I was amused to come across several snippets of information and/or levity that shed new light (sort of!) on Valentine’s Day.
The Vancouver Sun published ten little-known facts about the day. Among them were:
2. Yes, roses ARE red.
The most cliched Valentine’s Day greeting didn’t start out as a cliche, of course. It was once a poem with meaning, to someone:
The rose is red, the violet’s blue
The honey’s sweet, and so are you
Thou are my love and I am thine
I drew thee to my Valentine
The lot was cast and then I drew
And Fortune said it shou’d be you.– from Gammer Gurton’s Garland, published in 1784.
. . .
9. Bitter cards are best sent without a signature.
Vinegar valentines came into fashion in Victorian era. Instead of the sweet sentiment included in a Valentine’s Day card, a vinegar valentine contains an snide remark, usually a cartoon, and are sent anonymously, as an insult.
There are more at the link.
Next, Old NFO publishes a list of Valentine’s Day rhymes. The first line is conventional . . . the second, anything but! Here are a few examples.
2. I see your face when I am dreaming.
That’s why I always wake up screaming.. . .
5. I thought that I could love no other
— that is, until I met your brother.. . .
11. What inspired this amorous rhyme?
Two parts vodka, one part lime.
Again, more at the link.
Finally, I Can Has Cheezburger? came through for the day with this gem. Click the picture to be taken to this year’s Valentine’s Day page on ICHC.
Peter