Speed Bump by Dave Coverly for April 29, 2024

So, so very clever!

I remember my spelling bee days. I was second in the state. Yes, I was that close to going to DC.

Watch the movie “Bad Words” with Jason Bateman.

I was promoted in the middle of the year. My first day in my new class I made the mistake of winning the spelling bee against all those classmates a year older than me.

So much for having any friends in the new grade! (Which may have been a good thing, in the long run. I escaped many perils of social pressure.)

The problem today is the number of people who can’t use the correct words: to/too, they’re/there/their, your/you’re, etc.

6th grade class champion by a mile. Went to the next level and missed the first word. So I limped to the nearest saloon, crawled inside a whiskey bottle… and I’ve been there ever since. Well, the first part is true. (With apologies to the Waco Kid).

“Can you use that in a sentence, please?”

At leadt once a day my wife asks, “how do you spell ______?”

I love nonpareils. Especially the dark chocolate ones. Yummmm!

I dunt cee whut tha bid deal is abut. I plased 287 inmy bee!

“B-E-E.”

This reminds me to notice if event award podiums are staggered like that. I always thought only first place was elevated. Maybe this was done just for the gag?

Spelling bees only exist with poorly developed languages.

Brownie point for this one.

Sure, round candy with sprinkles is always Number One.

Kudos to them all!

Those of us with typographic backgrounds may recognize “nonpareil” as a six-point characteristic.