Second-guessing and Misunderstanding Tolkien

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

No no no!
Don't you remember? Gandalf shouted for the rest of the company to turn into birds at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.

No no no! He was telling them to get on the plane!

 

[Glorfindel Goldtress]

Don't you remember? Gandalf shouted for the rest of the company to turn into birds at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.

Some might say he was also speaking to the "winged" Balrog. 😂

 

[Radaghast]

No no no! He was telling them to get on the plane!
View attachment 25078

Even with those *$%& snakes??

 

[Radaghast]

Did Gondor pay pills to Mordor?

Perhaps they meant to say 'bills'? Even if so, I don't feel the question is much improved.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

 

[Deimos]

Did Gondor pay pills to Mordor?

Perhaps they meant to say 'bills'? Even if so, I don't feel the question is much improved.

I'll allow this one. (A rarity! 😎)

If the OP is a non English speaker he may have used Google (or any online translator) to find the word that means "tribute".
A bill (American English) could be considered as a synonym for "tribute", tho' it's a bit of stretch.
A native English speaker would not use that word.

 

[LaurelinBearsFruit]

Lol this one is at least just silly enough to be funny and not aggravating. Though I agree that it was probably a typo, and if so then I just continue to wish that people would just read literally ANYTHING of Tolkien's, instead of just asking questions to quora and other similar sites.

A man can dream

 

[Deimos]

I'll allow this one. (A rarity! 😎)

If the OP is a non English speaker he may have used Google (or any online translator) to find the word that means "tribute".
A bill (American English) could be considered as a synonym for "tribute", tho' it's a bit of stretch.
A native English speaker would not use that word.

Assuming the OP is, in fact, a non English speaker, and furthermore that his native language is in a different "alphabet", let's say the Cyrillic alphabet.
So he uses an online translator and comes up with "bills" (among other synonyms) for "tribute".
But because he is unfamiliar with the Latin (western) alphabet he spells bills as pills. This is not so farfetched.
The 'b' and the 'p' are very close in appearance, more so than 'b' and 'd' (a mirror image/reversal which his eye would detect).
But the 'b' and the 'p'...a ball on a stick (remember that from First grade?😄) are both facing the same way.
The person might even conclude there isn't any significant difference between the two.

So that is my analysis, Watson: the OP is from a country that uses a non western alphabet and he is also not too familiar with English.
Moreover, he is right -handed, but can use his left hand at times; i.e. he is semi-ambidextrous.
He has slight limp, favoring his right side, an injury obviously the result of a rough splashdown in the early space program.
His hair, light brown and thinning, has been atrociously cut, from which we can assume he is down on his luck and went to the nearest Great Clips (or equivalent in his country), being unable to afford his regular barber.

 

[Vorondil]

Assuming the OP is, in fact, a non English speaker, and furthermore that his native language is in a different "alphabet", let's say the Cyrillic alphabet.
So he uses an online translator and comes up with "bills" (among other synonyms) for "tribute".
But because he is unfamiliar with the Latin (western) alphabet he spells bills as pills. This is not so farfetched.
The 'b' and the 'p' are very close in appearance, more so than 'b' and 'd' (a mirror image/reversal which his eye would detect).
But the 'b' and the 'p'...a ball on a stick (remember that from First grade?😄) are both facing the same way.
The person might even conclude there isn't any significant difference between the two.

So that is my conclusion Watson: the OP is from a country that uses a non western alphabet and he is also not too familiar with English.
Moreover, he is right -handed, but can use his left hand at times; i.e. he is semi-ambidextrous.
He has slight limp, favoring his right side, an injury obviously the result of a rough splashdown in the early space program.
His hair, light brown and thinning, has been atrociously cut, from which we can assume he is down on his luck and went to the nearest Great Clips (or equivalent in his country), being unable to afford his regular barber.

That, or he was just dense.

 

[Deimos]

That, or he was just dense.

Yes, I did think of that possibility.... but if I admitted that right away then I wouldn't have been able to don my Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap, and thus display my talent of deductive reasoning. 😉

 

[Vorondil]

I wouldn't have been able to don my Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap, and thus display my deductive talents. 😉

I see you have tried to emulate my methods somewhat.

 

[Olorgando]

I wouldn't have been able to don my Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap, and thus display my deductive talents. 😉

I see you have tried to emulate my methods somewhat.

At least in the Basil Rathbone / Nigel Bruce films, Rathbone was prone to spout the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson."
My having dabbled in chemistry causes this question to pop up in my mind:
Were the case more difficult, would Rathbone have said
"Molecularly, my dear Watson."?

{jumps down conning tower hatch, slams hatch cover down, screws it tight and yells to crew "DIVE! DIVE!! DIVE!!!"} 😁

 

[Deimos]

At least in the Basil Rathbone / Nigel Bruce films, Rathbone was prone to spout the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson."
My having dabbled in chemistry causes this question to pop up in my mind:
Were the case more difficult, would Rathbone have said
"Molecularly, my dear Watson."?

{jumps down conning tower hatch, slams hatch cover down, screws it tight and yells to crew "DIVE! DIVE!! DIVE!!!"} 😁

As I have said before: People have been sent to hell for lesser offenses.

On a side note: I see that you have the movie Holmes saying "Elementary, my dear Watson".
(Perhaps the "radio" -- or "wireless" --Holmes also said it.)

That leads me to believe that you are aware that the book Holmes never said it.
For those who would go to the mat on this...
Holmes said "elementary" or "it's elementary" quite a lot. And he also addressed Watson as "my dear Watson", but more typically as simply "Watson".
But not once in the entire Sherlock Holmes canon did he say the two together; you will never find the phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson" in any of the 56 short stories and 4 novellas.

 

[Radaghast]

Why couldn't the elves of Rivendell put the Ring inside a small Mithril box and weld it shut? Not that it would keep it safe, but it might keep the Ringbearer from trying it on every time he got in a tight spot.

 

[Glorfindel Goldtress]

Why couldn't the elves of Rivendell put the Ring inside a small Mithril box and weld it shut? Not that it would keep it safe, but it might keep the Ringbearer from trying it on every time he got in a tight spot.

Fine Print: Sauron keeps growing in power all the while.

 

[Deimos]

(Dear God in heaven, will this never end?...)

This wouldn't work because the Ring "has heard its master's call" and "wants to be found", and it would just blow the Mithril Box apart.
It can do that because it's a magic ring, remember?

(Ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer...)

 

[Radaghast]

Isn't there a case for Elrond being the heir to Gondor and Arnor? He was the brother of the founder of Numenor.

This annoying question keeps appearing on my feed, despite my downvoting it.. Some questions aren't stupid enough to post just once, I guess...

 

[Vorondil]

Isn't there a case for Elrond being the heir to Gondor and Arnor? He was the brother of the founder of Numenor.

This annoying question keeps appearing on my feed, despite my downvoting it.. Some questions aren't stupid enough to post just once, I guess...

Where do these morons come from?

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

"From Mordor, Barliman, if that name means anything to you."

 

[Vorondil]

"From Mordor, Barliman, if that name means anything to you."

(I was waiting for that)

''Save us!''