I'm thinking of a word that rhymes with "obtuse."

... and it doesn't even come with a month in the hole.

When this word's a verb, it doesn't rhyme, but when it's a noun it does - should we just discard it as something worthless and useless then?

What Sherlock Holmes did from clues.

That first part could apply to "use" or any of its derivatives. I guess "misuse" is the best match for worthless, but let me know if you had something else in mind.

Not abuse, misuse, reuse, use,

nor that, Watson.

Not abuse, misuse, reuse, use, deduce,

RE: #4 - You're right, I hadn't thought long enough to notice that there's lots of "use" words which rhyme in the verb usage but not in the noun. Mine wasn't misuse though - the verb denotes a form on negation and the noun is a synonym for detritus.

Children have been delighted by these two pen names for ages. Can you guess them as we play? Can you guess them right away?

Is it a person all alone?

I say lock the varmits up in the

Thanks, James, got it (I think). Welcome, Simon!

#7 Seuss is easy, second is not.
Have to give it some more thought.
Unless perhaps it's Jacob Kruss?
I suspect it's prolly not.

And Crambo is definitely not a proper name.

Not abuse, misuse, reuse, use, deduce, refuse, recluse, Seuss, Kruss,

Well then Crambo is not my second guess, which was less Seuss-y and more {waterfowl}-y.

I offer you my most ebullient apologies.

not that either

Not abuse, misuse, reuse, use, deduce, refuse, recluse, Seuss, Kruss, caboose

#9?

not caboose for #9? hmmm... "hoosegow" is backwards. I'll have to continue contemplating that one.

Ah, of course, Mother herself. No need to apologize ;-)

Not abuse, misuse, reuse, use, deduce, refuse, recluse, Seuss, Kruss, caboose, goose, profuse,

Can you squeeze some fruit, I'd like a drink?

I wonder about the OJ I buy that says "HOME SQUEEZED!!" Really? Whose home? How clean is it...

Not abuse, misuse, reuse, use, deduce, refuse, recluse, Seuss, Kruss, caboose, goose, profuse, juice,

This word is the title of a film being released today (Oct. 14), a remake of a 1984 feel-good classic; with a budget of $25 million, the remake may be fancy but certainly not free.

Dark, not Deep, purple?

ah the list of possible answers gets smaller all the time.

Neither purple nor shrinking, nor all that dancing.

Not abuse, misuse, reuse, use, deduce, refuse, recluse, Seuss, Kruss, caboose, goose, profuse, juice, footloose, puce, reduce,

Bullwinkle et al?

A color, named for a potent potable, named for a religious order, named for a village, named for a mountain range?

Moose is easy enough, but I'm having a fun time thinking about Buck's color. I guess the potent potable isn't named for St. John Bosco*, and that wouldn't rhyme anyway, so I'll have to think some more.

* dating myself a bit here.

Not abuse, misuse, reuse, use, deduce, refuse, recluse, Seuss, Kruss, caboose, goose, profuse, juice, footloose, puce, reduce, moose,

How about that other color, not so prettily named, which is the color of choice for the antidisestablishmentarianism movement in Phineas and Ferb?

//ETA: Er... I should learn to read. I saw purple! Puce is red, right? Let's debate. //

//Puce is RGB (204, 136, 153). See also 3rd TV entry there. ;)//

//LOL. I am an avid P&F wacher by default.//

Someone must have done this to Joseph K., for without having done anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning. (But I'm sure things will turn out OK for him, right?)

//If that means St. John Bosco is the patron saint of chocolate, then I'm building him an altar.//

A lullaby?

New York City?! Get a rope!

re #23 - moose was a giveaway clue, I agree, but I thought it would be better to get it out of the way...

But maybe Crambo's word is not nearly so prosaic - could it be something exalted like reason as the governing principle of the universe? (clearly something we all need more of)

If I'm right, then by definition I have one, and it might be "stretched under" me, etymologically speaking. But if, like the rhyme for this round, I insist on being obtuse, then I definitely don't have one.

(In the above, "I" doesn't refer to a person; the guess is just phrased in the first person.)

I still haven't found all the linkages--fun chase!--but is #22 chartreuse? I'm tempted to say #27 is "camoose." If you're right, huh--what's your angle?

James, I'm reminded of Liebniz, but those studies were many years ago, so I'll have to continue to contemplate. Is #29 noose? Very tired this evening; will try for more tomorrow.

Not abuse, misuse, reuse, use, deduce, refuse, recluse, Seuss, Kruss, caboose, goose, profuse, juice, footloose, puce, reduce, moose, chartreuse, hypoteneuse, noose,

#9 was calaboose. Close to caboose, but no cigars.

New guess, Saturday is my day to shop for organic fruits and vegetables.

RE: #32 - Liebniz might be on the right track, but since my knowledge of philosophy is less than voluminous, let my give you a linguistic hint - #29 homophone.

You're acutely right on "chartreuse," named for the liqueur, named for the Carthusian monks (les Chartreux), named for the village of St. Pierre de Chartreuse near their original monastery, named for the Chartreuse Mountains near Grenoble.

In #27, I'm quoting the first line of my all-time favorite novel in the classic Muir translation. The missing verb suggests someone was spreading lies about Joseph K., hence his arrest without having committed a crime.

Thanks, Joyce, calaboose is a new one for me. That's why I couldn't produce it.

Re #27 I was tireder than I realized, confusing Kafka and Camus. The only thing that comes to mind is "accuse," which isn't a perfect rhyme; let me know. And yes, I'm sure everything will turn out fine for Mr. K.

Here's a small hint: I'm fascinated by self-referential terms, such as TLA. Apparently Crambo's current word is one, at least during this game.

I'll come back in a bit with a guess for James's deistic clue.

Not abuse, misuse, reuse, use, deduce, refuse, recluse, Seuss, Kruss, caboose, goose, profuse, juice, footloose, puce, reduce, moose, chartreuse, hypoteneuse, noose, calaboose, produce, accuse,

should you throw your cards in?

Did Crambo's word used to be hidden and secret but is now just hard to understand?

#28 7sis, I'm so sorry--I didn't see your guess. Are you thinking of berceuse? It's a lovely word, but not Crambo's.

#32 nous?

#37 The only thing coming to mind is fold, but of course that's not it.

However, justjim has nailed it in #38--Crambo's word is abstruse. Well done, sir, and over to you!

Wheee! brb.

Ok, here we go!

was thinking duece

#27 was "traduce." ("Someone must have traduced Joseph K., without having done anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning." Nonetheless, he lived happily ever after.)

RE #32 - nous it was.

Thanks for the ones I missed!