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It'$ not ₺he pride before the fall.
It's not 'round mouths in afternoons.

You may have heard it said by three:
Do it in meta 'for toil and trouble.

Or if the charge is all done wrong,
It's guaranteed for subtraction!

Ensure the sword's not just a blade,
And within the forest it might be.

What is it, and why is it relevant to this question?

HINT (small):

Why is it relevant to this question? Why is it relevant to this question?

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    $\begingroup$ Why are some letters crossed out? $\endgroup$
    – Scratch---Cat
    Nov 14, 2019 at 11:58
  • $\begingroup$ @Rand al'Thor Do you need to know about Japanese culture to answer this riddle? $\endgroup$
    – Alex
    Nov 14, 2019 at 16:54
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    $\begingroup$ @Alex Nope, otherwise I would've added the knowledge tag. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Nov 14, 2019 at 16:57
  • $\begingroup$ Is wordplay tag applicable here? $\endgroup$
    – Mea Culpa Nay
    Nov 14, 2019 at 17:28
  • $\begingroup$ @MeaCulpaNay Yeah, I was wondering if I should add that. Done. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Nov 14, 2019 at 17:30

4 Answers 4

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I think it's something related to

Double

It'$ not ₺he pride before the fall.
It's not 'round mouths in afternoons.

The double O's in 'afternoons' look like a pair of round mouths, but that's a big stretch.
Edit by OP: it's not bubble (financial "pride before the fall") or stubble (five o'clock shadow).

You may have heard it said by three:
Do it in meta 'for toil and trouble.

Macbeth's three witches, double double toil and trouble. Not sure what the meta reference is, unless it's to "double" being the thing being doubled here.

Or if the charge is all done wrong, It's guaranteed for subtraction!

If you're double charged, the extra charge should be subtracted. (Suspect there may also be a second physics-based clue that I'm missing)

Ensure the sword's not just a blade,

Makes it a double-edged sword. (With which you might wear a double[t])

And within the forest it might be.

Edit by OP: you ensure a sword's not just a blade by putting a hilt on, and putting double within a forest gives Doubletree by Hilton.

Hint:

The title is repeated twice, so doubled.

Edit by OP: title

This question was asked just at the time Stack Exchange doubled reputation for upvotes on questions.

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  • $\begingroup$ Yes yes yes! You're getting there. For the first two lines, remember those clues are about what it's not. You're correct on the meaning of "meta". For the "charge" lines, think of different meanings of charge and what might be guaranteed. The last two lines are tricky, but what would you call a sword that's not just a blade? $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Nov 19, 2019 at 16:37
  • $\begingroup$ Any more progress on the remaining lines? How about the title? $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Nov 22, 2019 at 17:04
  • $\begingroup$ rot13(Gur gvgyr vf ercrngrq vafvqr gur dhrfgvba vgfrys (orsber gur uvag). Gur erny jbeq vf cebonoyl "ercrgvgvba", juvpu nyfb pbagnvaf gur jbeq "vg") $\endgroup$
    – Avi
    Nov 22, 2019 at 17:19
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I will give a shot at this,

it is trivia

As

'$ not ₺he pride before the fall. It's not 'round mouths in afternoons.

Not sure on the first line, but the 2nd line refers to important things people converse, usually in the 2nd half of a day(usually at the end of a day)

You may have heard it said by three: Do it in meta 'for toil and trouble.

Meta (of any main group of SE)is supposed to post lesser important matters than the main one -which require trouble and toil. Also, the etymology of trivia deals with a conversation involving 3 people.

Or if the charge is all done wrong, It's guaranteed for subtraction!

This refers to those puzzles which get down voted and ultimately get closed, if they are not as per guidelines of PSE

Ensure the sword's not just a blade, And within the forest it might be.

Not sure, via means, not only a way but a weapon?! And yes, usually one may find trivia, in a forest.

I will add a justification of the question, in a while.:-)

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    $\begingroup$ Sorry, nope. Each sentence has a specific meaning related to the word which is the answer. (The hardest, I think, is the penultimate line.) $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Nov 15, 2019 at 10:29
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I think the word is

DEBIT

Because It'$ not ₺he pride before the fall.

This phrase originated from Proverbs in the Bible. Which is credited to someone (don’t remember who). So, if it’s not a credit it’s a (Debit).

It's not 'round mouths in afternoons.

I would imagine taking the bit out of your horse’s mouth after a long morning of work is usual (don’t know. don’t own a horse). (De-Bit)

You may have heard it said by three:

Three witches in MacBeth during the 4th Act or the (D-Bit) referenced in the next line, "Double, Double..."

Do it in meta 'for toil and trouble.

To unrestrain or un-limit commenters’ voices in Meta would cause a lot of toil and trouble for the mods. (De-Bit)

Or if the charge is all done wrong,

Referencing a credit card mistakenly run as a debit, probably at the register (Debit)

It's guaranteed for subtraction!

Previous action deducts money from your checking account (Debit)

Ensure the sword's not just a blade,

The blade in a carpenter’s plane is called a bit. So, if you take it out, you will debit. (De-Bit)

And within the forest it might be.

If the plane has been debited, it may be seen as just another piece of wood. (De-Bit)

It may be necessary to the question because

This is just a guess, you want to have a positive debit balance on your account. (Referencing the money symbols)

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  • $\begingroup$ Very clever, +1. But there are no homophones or homographs involved, just one word. You did find the correct reference for one of the lines. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Nov 15, 2019 at 16:48
  • $\begingroup$ @Rand al'Thor, should I submit a new answer or edit my existing answer if I have a new guess? That is one thing I have not figured out yet. $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Nov 15, 2019 at 17:57
  • $\begingroup$ Either is acceptable, I think. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Nov 15, 2019 at 17:59
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I think the answer is

Bounty

Because

It'$ not ₺he pride before the fall.

First Stanza - Pride is said to lead to bad fortune. So, It's good fortune.

It's not 'round mouths in afternoons.

First Stanza - It's not round mouths. So, it's pursed lips. Humor me, we'll call this a purse.

You may have heard it said by three:

Bounty - a generous gift; something freely provided - The 3 witches in MacBeth gave him a few warnings freely with their magic spell.

Do it in meta 'for toil and trouble.

Bounty - a premium or reward, (given for some act or action) - I'm sure putting a bounty on a question in META is not a good idea. It's pretty unnecessary.

Or if the charge is all done wrong,

When the bounty is offered for a bad deed, like for a hit

It's guaranteed for subtraction!

Then the person targeted will most likely be killed.

Ensure the sword's not just a blade,

Bounty - a payment made by a government, to a sailor on enlisting or to a soldier after a campaign - the sword could be a gift or reward for service, more than just a blade.

And within the forest it might be.

Fore - first in place, ... - So, assuming forest could mean first, the first stanza is a purse filled with good fortune (has money signs in it). So, the bounty could be in the purse.

It is relevant to this question because

The longer this question sits without a correct answer, the more likely it is to have a bounty put on it.

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  • $\begingroup$ I got a little ahead of myself there. rot13(Npghnyyl, V qba'g xabj jul vg'f eryrinag gb guvf dhrfgvba fvapr gurer ner abar va vg. Vg pbhyq or zbqvsvrq gb unir gurz, ohg vg jbhyqa'g punatr gur zrnavat.) $\endgroup$
    – MacGyver88
    Nov 15, 2019 at 19:09
  • $\begingroup$ Nope, sorry, now you're further away than the first attempt. Some of these explanations are really stretching it; I hope the actual solution won't be so much of a stretch :-) $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Nov 15, 2019 at 20:22

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