Homophonica
November 23, 2011
Let’s call it a squall, going with JD’s idea. A burst of creative energy set to rage till Friday, calling on your word-wiles with homophones, and rhymes. Here’s the challenge in a nutshell:
A recent Times clue played with the idea that LAMA (the Tibetan priest) sounds the same as LLAMA (the Andean beast), reviving the words of Ogden Nash. The cute construction made me wonder what other such couplings exist, where two homophones (shake & sheikh) can be defined by two neat rhymes (vibrate & potentate).
To lend the squall a puzzle feel, what say we submit the rhymes only (numbering the clue according to your alias)? One-word rhymes are stronger, but a tight phrase is no less impressive. See if we can cook up a slew, and let the best emerge in the tumult.
I’ll get the bawl rolling:
DA1 – Peer/austere
DA2 – Fair/rare
DA3 – Offspring/shiny thing
DA4 – Sled/make dead
DA5 – Swain/strain
Are you the homophonic sought? Phial yours below.
Comments
JD
23 November at 10:13PM
DA1 = Baron/barren(?)
DA3 = Son/son
DA4 = Sleigh/slay
JD1- Crook chook
Crucifer
23 November at 10:41PM
DA5 = beau/bow?
Crucifer 1: Tacks/axe
Crucifer 2: Higher/sire
(Both of these utilise some slightly iffy definitions but I suspect that will be a feature of this challenge!)
Mr X
23 November at 10:56PM
DA1 inspired:
Mr X1: Peer/revere
DA
24 November at 06:31AM
JD1 - foul/fowl (that's a neat couplet)
Crucifer 1 - ?
Cru 2 - farther/father
Mr X1 - lord/laud (praiseworthy)
DA6 - rolled/bold
DA7 - ripe/gripe
and introducing proper nouns:
DA8 - complete/man of feet
Criseyde
24 November at 08:59AM
DA8 - done, Donne (good one)
Mr X
24 November at 10:35AM
Some advice for dieters:
Mr X2 - Forsake cake
LR
24 November at 10:52AM
LR1 - junk/truck
LR2 - hold power/cold shower
DM
24 November at 11:26AM
DM1: way/pay
Mr X
24 November at 11:27AM
Purists will argue about the pronunciation of this pair but, rather than rhymes, here's a couple of homophones that lead to a second pair:
Mr X3 - Bore/Boer
dg
24 November at 12:08PM
I can think of a very rude couplet starting with CHUCKED. (dg1)
dg2: studied/bloodied
dg3: Franz/plans
dg4: beats/beats (?)
dg5: pony/groany
dg6: easer/geyser
dg7: icy/spicy
Mr X
24 November at 12:39PM
dg1 Threw/through
dg5 horse/hoarse
dg7 chile/chilly
Mr X
24 November at 02:18PM
Sounds like road ill but:
Mr X4 - Flat Tomcat
Sam
24 November at 02:20PM
Sam1: Reel spiel?
Mr X
24 November at 03:11PM
Sam1 - torque talk ?
Sam
24 November at 03:42PM
Yes Mr X
Sam
24 November at 03:56PM
Mr X2 - Desert dessert?
Mr X3 - Wore war - had me chasing farmers, trekkers! Your tomcat (satyr?) has me stumped though
LR
24 November at 03:56PM
dg2: read/red
Mr X
24 November at 04:07PM
Sam - yep & yep
for Mr X4 (Sounds like roadkill, not road ill) think military not feline for part 2.
Sam
24 November at 04:24PM
Ah, a plain plane, well hidden.
DA2: Bazaar bizarre
Sam2: Hands-stand
Sam
24 November at 04:33PM
LR2 - Reign/Rain
Sam
24 November at 04:39PM
DM1: Prophet/Profit?
dg
24 November at 05:09PM
is DA2: Lite/light?
Crucifer1: adds/adze
dg8: stark/ bark
dg9: elated/plated
dg10: spun/pun?
dg11: reviled/wild
dg
24 November at 05:14PM
Sam2: paws/pause
dg12: hunk/junk
PRS
24 November at 07:06PM
Emerged from the cave for a moment:
PRS1: See/si/me
Sam
24 November at 07:53PM
Sam3: Lush flush
DM
24 November at 10:35PM
Sam - not the one I had in mind. I could perhaps extend it to a triplet: way/pay/stay?
DM
24 November at 11:19PM
DA6 .. pass/brass?
DM
24 November at 11:52PM
Re my previous DA6 attempt - I was too caught up in rhymes! Among actual homophones I'm enjoying roughed/ruffed (but a couple of others are lingering close, like metal/mettle; and if lions are bold, might a lynx be?).
DM
24 November at 11:54PM
DA7 grown/groan
DA
25 November at 08:06AM
Well done Sam, DA2 was bazaar/bizarre.
And props DM - 7 was grown/groan.
Seems a few strays still left to be done/Donne.
Sam
25 November at 08:24AM
Sam4: Measure treasure
Sam
25 November at 08:27AM
DM - by, buy, bye?
Mr X
25 November at 09:31AM
Sam4 - em gem
Sam
25 November at 09:41AM
right track Mr X, more a measure of energy
DM
25 November at 03:10PM
Nice, Sam. Still not the one I was thinking of. My stay may be dubiously designed - I hope it has sufficient structural integrity.
Crucifer
25 November at 06:28PM
PRS1: eye/aye/I
In a similar (if more convoluted) three-way vein...
Crucifer 3: ovine "sow"/owner of bough/thou
DM
25 November at 07:00PM
DM2: dog/grog
DM
25 November at 07:08PM
don't think we did
DM3 double trouble
Mr X
25 November at 10:49PM
Sam4 oops, got my rhymes & homophones switched - joule jewel
Criseyde
26 November at 07:11AM
Crucifer3: ewe, yew, you
Criseyde
26 November at 07:36AM
DA 6 razed/raised?
MrX4 plain/plane
DM 3 dual/duel