35
$\begingroup$

What's the burning sensation in the following Limerick?

 Complete, I'm a burning sensation,  
 Less my second, provide information,  
    Then curtailed, an offense  
    Like the one with the quince,  
 And beheaded, a doctor's location.
$\endgroup$

1 Answer 1

40
$\begingroup$

The burning sensation is

a 'sting'.
Remove the second letter to get 'sing', which means provide information (what a criminal might do, to the police).
When 'sing' is curtailed (has the last letter removed), we get 'sin', which is an offense. An example is Adam and Eve's decision to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge, and some say the fruit was a quince.
Finally, 'sin' is beheaded to give 'in', and "The doctor is in" is a common expression.

$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.