Ogden Nash Trivia

1. According to Ogden Nash, "Candy is dandy, but liquor is ____" what?

From Quiz Ogden Nash, King of Light Verse

Answer: quicker

This seven-word poem is titled "Reflections on Ice-Breaking". Ogden Nash wrote over 600 poems, lyrics, and verses, many of them short bits like this. Fourteen volumes of his work were published between 1931 and 1972.

From Quiz Candy Is Dandy

Answer: Liquor

Ogden Nash was very adept at the short and quirky verse. Born in 1902 he once commented that he always thought in rhyme and that he had done so since the age of six.

From Quiz Candy Is Dandy

Answer: Dumb

Nash's use of 'off-beat' metre did not diminish the quality of his work and he was held in high regard by areas of the writing fraternity. Despite the drollness that characterises his poetry a number of his poems can be found in serious collections such as Selden Rodman's "A New Anthology of Modern Poetry" (1946).

From Quiz The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo

Answer: The Shrew

Though Ogden finished the poem by saying, "And that is all I ever knew / Or wish to know, about the shrew," the shrew is a mouse-like creature that is not a rodent at all, but in the order Insectivora, along with hedgehogs and moles. The smallest type of shrew is the pygmy white-toothed shrew, which can grow up to 3.5 cm and 2 grams. It is generally considered the smallest mammal.

From Quiz Ogden Nash, King of Light Verse

Answer: cow

Ogden Nash wrote a series of short, popular poems about animals. His first name was Frederic, but he went by his middle name of Ogden. Nash was born August 19, 1902 in Rye, New York. He attended Harvard University but dropped out after a year.

From Quiz Candy Is Dandy

Answer: A Child's Guide to Parents

The advent of a child in his life saw Nash's writing turn inward and now it was his observations of changes in dynamics in families that children created that became prevalent in his work. He would eventually progress to creating poetry directed at children that were also suitable for their parents.

From Quiz The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo

Answer: The Wombat

Only three species of wombat survive in Australia - the common wombat, the southern hairy-nosed wombat, and the northern hairy-nosed wombat. While not typically ferocious, when threatened, they are very strong and very fast. Perhaps this is why Ogden Nash ended this poem with the words, "I would not engage the wombat / In any form of mortal combat."

From Quiz Candy Is Dandy

Answer: Custard

This relates to Ogden's poem, "The Tale of Custard the Dragon", which deals with an individual rising above his or her own fears. Custard proves not to be a coward in the end, just a big softie. This was written as a piece of children's poetry but it served to highlight Nash's ability to make the cliché sound ... er ... 'fresh as a daisy'. For example - The verse incorporates the black kitten called Ink and the little yellow dog named Mustard.

From Quiz The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo

Answer: The Ostrich

The ostrich is the largest living bird, reaching heights of 8 feet. It is native to Africa, though it is also bred in other parts of the world, including the United States.

From Quiz Ogden Nash, King of Light Verse

Answer: Shut up

This poem is titled "A Word to Husbands". Ogden Nash held a lot of different jobs. He worked as a teacher at St. George's School, which he also attended as a youth, and sold bonds in New York. He wrote advertisements for Barron Collier and was also an editor at Doubleday.

From Quiz Candy Is Dandy

Answer: Never

The poem reads: "A child need not be very clever To learn that 'later dear' means 'never'". Nash performed for a time in comedy clubs and, as can be seen from this piece, his ability to garner laughs was developed from direct observation.

From Quiz The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo

Answer: The Manatee

Manatees are docile animals, sometimes known as "sea cows." In America, they are an endangered species. The creatures used to be hunted for oil, but are now legally protected. It has no natural predators, but human expansion has eaten into its environment and many have been injured or killed by propellers of outboard motors. Ogden Nash finished this poem about the manatees lack of physical attractiveness by saying, "Luckily the manatee / Is quite devoid of vanity."

From Quiz Candy Is Dandy

Answer: The Phoenix

This is a great example of Nash's deliberate use of misspelled words to enhance both the rhyme and the comedy within his writing. Ogden has been credited with what may be regarded as the world's shortest poem - "Parsley is gharsley". (Please don't submit a correction notice for the spelling, it's supposed to be like that.)

From Quiz The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo

Answer: The Hippopotamus

This African mammal looks almost comical and docile, but is actually a fierce animal that is said to cause more deaths than any other. Their teeth are approximately 20 inches long, they stand 5 feet tall and weigh between 3 and 4 tons. Perhaps out of caution, Ogden Nash ended the poem this way: "Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus! / We really look all right to us / As you no doubt delight the eye / Of other hippopotami."

From Quiz Ogden Nash, King of Light Verse

Answer: Speak Low

"Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" is from "Les Miserables", "The Music of the Night" from "Phantom of the Opera", and "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" from "The Sound of Music". The music for "Speak Low" was written by the German composer Kurt Weill. A hit single of "Speak Low", featuring Guy Lombardo and his orchestra, came out in 1944 with Billy Leach singing the lead vocal. Barbra Streisand included a version of the song on her 1993 album "Back to Broadway".

From Quiz Candy Is Dandy

Answer: There is no three-L lllama

"The one-L lama, he's a priest The two-L llama, he's a beast And I would bet my silk pyjama There isn't any three-L lllama". Ogden's collection of animal rhymes is one of his most endearing achievements. "Ogden Nash's Zoo", co-written with Etienne Delessert was published in 1986. Nash admitted that he deliberately "maltreated and man-handled every known rule of grammar, prosody and spelling".

From Quiz The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo

Answer: The Ant

Ants are industrious creatures, working together to build their colonies. Formic acid is a chemical that ants use in defense, injecting it into their targets through biting and/or stinging. Formic acid actually got its name from the Latin word for ant, "Formicidae."

From Quiz Ogden Nash, King of Light Verse

Answer: done

These lines come from "Portrait of the Artist As a Prematurely Old Man". Nash continues: "The moral is that it is probably better not to sin at all, but if some kind of sin you must be pursuing, Well, remember to do it by doing rather than by not doing." This is probably a pun on the church liturgy that runs, "Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone."

From Quiz Candy Is Dandy

Answer: It has gone on too long

Nash had his fair share of critics, some stating that his verse was far too 'light' to be taken seriously. Claims were made that he deliberately used differing lengths in line as a poor attempt to gain attention rather than pursue a serious attempt at poetry.

From Quiz Ogden Nash, King of Light Verse

Answer: Joyce Kilmer's

Joyce Kilmer wrote "Trees", which begins "I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree." The poem is often read or recited by American schoolchildren on Arbor Day. Ogden Nash's parody, titled "Song of the Open Road", was published in an October 1932 issue of "The New Yorker". Later versions of the poem use the word "indeed" instead of "perhaps."

From Quiz The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo

Answer: The Skylark

The entire poem reads, "Puccini was Latin, and Wagner Teutonic / And birds are incurably philharmonic / The skylark sings a roundelay / The crow sings "The Road To Mandalay" / The nightingale sings a lullaby / And the sea gull sings a gullaby / That's what shepherds listened to in Arcadia / Before some one invented TV's and radia."

From Quiz Ogden Nash, King of Light Verse

Answer: husbands

These lines come from the long poem "What Almost Every Woman Knows Sooner or Later", which lists the many potential faults of a husband, and finally concludes: "Husbands are indeed an irritating form of life, And yet through some quirk of Providence most of them are really very deeply ensconced in the affection of their wife." This poem was included in Ogden Nash's 1935 collection "The Primrose Path."

From Quiz Candy Is Dandy

Answer: Baltimore

His daughter says of him that "As a boy and a man he was dogged in his pursuit of ideas, ideals and aspirations, he pursued what seemed impossible goals". Whilst debate will continue on the merits of Ogden Nash's work no one can deny that his lines are certainly memorable. "The Lord in his wisdom gave us the fly And then forgot to tell us why."

From Quiz The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo

Answer: The Jackass

The jackass, or donkey, is a domesticated animal used to carry loads, pull carts, and carry riders. It is commonly viewed as a very stubborn and very comical creature. Ogden Nash finishes this poem (entitled "The Wild Jackass") in this way: "But do not sneer at the jackass wild / There is a method in his heehaw / For with maidenly blush and accent mild / The jenny-ass answers shee-haw."

From Quiz Ogden Nash, King of Light Verse

Answer: weigh too much

These lines come from the poem "Curl up and Diet" which appeared in Nash's 1938 collection "I'm a Stranger Here Myself". The poem continues: "They may be as slender as a sylph or a dryad, But just let them get on the scales and they embark on a doleful jeremiad: No matter how low the figure the needle happens to touch, They always claim it is at least five pounds to much; To the world she may appear slinky and feline, But she inspects herself in the mirror and cries, Oh, I look like a sea lion."

From Quiz The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo

Answer: The Shark

Sharks are large marine predators with cartilaginous skeletons and rows of replaceable teeth in the mouth. There are typically about 100 shark attacks on humans per year worldwide, with only 30 being fatal. Still, Ogden Nash adds this final point to his poem: "Yet this I know about the shark / His bite is worser than his bark."

From Quiz Ogden Nash, King of Light Verse

Answer: Responsibility

This two-line poem is titled "Common Sense" and was published in the poets 1931 collection "Hard Lines". Ogden Nash's popularity was widespread enough that his work was published in both "Sports Magazine" and "The New Yorker". His "Line-Up for Yesterday" was published in the January 1949 issue of "Sports Magazine". An alphabetical poem, it begins each line with a different letter of the alphabet while listing off the baseball greats.

From Quiz The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo

Answer: The Octopus

Octopi have eight legs (or arms, who knows) and live in various parts of the ocean. They are highly intelligent, and some scientists believe that if they lived longer than three years, they would have developed civilization of their own. Ogden Nash completes this poem by stating, "I marvel at thee, Octopus / If I were thou, I'd call me Us."

From Quiz Ogden Nash, King of Light Verse

Answer: The Catsup Bottle

Bottle rhymes with lottle, and when you try to get catsup (ketchup) out of the bottle by slapping it, it is indeed often the case that you get a little followed by a lot. Ogden Nash married Frances Leonard and had two children named Isabel and Linell. He died in May of 1971 because of complications from his Crohn's disease, which may have been aggravated by food poisoning.

From Quiz The Ogden Nash Poetry Petting Zoo

Answer: The Oyster

Oysters are mollusks that live in the ocean and have shells made of calcite. They are edible, but only fresh. Oysters are perhaps best known for their production of pearls.

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