We may be talking about different Facebook applications, because I have just checked that the one I mean is indeed spelled Twirl; used to be Text Twirl. I think the most sophisticated symbol it runs to is an acute accent.
TT, I love it. The concept of the bemused taipan will stay with me.
ReplyDeleteTo maintain the rich patina on your pet taipan, you should buff it up it gently once a week with olive oil and never, ever let the children use it as a pinata.
ReplyDeleteRight, I know you're not serious. I guess my silliness was just a bit dryer than usual — I really was trying to play along. 's why I asked about echidnas.
ReplyDeleteThe taipan's bite put quite a patina on the pinata... as it would. Repeat after me: this is the third (?) deadliest snake in the world, don't try this at home.
ReplyDeleteHe nervously whacked the pinata hard with a long piece of eucalypt, cracking it open to release a taipan that fell to the ground, glared at him disdainfully then slithered through the undergrowth, sun glinting on its copper patina.
ReplyDeleteAdmiring the fine patina of the table, I failed to notice the taipan creep out from the remains of the shredded pinata on the floor, alerted only to this fact only when asked,
ReplyDelete"are they not the third most deadly snake?"
Would it not put a patina of elegance on your 'What makes the best pet?' quiz if you added both taipan and pinata to the list?
ReplyDeleteTyaakian
Oh, if only I'd thought of it!
ReplyDelete