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Front Cover And Publication Information, Volume 39 Issue 1

Word Ways

Front cover and publication information for this issue.

Answers To Bellamy's 500 Charades, A. Ross Eckler

Word Ways

For those fortunate enough to own one or more of the Bellamy books, here are the solutions to his puzzles. The answers to A Century of Charades are contained in Harland Ballard's Open Sesame, and the answers to A Second Century of Charades are contained in Re-Open Sesame. I am indebted to Will Shortz for supplying the answers to More Charades.

Un-Truthful Words

Word Ways

Four is the definitive "truthful word" because it has four letters. "Unfour" is also truthful as it doesn't have four letters, but is untruthful as it's not a real word. Following an excursion into the un-section of the dictionary I found heaps of truthful and untruthful words, as well as some both truthful and untruthful--like unfour but real words. Here's a sampling, mostly of linguistic interest.

Colloquy

Word Ways

A collection of responses to previously published articles.

Elementary Transadditions, Darryl Francis

Word Ways

The names of chemical elements are an interesting group of names to conjure with. First of all, there's over one hundred of them, depending on how you can count them. Secondly, there's a good mix of short names, and in-between names.

Nobody's News, Dave Morice

Word Ways

A few blocks form here, there lived a man named Nobody. He used to have a normal first, middle, and last name, but he officially changed all three to just one word, Nobody. When anyone asked him why, he said "I'm a nobody, like billions of other people in the world, but they're afraid to admit it."

Meaningful Offspring, Susan Thorpe

Word Ways

Rearranged, the letters of a parent word may give rise to two perfectly legitimate offspring. Some parent words produce pairs of offspring which are related to meaning to each other and also, in some cases, to the parent word. MUSLINETTE hides the synonyms SILENT and MUTE; BAPTISE hides the antonyms TIP and BASE; WORTHILY hides the phrase HOLY WRIT, and so on.

Letter Lengths, Eric Iverson, A. Ross Eckler

Word Ways

Define the length of a letter as the sum of the lengths of its component straight lines and arcs (ignoring details such as serifs). Thus, the length of V is a little more than twice the length of I in most fonts, as O is greater than C, and B and R both greater than P. To fix ideas, we define the uppercase letters as a combination of straight lines and arcs of circles. Nearly all the letters can be embedded in rectangles 2 units by 1 unit in size, except for C, O, W and Q, all of which …

Selfish, Selfless, And Equable Words, Rex Gooch

Word Ways

Selfish words (from 1,200 examples)

I have often been taught that I would be rude to readers if I continually used the pronoun I in sentences I wrote: I would be accused of solipsism as well as a publishing solecism. Indeed, people who are enthusiastic about political correctness might say, without even thinking (too difficult for them anyway), that one ought to avoid words with too many of the letter i.

Enlarging Dutch Tautonyms, Hugo Brandt Corstius

Word Ways

In the table below, I present a near-complete set of Dutch words that consist of tautonyms to which have been added a single letter, either in front, in the middle, or behind. A few of the words (italicized) can be used either in the first or third column. Koekoek and wouwouw are bird names.

Etymology Of Sexual Terms, Leonard R. N. Ashley

Word Ways

Sex is often discussed in the allegedly more respectable terminology derived from classical languages, but sometimes Anglo-Saxon "four-letter words" are boldly employed. Seldom do we think of where these words came from. Can you state the terms derived as follows? Some are of debatable origin, but i do not include those (such as pimp) "of unknown origin". Extra points for virtue if any or all are unfamiliar to you!

Back Cover

Word Ways

Instructions to authors wishing to contribute to Word Ways.

Bookstore Names For Fun And Profit, Bennie Hollingsworth

Word Ways

If the Internet has done anything, it has caused a proliferation of "bookish" activity - dusting off, re-reading, swapping, borrowing, buying and selling. I, for one, has gotten caught up in this melee. My general modus operandi is to do garage sales and pass the wonderful bargains I find on to other anxious Internet book freaks.

Brain Teaser, Ove Michaelsen

Word Ways

Place a new word in front of each word on this list, forming either word or a common two-word phrase. What do the 102 new words have in common? Where does LOOSE belong on this list?

Kickshaws, Dave Morice

Word Ways

A collection of linguistic kickshaws.

Answers And Solutions

Word Ways

Answers and solutions to the puzzles and games contained in this issue.