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Fortunate Reversals, Richard Lederer
Fortunate Reversals, Richard Lederer
Word Ways
We intrepid logologists love to switch around letters within words -- adjacent letters (UNITED UNTIED), separated letters (CONVERSATION CONSERVATION), and initial and terminal letters (LATCHES SATCHEL). In some words we can interchange each half to form new words. Dmitri Borgmann called these leapfrogging specimens "cyclic transpositions." I prefer the more playful "fortunate reversals."
Scrabble And Retrograde Analysis, Simon Norton
Scrabble And Retrograde Analysis, Simon Norton
Word Ways
Reading Mike Keith's article "Scrabble-Tile Double Word Squares and Rectangles" (WW Feb 2011) led me to ask the following question: which of the word grids he gave are actually legal positions in a game of Scrabble? Chess problemists use the term "retrograde analysis" for the study of how chess positions might have arisen in a legal game; this concept is of course equally applicable to other games, including Scrabble.
The Cult Of Word Fasting, Dave Morice
The Cult Of Word Fasting, Dave Morice
Word Ways
This short story replaces the "Kickshaws" feature for this issue.
Funny Words 3, A. Anil
Funny Words 3, A. Anil
Word Ways
Funny haha arguably, funny peculiar inarguably. No legit dictionary would touch these newords. So why create them? James Mancuso (eg, 11-124) mostly coins realistic neologisms, like Barbara Wallraff's Word Fugutives, as possible real words. My motive is more frivolous -- an urge to play logodaedaly just for fun, cavalierly ignoring my vast ignorance of existing words. There are some one million non-proper English words, give or take a million. Of course this spread allows the possibility (a million minus a million) that there are no legitimate English words, bastards every one! I leap on that leveled playing field scenario …
Tautonymic Sights And Sounds, Susan Thorpe
Tautonymic Sights And Sounds, Susan Thorpe
Word Ways
Most tautonymic words, as well as consisting of a repeated letter/group of letters, are also phonetically tautonymic, the 2 identical letter groups having identical pronunciations. On the other hand, there exist tautonymic words with a difference in pronunciation between the 2 identical letter groups. The degree of audible difference varies. it may be obvious as in ISIS, a river in Oxford, and in the TSETSE fly; or the difference may be more subtle.
Letter Banks, Zorn Radisavljevic
Letter Banks, Zorn Radisavljevic
Word Ways
A letter bank is a type of puzzle where all the letters of one word (the "bank") can be used as many times as desired (a minimum of once each) to make a new word or phrase. For example, IMPS is a bank of MISSISSIPPI, and CYNDI LAUPER is a letter bank of PERPENDICULARLY.
Collector's Corner, Round 3, Jeremiah Farrell
Collector's Corner, Round 3, Jeremiah Farrell
Word Ways
In his book The No-Sided Professor Martin Gardner reprints "The Three Cowboys", a story for children from January 1959 Humpty Dumpty's Magazine.
The Language Perfectionist: Quotation Quota, Don Hauptman
The Language Perfectionist: Quotation Quota, Don Hauptman
Word Ways
Every few years, my friend Mardy Grothe assembles a new collection of quotations. The defining characteristic of these anthologies is that all the entries share an interesting or quirky theme.
A Pangrammatic Limerick, A. Ross Eckler
Phonetic Palindromes, Susan Thorpe
Phonetic Palindromes, Susan Thorpe
Word Ways
Words which are palindromes may, or may not, sound like palindromes. NOON, PEEP, and KINNIKINNIK sound like palindromes. However, most palindromes with more than 4 letters do not sound like palindromes, an exception being the 5 letter MINIM. The palindromically-inconsistent sounds, sometimes subtle, are, nevertheless, real: MADAM, LEVEL, TENET, CIVIC, SOLOS, DEIFIED, and ROTATOR. On the other hand, there exist words which are not palindromes but which sound like palindromes. These are phonetic palindromes. MAIM is a phonetic palindrome.
Anagram Quiz 3, A. Anil
Anagram Quiz 3, A. Anil
Word Ways
The clues are definitive anagrams or polyanagrams of the answers. Most are reversibles. Answers are out back.
More What Four?, Steve Kahan
More What Four?, Steve Kahan
Word Ways
Like Schubert's symphony number 8 in B minor, the listings in the following quiz are unfinished. More precisely, each of the twenty-five questions consists of a pair of word fragments from which the same final quartet of letters is missing. For instance, if LUL/WAL appeared below, then appending the letters LABY to the end of each would reveal the words LULLABY and WALLABY. Appropriately, score four points for any duo which is identified correctly.
Us County Names, Darryl Francis
Us County Names, Darryl Francis
Word Ways
Over the years, I have written various articles for Word Ways on the logology of the names of the 50 US states and the 50 state capitals. There have been transposals, transdeletions, transadditions and so on. But I've never explored the names of the US counties.
"Hey -- Stumble? Stay Humble!": More Story Spoonerisms, Don Hauptman
"Hey -- Stumble? Stay Humble!": More Story Spoonerisms, Don Hauptman
Word Ways
One of my favorite varieties of spoonerism is the narrative form, in which a setup is followed by a punned punch line.
Gwan Tong, Amy Chi
Gwan Tong, Amy Chi
Word Ways
These two Chinese characters literally mean boiling soup. To local people, this type of soup is different from louh fo tong in terms of nutrition, medicinal value and the heart that the cook puts into making it.
Alphabetical Antonyms, A. Ross Eckler
Alphabetical Antonyms, A. Ross Eckler
Word Ways
During 1993 Nyr Indictor published the short-lived N is for Newsletter, a journal devoted to "alphabets, alphabet books, and alphabet memorabilia for alphabet lovers." The September issue contained the following challenge: "Create an alphabet of antonyms, that is, pairs of words that begin with the same letter that are in some way opposites, like aerobic and anaerobic, author and authoress, or ask and answer." A large number were published in the October/November issue, including a complete set that I submitted. The following selection is taken from that list.
Special Words, T.A. Hall
Special Words, T.A. Hall
Word Ways
In two recent articles in this journal, Susan Thorpe identifies schwa as the phonetic symbol of English which can be represented by the most letters of the alphabet.
Answers And Solutions
Word Ways
Answers and solutions to the puzzles contained in this issue.
National Puzzler's League, Zorn Radisavljevic
National Puzzler's League, Zorn Radisavljevic
Word Ways
You probably noticed that some authors of anagrams use pseudonyms. Most of them are members of the National Puzzlers League (NPL), an Americna non-profit organization focused on puzzling, primarily in the realm of word play and word games. Founded in 1883, NPL is the oldest puzzlers' organization in the world. it originally hosted semiannual conventions in February and September of each year, but conventions are now held annually, in July.
Numerograms - Another Hidden Meanings In Letters, Zoran Radisavljevic
Numerograms - Another Hidden Meanings In Letters, Zoran Radisavljevic
Word Ways
Numerogram is a puzzle which I invented in 2001. It was firstly published in Belgrade magazine "Enigmatika".
Totally Extreme Words, Susan Thorpe
Totally Extreme Words, Susan Thorpe
Word Ways
Consider the word CLIFF. The first letter (C) has an alphabetical value of 3; the last letter (F) a value of 6. Coincidentally, the total value of the whole word is 36. CLIFF is what I call a totally extreme word. However, it doesn't end there. The total value of the middle letters situated between C and F is 27, which is 9 times the value of the first letter, C.
Collector's Corner, Round 6, Jeremiah Farrell
Collector's Corner, Round 6, Jeremiah Farrell
Word Ways
Martin Gardner wrote 111 puzzles for his good friend Isaac Asimov to include in Isaac's Science Fiction magazine. The popular Sci-fi paperback is still being published. For details contact the editor Sheila Williams.
Neologisms L Through O, J. James Mancusco
Neologisms L Through O, J. James Mancusco
Word Ways
An alphabetic listing of neologisms, letters L through O.
Collector's Corner, Round 5, Jeremiah Farrell
Collector's Corner, Round 5, Jeremiah Farrell
Word Ways
Martin Gardner's 300th article for Scientific American appeared in their August, 1998 issue (Cover: New Thinking about Back Pain). It's title "A Quarter-Century of Recreational Mathematics," highlights Gardner's 297 "Mathematical Games" columns and his 1956 article on "Hexaflexagons" (he does not mention the 1952 article on "Logic -- see Collector's Corner -- Round 4).
One-Pointers, Steve Kahan
One-Pointers, Steve Kahan
Word Ways
The following quiz solicits a grand total of one hundred answers, supplying the rationale for its title. While all of the categories are familiar, some of the answers might prove to be elusive. How close can you come to achieving a perfect score?
Hydromorons, A. Anil
Hydromorons, A. Anil
Word Ways
Hydromorons complement oxymorons. (H and O are two extremes on the chemical reactivity or redox scale.) In contrast to the glaring self-contradiction of an oxymoron, a hydromoron is a glaring redundancy like each of the three pairs in this telling headline.
Punk Whiz 15, A. Anil
Punk Whiz 15, A. Anil
Word Ways
More Pun Quiz misdefinitions. In parenthesis are the letters in the answer; (3|6) is a charade, a nine-letter word that splits into a three plus six letter pun. My answers are out back.
In Your Mind's Ear, Ron Singer
In Your Mind's Ear, Ron Singer
Word Ways
"Hmm. A metaphor that melds body parts. 'In the mind's eye'?"
Ladies' Diary Riddle -- An Answer, Ronnie Kon
Ladies' Diary Riddle -- An Answer, Ronnie Kon
Word Ways
The answer to the Riddle that Faith Eckler asked about so long ago is an Oven. I kid you not.