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Take Part in the Tom Swifties Competition at Schott's Blog!
Filed under: New Yorker Tagged: Ben Schott, Tom Swifties, contests
Martin Schneider writes:
Yesterday morning Ben Schott kicked off a Tom Swifties competition at the New York Times website. It didn't take me long to get quite swept up in the fun of composing them (I'd never really tried before), and apparently I'm not alone. A mere 36 hours later and there are nearly two thousand comments to the post.
Here are the ones I contributed (a few are pretty groan-worthy):
"Margaret Thatcher is the blame of this country's problems," said Nigel accusatorily.
"I'm going to carve an object out of this branch," said Tom wittily.
"My favorite architect is from Spain," said Tony gaudily.
"This list of great albums from the 1980s is missing Centerfold," said Jay guilelessly.
"It is very important that we complete this dam," Tom badgered the audience.
"These dumplings are delicious," said Tom wantonly.
"I don't really see the need for automobile insurance," said Tom recklessly.
"Sis boom bah!" shouted Tom cheerfully.
"Which way is the ladies' room?" asked Tom gently.
"I'd be interested in parting with the Minnesota Twins' stadium at the right price," the businessman said seldom.
"How am I going to affix this leaflet to this corkboard?" asked Tom tactlessly.
"I would never be able to find Italy on a map," said Luigi bootlessly.
If nothing else, the competition may give our fecund Pollux ideas for a few delightful strips.
If you post any, by all means post them here as well!
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They say that dashes “are particularly useful in a sentence that is long and complex.” Emdashes—like em dashes—provides a thoughtful pause amid the hubbub.
Emdashes, founded in 2004, is currently written and drawn by Emily Gordon, Martin Schneider, Pollux, Jonathan Taylor, and Benjamin Chambers, as well as occasional guest contributors. (Unsigned posts through October 2008 are by Emily Gordon.)
The site is designed and maintained by House of Pretty and illustrated by Jesse Ewing for Inkleaf Studio. Additional drawings are by Carolita Johnson and Pollux (who also draws our daily comic, "The Wavy Rule"). The kissable Emdashes logo is by Jennifer Hadley, based on a 1943 Dorothy Gray ad.
Other writing by Emily Gordon
- Profile: Valerie Casey, Designers Accord founder, is spearheading the design of sustainability (for SXSW World; PDF, p. 20)
- Feature: Rea Irvin: visionary art director, man about town, and New Yorker founding father (for Print)
- Report: Learning to read with comic books--that are edited by Françoise Mouly (for Print)
- Interview: Designer Eleanor Grosch (for Print)
- Review: Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life by Linda H. Davis (for Newsday)
- Review: King's Gambit: A Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game by Paul Hoffman (for Newsday)
- Review: Does a New Republic redesign mean a change of tune? (for Print)
- Interview: James Surowiecki on what's next for the wisdom of crowds (for Assignment Zero)
- Report: Eustace Tilley spruces up for The New Yorker's website redesign (for Print)
- Feature: Muslim immigration iconography in the Netherlands, and an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali (for Print)
- Review: books about various New Yorker cartoonists by Liza Donnelly and Iain Topliss (for Newsday)
- Profile: screenwriter and novelist Joe Keenan (for Newsday)
- Review: The Complete New Yorker (for Print)
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