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Detective Acrostics, Harry Eiss
Detective Acrostics, Harry Eiss
Word Ways
The acrostic is an ancient form of verse in which the initial letters of a word, phrase, or line spell a key word.
Subtransposals From A To Z, Kyle Corbin
Subtransposals From A To Z, Kyle Corbin
Word Ways
Recently, a large publication offered a first-rate word contest, giving word buffs from around the world an opportunity to enjoy their pastime for profit. Some 700 people entered the contest, and the winners included Rod P. Selden and myself. After the contest, Selden (a stranger to me) detailed his approach to the contest in an article in the November 1984 Word Ways. Upon reading his article, I was so intrigued by the differences in our strategies and scores that I contacted him to discuss them further. I then contacted most of the other winners. In this article, I compare …
Front Cover And Publication Information, Volume 18 Number 4
Front Cover And Publication Information, Volume 18 Number 4
Word Ways
Front cover and publication information for this issue, including a table of contents.
Ars Magna: The Ten-Square, Jeff Grant
Ars Magna: The Ten-Square, Jeff Grant
Word Ways
Word squares have always fascinated me. From an early age I took delight in devising regular 3-by-3 and 4-by-4 squares, perhaps to the detriment of a few well-meaning teachers, who mistook my linguistic activities for doodling. Undeterred by these knockbacks, I continued to practise the forbidden art, being more careful not to get caught.
The Case Of The Perfect Pangram, Robert N. Test
The Case Of The Perfect Pangram, Robert N. Test
Word Ways
Inspector Ashley Halsey slammed down his copy of the newspaper as he heard a loud knock at the door of his tiny office. "Confound it," he muttered angrily. "Can't a man take a few minutes to finish solving a crossword puzzle!" Reluctantly, he swiveled his huge body in his chair to reach the doorknob.
Webster's Fourth: A Review, Edward R. Wolpow
Webster's Fourth: A Review, Edward R. Wolpow
Word Ways
1909, 1934, 1961 ... from this series, one might predict that the fourth edition of the Merriam-Webster Unabridged will appear in 1990. Alas, this is no Halley's comet. According to the August 1985 issue of Games magazine, The Merriam-Webster editorial director flatly state "there are no plans for such a work", and a noted lexicographer and editor doubts that there ever will be: "uneconomical...an unabridged simply doesn't sell enough copies". This article and the following one present two wistful (or, perhaps, wishful?) views of this unlikely work.
Webster's Fourth: Another Review, Dmiti A. Borgmann
Webster's Fourth: Another Review, Dmiti A. Borgmann
Word Ways
The year 1985 will long be remembered for the logological event of the century: the publication in Springfield, Massachusetts of the 4th Edition of Webster's Unabridged. Priced attractively at only $1395 (plus sales tax, where applicable), Webster's Fourth New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged comes in the form of 20 large volumes,
What Do You Call A Naked Grizzly?, Richard Lederer
What Do You Call A Naked Grizzly?, Richard Lederer
Word Ways
Homophones are words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Examples of sound-alike words are flair and flare, colonel and kernel, and poor, pore and pour. Here is a puzzle designed to test your ear for homophones.
Kickshaws, Benjamin G. Zimmer
Dictionaries And Podism, Don Laycock
Dictionaries And Podism, Don Laycock
Word Ways
Podism? Foot-fetishism, perhaps, or a branch of chiropody? Neither: podism is a state of mental bias, like sexism and racism. Podism is the attitude that all civilization, science, and culture origniated in the Northern Hemisphere, and continues to be confined to that hemisphere. The derivation of my neologism will become clear when I say that I am an antipodist.
Long Isograms (Part 3), Dmitri A. Borgmann
Long Isograms (Part 3), Dmitri A. Borgmann
Word Ways
In the first two parts of this article, I have presented perfect specimens of isograms, pair isograms, trio isograms, etc. It is now time to present various specimens which, although flawed in one way or another, are sufficiently meritorious to display to an eargerly-waiting world. These fall into two catagories: near-isograms that fail to qualify by virtue of a single extra letter, and pair isograms in which certain letter-pairs are repeated.
Palindromania, Dave Morice
Palindromania, Dave Morice
Word Ways
A few years ago, I was a palindrophobiac. Although palindromes were majestic constructions to read, they seemed too majestic for me to construct. I had a fear of writing them.
Uh-Huh, Maxey Brooke
Uh-Huh, Maxey Brooke
Word Ways
"An interjection used to indicate an affirmative answer." So defines the Random House Dictionary. It also defines "uh-uh" as the opposite of "uh-huh". Webster's Second defines it in almost the same words but does not define "uh-uh". The Oxford English Dictionary defines neither word but does define "uh". American Heritage simply ignores the whole thing.
Food Fads, Dmitri Borgmann
Food Fads, Dmitri Borgmann
Word Ways
One of the nice things about many foods is that, if you don't like them, you can transform them into other foods, possibly more to your taste, simply by way of letter rearrangement.
Answers And Solutions
Word Ways
Answers and solutions to the puzzles contained in this issue.
On The Birth (And Death?) Of A Word, Michael Smith
On The Birth (And Death?) Of A Word, Michael Smith
Word Ways
In this article I offer a brief anecdote, one which shows that the English language (like any living language) is always changing, that it grows at the local and even at the personal level, and that many of the new "growths" bloom quickly, like some exotic flower, and can fade just as quickly.
My First Word-List, John L. Hervey
My First Word-List, John L. Hervey
Word Ways
This is an abridged version of an article printed in the March 15, 1907 issue of the Ardmore Puzzler. Using the pen name "Majolica", the author was a long-time member of the National Puzzlers' League, specializing in the construction of large word squares. The incident described here occurred in the early 1880s, but a similar story could be related today by frustrated competitors in word competitions that attract many entrants.
Front Cover And Publication Information, Volume 18 Number 3
Front Cover And Publication Information, Volume 18 Number 3
Word Ways
Front cover and publication information for this issue, including a table of contents.
Who Says A Must Say B, George J. Levenbach
Who Says A Must Say B, George J. Levenbach
Word Ways
The following appears in Section 90d of Battus's Opperlandse taal- & letterkunde, and was translated by George Levenbach.
Name Play, A. Ross Eckler
Name Play, A. Ross Eckler
Word Ways
At one time or another, everybody is asked to sign an autograph book, a school yearbook, a wedding book, or a retirement book with some conventional pearl of wisdom about the specific rite of passage. It is the purpose of this article to suggest that a logologist can can create a far more original message by exploiting the wordplay potential of the recipient's name. To illustrate, I draw from my own experience over the past twenty years. I hasten to add that the examples below were not thought up on the spur of the moment, but during odd moments over …
Long Isograms (Part 2), Dmitri A. Borgmann
Long Isograms (Part 2), Dmitri A. Borgmann
Word Ways
As defined in the first part of this article, pair isograms are words containing exactly two of each letter. Those 7 pair isograms in the following lists which exhibit an accidental first-half/last-half symmetry or balance are asterisked for the reader's convenience.
The Fall Of The Dictionary Of Webster, Louis Phillips
The Fall Of The Dictionary Of Webster, Louis Phillips
Word Ways
During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when verbs hung oppressively low in their sentences, I had been passing through a singualarly dreary tract, and at length found myself, as the shades of evening grew on, within the view of the melancholy dictionary of Noah Webster.
Shakespeare, The Car Salesman, Chuck Davis
Shakespeare, The Car Salesman, Chuck Davis
Word Ways
Sratford and Avon, the advertising company, are pleased to announce that they have engaged the services of Will Shakespeare, the well-known writer, in their advertising campaign for the newest Detroit automobile, the Starling.
Welsh English, Jay Ames
Welsh English, Jay Ames
Word Ways
A large number of Welsh words look like unrelated English words. The following collection is restricted to English words appearing in the Merriam-Webster Pocket Dictionary, or simple derivatives thereof (plurals, past participles); many more are obviously possible if larger dictionaries are allowed.
I Had A Solander On Canberra Day, Don Laycock
I Had A Solander On Canberra Day, Don Laycock
Word Ways
To non-Cockneys, one of the most baffling features about rhyming sland contnues to be the use of abbreviated, non-rhyming words.
Artificial Adreverbums, William Sunners
Artificial Adreverbums, William Sunners
Word Ways
Imaginative palindromes have been featured in two recent Word Ways articles: "Soap Dealers and Beer Barons" by Eugene Ulrish in November 1982, and the "The Majestic Palindrome" by Dmitri Borgmann in February 1985. Inspired by their monumental achievements, I have created a series of questionable forward-and-backward scrivenings of my own.
One More Charade Crossword, Ernst Theimer
One More Charade Crossword, Ernst Theimer
Word Ways
Of all crossword puzzles, I find the charade crossword the most enjoyable. in this type of crossword, the clues do not directly define the word to be found. The word is buried as a charade in a sentence.