Well, here I am late again today. The heat has seeped into my brain!! A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. Or, an aural malapropism. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song. American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in her essay "The Death of Lady Mondegreen," published in Harper's Magazine in November 1954. "Mondegreen" was included in the 2000 edition of the Random House Webster's College Dictionary. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary added the word in 2008. The phenomenon is not limited to English, with examples cited by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, in the Hebrew song Hava Nagila (Let's be Happy, or in my case, have a tequila)", and in Bollywood movies. A closely related category is the soramimi, which are songs that produce different meanings from those originally intended when interpreted in another language. As a child, Wright heard the lyrics of The Bonny Earl of Murray (a Scottish ballad) as: Ye highlands and ye lowlands Oh where hae you been? Thou hae slay the Earl of Murray And Lady Mondegreen It eventually transpired that Lady Mondegreen existed only in the mind of Sylvia Wright, for the actual lyrics said that they "slay the Earl of Murray and laid him on the green." And to this day Lady Mondegreen's name has been used to describe all mishearings of this type! Common Mondegreens: ~Surely Good Mrs. Murphy shall follow me all the days of my life ("Surely goodness and mercy" from Psalm 23) ~The wild, strange battle cry "Haffely, Gaffely, Gaffely, Gonward." ("Half a league, half a league, / Half a league onward," from "The Charge of the Light Brigade") ~"where the grapes of wrath are stored" was misheard as "where the grapes are wrapped and stored" ~"Gladly, the cross-eyed bear (from the line in the hymn "Keep Thou My Way" by Fanny Crosby, "Kept by Thy tender care, gladly the cross I'll bear") Carroll and many others quote it as "Gladly the cross I'd bear". ~There's a bathroom on the right (the line at the end of each verse of "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival: "There's a bad moon on the rise") ~'Scuse me while I kiss this guy (from a lyric in the song "Purple Haze", by Jimi Hendrix: "'Scuse me while I kiss the sky"). ~"Blinded by the Light," a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song by the Manfred Mann's Earth Band, contains what has been called "probably the most misheard lyric of all time". The phrase "revved up like a deuce" (altered from Springsteen's original "cut loose like a deuce") is frequently misheard as "wrapped up like a douche". ~Jack Lawrence's misinterpretation of the French phrase "pauvre Jean" ("poor John") as the identically pronounced "pauvres gens" ("poor people") led to the translation of La goualante du pauvre Jean ("The Ballad of Poor John") as The Poor People of Paris, which in no way hindered it from becoming a major hit in 1956. ~The title of J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye comes from the main character, Holden Caulfield, mishearing a sung version of the Robert Burns poem Coming Through the Rye: the line "Gin a body meet a body / comin' through the rye" is understood as "Gin a body catch a body / comin' through the rye." Reverse mondegreen: There are compositions which appear nonsensical but which can be interpreted homophonically as a rational text. A prominent example is "Mairzy Doats", a 1943 novelty song by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston. The lyrics are a mondegreen and it is up to the listener to figure out what they mean. The refrain of the song repeats nonsensical sounding lines: Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey A kiddley divey too, wooden shoe The clue to the meaning is contained in the bridge: If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey, Sing "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy." The listener can figure out that the last line of the refrain is "A kid'll eat ivy, too; wouldn't you?", but this line is sung only as a mondegreen. Anyways, I could go on and on, but you get the idea!! Fun with language. For TM and Bobbie: Thanks for playing!! We'll see you next week, same time, same station!! And Bobbie, we used to have a DJ on the local rock station who would wittily say,"Closed captioned for the Dylan impaired"!! Nancy.

Nope, sorry for leading you astray. I literally have several feet of ethernet cables, usb cords, power cords - you get the picture. I'm pretty sure I don't need to have it all set up tomorrow, but if I'd thought it was going to be this complicated, I'd have started yesterday!! lol OK, so, I think you got the idea of what we were going for! Frankincense was one of the consecrated incenses described in the Hebrew Bible and Talmud used in Ketoret (incense) ceremonies. It was offered on a specialized incense altar in the time when the Tabernacle was located in the First and Second Jerusalem Temples. The ketoret was an important component of the Temple service in Jerusalem. Frankincense is used in many Christian churches including the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Catholic churches. Frankincense resin is edible and is used in traditional medicines in Asia for digestion and healthy skin. For internal consumption, it is recommended that frankincense be translucent, with no black or brown impurities. It is often light yellow with a (very) slight greenish tint. It is often chewed like gum, but it is stickier. In Ayurvedic medicine Indian frankincense (Boswellia serrata), commonly referred to as "dhoop," has been used for hundreds of years for treating arthritis, healing wounds, strengthening the female hormone system and purifying the air. The use of frankincense in Ayurveda is called "dhoopan". In Indian culture, it is suggested that burning frankincense daily in the house brings good health. For therapy trials in ulcerative colitis, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis there are only isolated reports and pilot studies from which there is not yet sufficient evidence of safety and efficacy. Similarly, the long-term effects and side effects of taking frankincense has not yet been scientifically investigated. Nonetheless, several preliminary studies have been published. A 2008 study reported that frankincense smoke was a psychoactive drug that relieves depression and anxiety in mice. The researchers found that the chemical compound incensole acetate was responsible for the effects. In a different study, an enriched extract of "Indian Frankincense" (usually Boswellia serrata) was used in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study of patients with osteoarthritis. Patients receiving the extract showed significant improvement in their arthritis in as little as seven days. The compound caused no major adverse effects and, according to the study authors, is safe for human consumption and long-term use. Myrrh gum is commonly harvested from the species Commiphora myrrha, which is native to Yemen, Somalia, Eritrea and eastern Ethiopia. Another farmed species is Commiphora molmol. The related Commiphora gileadensis, native to Eastern Mediterranean and particularly the Arabian Peninsula, is the biblically referenced Balm of Gilead, also known as Balsam of Mecca. Several other species yield bdellium and Indian myrrh. In traditional Chinese medicine, myrrh is classified as bitter and spicy, with a neutral temperature. It is said to have special efficacy on the heart, liver, and spleen meridians, as well as "blood-moving" powers to purge stagnant blood from the uterus. It is therefore recommended for rheumatic, arthritic, and circulatory problems, and for amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, menopause, and uterine tumors. Myrrh's uses are similar to those of frankincense, with which it is often combined in decoctions, liniments and incense. When used in concert, myrrh is "blood-moving" while frankincense moves the Qi, making it more useful for arthritic conditions. Myrrh is used more frequently in Ayurveda and Unani medicine, which ascribe tonic and rejuvenative properties to the resin. It is utilized in many specially processed rasayana formulas in Ayurveda. Remember, our Magi were from the 'East'. Myrrh was used by the ancient Egyptians, along with natron, for the embalming of mummies. According to the Encyclopedia of Islamic Herbal Medicine, "The Messenger of Allah stated, 'Fumigate your houses with al-shih, murr, and sa'tar.'" The author claims that this use of the word "murr" refers specifically to Commiphora myrrha. Myrrh was an ingredient of Ketoret, the consecrated incense used in the First and Second Temples at Jerusalem, as described in the Hebrew Bible and Talmud. An offering was made of the Ketoret on a special incense altar, and was an important component of the Temple service. Myrrh is also listed as an ingredient in the holy anointing oil used to anoint the Tabernacle, high priests and kings. Myrrh is also used to prepare the sacramental chrism used by many churches of both Eastern and Western rites. In the Middle East, the Eastern Orthodox Church traditionally uses myrrh-scented oil to perform the sacraments of chrismation and unction, both of which are commonly referred to as "receiving the Chrism". In pharmacy, myrrh is used as an antiseptic in mouthwashes, gargles, and toothpastes for prevention and treatment of gum disease. Myrrh is currently used in some liniments and healing salves that may be applied to abrasions and other minor skin ailments. Myrrh has also been recommended as an analgesic for toothaches, and can be used in liniment for bruises, aches, and sprains. So very useful for a young king, it would seem. For Cyn, Annette and Bobbie: Tm, I wasn't sure where you were on this. Gone are my days of a leisurely reveal on Mondays (hopefully) since I am now gainfully employed, starting tomorrow!! I say bring on the francincense and myrrh, if they help with osteo-arthritis~~See you guys next week - thanks for playing!! Nancy.

Yes, I think everyone has seen the light-haha. Four stars for all of you. Here is the history ( from Wikipedia): The first lighted Christmas trees made use of candles. Attaching the candles was a difficult process, and proved to be a fire hazard. The tree could not be left unattended when the candles were lit. A bucket of water also had to be kept near the tree and someone had to keep watch for a possible fire. Candle wax was expensive, so later trees used lamps that were made from nutshell halves filled with oil and a wick. More elegant lamps were made from different colours of glass. The new candle holder, called a counterbalance candle holder, had a weight attached to the bottom that kept the candle standing upright. However, even with these improvements, the trees still proved to be fire hazards. The invention of the electric light added a new dimension to Christmas trees. In 1882 an inventor working for Thomas Edison devised a way of wrapping small electric lights in red, white, and blue crêpe paper. These coloured lights that were strung on a tree provided the earliest version of contemporary Christmas lights. However, Christmas tree lights were still experimental throughout the 1880s. Miniature Christmas lights were first developed in 1895 by Ralph E. Morris, an employee of the New England Telephone Company. Morrisâ idea for miniature Christmas lights occurred as he was looking at the tiny bulbs on telephone switchboards. However, many Americans still distrusted the safety of electric lights throughout the early 1900s and candles were still used to illuminate trees. The early Christmas tree lights were simply night-lights strung together to form light strings. When General Electric commercially introduced Christmas lights, they quickly became popular. Edison Electric soon followed suit with an electric Christmas lamp. In the early 1990s the world's largest artificial Christmas tree maker, Boto Company (bankrupted in January 2008) started the first production of prelit trees supplied to Target stores. Recent technical advances in the manufacturing process of prelit trees has made them easy to assemble and realistic looking. Thanks for playing. I will try to come up with something fun for next week since I am already in a vacation frame of mind! ð Cynthia

Nancy, I didn't think they reused songs on the series, except in the one flashback episode. Hmmm...Will wait to see what your answer is! Anyway, four stars (and one extra just because...) for all of you. Manutius did indeed create italics. He is also considered to be the father of the paperback book since he was the first to produce inexpensive books that could be carried easily. Nice job everyone. I wonder if TM is on his way to Florida. Hope so. It would be nice to get away from the cold for a bit! Manutius Have a wonderful week. I am home today because of ice. They could easily have gotten away with a two-hour delay, but I will take the day off with no complaints! Cynthia