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"Four Riddles" by Lewis Carroll consists of four short poems with playful and puzzling language. Each riddle presents a situation or object with clues that challenge the reader to guess the answer. The poems rely on wordplay, wit, and creative thinking to decipher the intended solution.
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∙ 14y agoIn Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," there is a quite popular riddle given during the Mad Tea Party scene. The Mad Hatter asks Alice, "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" Quite a while later, he asks Alice, "Have you guessed the riddle yet?" to which she replies, "No, I give it up. What's the answer?" Surprisingly, the Hatter answers, "I haven't the slightest idea." However, Carroll later remarked on this nonsense riddle, adding to it the following answer: "Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front!" The misspelling of "never" is purposeful, as it spells "raven" backwards. Other answers have also been given to this riddle, two of which were created by a certain Sam Loyd: ""Because the notes for which they are noted are not noted for being musical notes." and "Because Poe wrote on both."
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∙ 14y agoLewis Carroll invented many words for his poem Jabberwocky. They are:
- Jabberwocky
- Brillig
- Toves
- Wabe
- Borogoves
- Outgrabe
- Jabberwock
- Jubjub
- Frumious
- Bandersnatch
- Vorpal
- Manxome
- Uffish
- Snicker-snack
- Galumphing
- Frabjous
- Callooh
- Callay
- Chortled
For some of the other words in the poem, it isn't clear whether Carroll believed he had invented them, or if he borrowed them from other sources.
He also invented 'unbirthday' - any day of the year which isn't your birthday and, although he didn't invent the word, he gave a new meaning to 'portmanteau', which he said was two words merged together to form a new word with the meanings of both.
He undoubtedly created many other words in his poems and articles, but those are probably the best known.
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∙ 12y agoAlice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
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What does the poem how doth the little crocodile by Lewis Carroll mean?
It doesn't mean anything. Carroll deliberately wrote it as nonsense. It's a parody of the morality poem 'How doth the little busy bee' by Isaac Watts.
What does Cheshire mean?
Cheshire is a county in England. (As it happens, it is the county where Lewis Carroll was born.) The phrase 'grin like a Cheshire cat' was well known in Carroll's day and was undoubtedly the inspiration for Carroll's famous character. It is not known, however, how the phrase originated.
Slithy thing to Carroll?
"Slithy" is a nonsensical adjective coined by Lewis Carroll in his poem "Jabberwocky." It is often interpreted to mean slimy and lithe, combining the characteristics of both worms and snakes. Lewis Carroll delighted in creating new words and language in his whimsical and fantastical works.
Is enough a synonym of brillig?
Brillig is a word created by Lewis Carroll for his poem Jabberwocky. He defined it as "four o'clock in the afternoon -- the time when you begin broiling things for dinner."But the words in Jabberwocky are fluid - for some of them Carroll changed the definition and some aren't defined at all. What really matters is what the word means to you, as a reader - if you want the word 'brillig' to be a synonym of 'enough', then it is.`When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'Lewis Carroll Through the Looking Glass
What does gyre mean from jabberwocky?
In "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll, the word "gyre" refers to a spiraling or twisting motion. The poem's language is mostly nonsensical and meant to create a whimsical and imaginative atmosphere.
What does brilling mean in the jabberwocky?
"Brilling" in "Jabberwocky" likely means to roar or bellow loudly. The term is a nonsense word created by Lewis Carroll to add to the whimsical and fantastical nature of the poem.
What does 'slithy ' mean in Jabberwocky?
wet
What does 'tulgey' mean in Jabberwocky?
In the context of Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky," the word "tulgey" is a nonsensical term that is used to evoke a sense of whimsy and absurdity. It does not have a specific meaning outside of the poem.
What does 'beamish boy' mean in Jabberwocky?
"Beamish boy" in the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll is believed to describe a lively and enthusiastic youth. The word "beamish" doesn't have a specific definition and is thought to be a made-up term by Carroll.
What does borgoves mean?
There is no widely recognized meaning for the term "borgoves." It is possible that it is a made-up or misspelled word without a specific definition.
What does wabe mean?
"Jabberwocky," a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll, introduced the word "wabe" to mean the grass plot around a sundial. In the poem, it is a whimsical and made-up term used to create a sense of depth and mystery.
What does 'mimsy' mean in Jabberwocky?
MIMSY: (whence 'mimserable' and 'miserable') "unhappy"Lewis Carroll (1855)"mimsy" is "flimsy and miserable" (there's another portmanteau for you). Humpty Dumpty (1871)
