Category Archives: intimation

Intimation

Intimation: Hinting at a meaning but not stating it explicitly.


Things are a little “different,” You know? I’m fading out. But I’m not fading away. I’m going down that wide-open highway. Got it?

My model airplane club “American Flyboys,” is going to a “Flyathon” outside Summit, New Jersey in the Watchung Hills. There are three landing strips left over from the defunct Air Force base that was located there during the Cold War. What an inspiration to fly—possible world-destroying war! Atom bombs! Too good to be true. I’m bringing my “Inola Guy,” my version of the WWII bomber that dropped the big one on Japan, ending WWII and saving the world from Japanese Imperialism and putting an end to its Emperor’s rule. I’ve made a miniature A-Bomb I’m going to drop on Summit or Chatham. Oh, you think I’m crazy? I don’t blame you. Maybe I am.

My wife didn’t believe me, and how could she? But I had the bomb. I found plans for building an A-bomb on the internet. I miniaturized every thing in accord with 21-st century technology. Plutonium 239 was hard to obtain. I had to take a trip into a government facility posing as Max Planck’s great grandson. I showed them a fake cancelled check for his Nobel Prize. I asked for a crumb of P-239 as a souvenir of my visit. They took my picture and ran it through the machinery. There was one match, but it was not me. I closely resemble Bluto, Popeye’s nemesis. But Bluto is a cartoon character, so it was rejected. Then, there was DNA and fingerprints. The DNA was “suggestive” but not definitive. I found I was a distant relative of Yogi Berra. No wonder I liked to squat! There were also, faint traces of Max Planck lineage. I had tricked the DNA test with DNA I collected from Max Plank’s toothbrush that I stole from the back room of the max Plank museum. I brushed it around in my mouth before they did the DNA swab. The fingerprints were inconclusive. I matched nobody in the known universe. They gave me the crumb and I put it in an envelope that I had marked “A-bomb.”

When I got home, I put it all together, loaded in a plastic Easter Egg—I thought the irony was hilarious. I glued the two halves of the egg together, and glued on some tiny stabilizing fins too. I set the bomb in Inola Guy’s bombay. The bombay doors would be opened by remote control and the bomb’s detonator would be remotely switched on. At the last minute, I changed my target to the Short Hills Mall.

There was a vigorous knocking at my door. I opened the door and half a dozen military police stormed in. Then, a Colonel came through the door and said, “Mr. Ubermensch, we did further analysis on your DNA and found you are a direct descendent of Alexander the Great. Your war-like lineage disqualifies you from ownership of P-239. Please return the crumb.

“The hell I will” I yelled and ran out the door with Inola Guy. I launched Inola and steered her toward the Short Hills Mall. One of the MPs grabbed the plane’s controls and crashed Inola into a tree. There was no explosion. I ran to the tree and there WAS an explosion. It sounded like a cap pistol.

Two people in haz-mat suits “escorted” me to a military police ambulance. They took me to an “undisclosed location,” poking and prodding, looking for evidence of radiation poisoning. I was “cleared” and remanded to a prison cell, prior to shipping me to Guantanamo, where I’ll probably spend the rest of my life. I’ve met this really old guy named John Kennedy who has a luxury cell. He assures me we’re “outta here in two weeks max.”

POSTCRIPT

This document was turned over to the State Department. No action was taken. In fact, State Department employees claim the document is a forgery authored by “little fairies.”


Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu)

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Intimation

Intimation: Hinting at a meaning but not stating it explicitly.


I’m not sayings it, but something’s wrong with my car. Ever since I ran over a squirrel on Broad Street last week, it’s been acting up. I drove past a grove of oak trees and the steering pulled to the left—almost imperceptibly. The squirrels stuffing their cheeks with acorns under the tree, stood on their hind legs like they wanted to box with me. I never thought I’d be intimidated by a squirrel, but there were six or seven of them facing me with their little paws clenched into fists.

My car pulled to the curb and the door opened. The foraging squirrels held their boxing postures. Something pushed me out of the car. There I stood facing the fighting squirrels. I didn’t know what to do. All I could think to do was to kick them like little teed-up footballs. I was bitten by a squirrel when I was a kid. I crept up behind it and grabbed its tail. The bite had broken the skin and I ran home bleeding and told my mother I had tried to pick her one of Mrs. Broadbent’s roses, but I had been pricked by a thorn. She told me, “Don’t worry son. Some day you’ll get it right, and I’ll have my rose.”

But that was then. This is now. I think I’ll be swarmed and beaten to death by a pack of angry squirrels. I had become rooted to the sidewalk and couldn’t move. Suddenly, an older-looking squirrel stepped forward. He put his paws down. He asked “Are you remorseful?” I answered with an instant emphatic “Yes!” “Good” he said “So many of you just flatten us without even swerving to avoid us.” The other squirrels nodded their heads, looking at each other. The elder squirrel continued: “Oaky-Doakey was a restless squirrel who took shortcuts. I tried to warn him over and over that ‘A stitch in time saves nine.’” All the squirrels nodded in silent agreement. “He’s still laying flattened in the street. He has been run over hundreds of times. He looks like a leather frisbee with a tail. Would you pick him up and sail him into those bushes over there?” “Yes.” I said.

I picked Oaky-Doakey up with my handkerchief. The squirrels bowed their heads and raised their fists. I got Oaky-Doakey into a good frisbee position, and I tossed him. I tossed him too hard. After being dried out for weeks in the street, he broke into pieces. The squirrels looked really angry and were making a growling chattering sound as they came toward me. “Now I’m going to die for my sins!” I thought in a total panic. But cooler heads prevailed. The wise old squirrel said, “You tried. We should have known he would turn into squirrel jerky brittle. Go in peace. Drive carefully.”

I still don’t believe it all happened. I must’ve been overworked or sleep deprived. I know I ran over a squirrel and there’s a stain on my handkerchief. Two days ago I found an acorn on my front porch.


Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.99.

Intimation

Intimation: Hinting at a meaning but not stating it explicitly.


I think that little troll drank all my Johnny Walker. Stealing is not a good thing especially when it results in a DWI and a night in jail. The troll should know better. Even though they are mischief mavens, it’s rare they end up in jail. Funny thing: you ended up in jail last night. Gee, I wonder, are you the little troll?

I know you’ve accused your 10 year old sister of being a drunk—of stealing my scotch and running wild in the streets. That’s about as believable as your denial of doing anything wrong.

I never thought I would say this to my own kid, but you need to get a life. I’ve let you get away with far too much. From now on, you’ll be home by nine o’clock. You will be handcuffed to your bed like a political prisoner. If you don’t like it, you can go live with your mother. You can help her with the pyramid scheme she’s developing. She will not give a damn about what you do. You’ll probably fall out a window or get hit by a bus while you’re under her care.

I will not pay for your funeral. Your best bet is cremation in a cardboard casket. This is called tough love.


Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.99.

Intimation

Intimation: Hinting at a meaning but not stating it explicitly.


You know, when somebody tromps around the house in dirty rubber boots, somebody has to clean it up. Depending on what Mr. Dirty Boots brings through the door, it can take a long time to clean the floor or carpet and may even require toxic chemicals to remove. Breathing chemicals’ fumes can harm a toddler, like that one over there in the playpen—our little Eddie.

I read an article in Guilt-Free Parenting about removing footwear at the door. It made a lot of sense. Start doing it or Eddie and I will go visit my mother forever.


Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.99.

Intimation

Intimation: Hinting at a meaning but not stating it explicitly.

One of our primary goals in this relationship is to demonstrate unerring respect for each other. There are so many ways it can be done–words and deeds are the most usual ways of showing respect, or disrespect, ha ha. There are all kinds of things you can do to show respect–holding the door, being on time, making an effort to dress nicely–in clean clothes that help you smell good. If you don’t smell good everything else may fall apart. Think of it, a person losing out on love because he doesn’t shower regularly, or a person whose children won’t sit on his lap because he smells like horse manure and onions. How sad, but how avoidable!

Anyway, let’s watch some TV. You sit on the couch over there,  and I’ll sit over here by the scented candle. Let’s watch another episode of “The Outsider.”

Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.99.

Intimation

Intimation: Hinting at a meaning but not stating it explicitly.

You know, avoiding bathing for too long can give a person fairly intense body odor.

When was the last time you took a shower?

Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

Buy a print edition of The Daily Trope! The print edition is entitled The Book of Tropes and is available on Amazon for $9.99. A Kindle edition is available for $5.99.

Intimation

Intimation: Hinting at a meaning but not stating it explicitly.

There’s a way of saying some things that puts them into a rather unsavory, even reprehensible, category of speech.

I’ll drop the pretense my friend (?): You are lying.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

Intimation

Intimation: Hinting at a meaning but not stating it explicitly.

I think there’s a piece missing from the nether part of your wardrobe. I know you’re from Inverness, but here in Ohio we like to keep our things private.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

Intimation

Intimation: Hinting at a meaning but not stating it explicitly.

I think we’re going to hear a Royal “waaa-waaa” pretty soon!

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).

Intimation

Intimation: Hinting at a meaning but not stating it explicitly.

Well, this isn’t exactly our worst effort to date.

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Definition courtesy of “Silva Rhetoricae” (rhetoric.byu.edu).