Those are plumb plump plums, if I do say so

Today's question:

Is something said to be "plum" full or "plump" full or "plumb" full?

A plum is a fruit, a very tasty fruit. I like plums. You probably like plums, too. The plum is our friend. Think "Little Jack Horner."

A plumb line is a string or whatever with a weight on one end. It is used to determine a straight vertical line, or to measure the depth of water under a boat. As in: "It is impossible to plumb the depths of how much I despise this computer or how fervently I hope someday it will rot screaming in some everlasting computer hell."

Plump is an adjective, or one of those things, and it means full or well-rounded or perhaps chubby.

As in, "I bet if I filled this computer plump full of plastic explosives and figure out how to detonate it, I'd feel a lot better."

So, I'm going to go with "plump" full.

However, there is a case to be made for "plumb" as in true or right-on, as in "Dagnab it, Jasper, that last bout of turtle-wrassling left me plumb tuckered out."

Plump or plumb? Stick in your thumb and pull out whichever you like.

You know, you don't come across many people named Jasper anymore, at least as a first or middle name, even though it strikes me as a perfectly fine name.

I am told it is a Persian word meaning "treasurer," and has been traditionally assigned to one of Scriptures' Three Wise Men — the frankincense, etc., gentlemen who showed up after the birth of Jesus.

Variations in other languages include Casper, Kasper and

Gaspar, among others.

Reach Clay Thompson at clay.thompson@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8612.