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Eleven Positions, Frederick Dawson
Eleven Positions, Frederick Dawson
Word Ways
A phrase migrates to different positions in different blocks of text.
Six-Letter Transposals, A. Ross Eckler
Six-Letter Transposals, A. Ross Eckler
Word Ways
The transposal of PROSE into SPORE is exactly the same as the transposal of OLIVE into VOILE: both can be represented by the transformation 12345 - 41325, which says that the letter in first position is moved to second position, the letter in second position is moved to fourth position, and so on to the letter in fifth position which remains fixed. To save space, the transformation is written 41325.
Vowel-Consonant Patterns, Philip M. Cohen
Vowel-Consonant Patterns, Philip M. Cohen
Word Ways
In his article "Seven-Letter Words" in the August 1968 Word Ways, Dmitri Borgmann tackled the problem of finding seven-letter words containing an excess of vowels or consonants.
"X" As In Xerxes, Dmitri A. Borgmann
"X" As In Xerxes, Dmitri A. Borgmann
Word Ways
It is the awesome responsibility of parents to choose names for their offspring. In picking suitable names, they must try to find ones meeting certain standards regarded as desirable in our society. Specifically, names should be (1) short, (2) modern, (3) euphonious, (4) free of unpleasant connotations, (5) easy to pronounce, (6) matching the sex of the child being named, and (7) distinctive.
Palindromic Charade Sentences, James I. Rambo
Palindromic Charade Sentences, James I. Rambo
Word Ways
The construction of palindromes is an extremely old entertainment among word lovers and requires no introduction. Much newer are charade sentences which were introduced by Howard Bergerson in Word Ways and most recently discussed there by Hearst Sill Rogers in the May 1977 issue. In the February 1977 Word Ways there appeared a series of "double" palindromes by the writer of this article. Some readers have doubtless recognized the double palindrome as being merely a pair of charade sentences composed with the additional constraint of being palindromic or, more simply, of being palindromic charade sentences. I believe this to be …
Traffic: Complaints Iv, Tom Smith
A Word Path Puzzle, Charles Bostick
A Word Path Puzzle, Charles Bostick
Word Ways
In each of the 25 five-by-five letter arrays below, a word having no repeated letters can be traced out by horizontal or vertical steps.
As you discover the word in each array, place its initial letter in a blank five-by-five square whose cells are defined by the positions of the 25 individual arrays in the square pattern below.
Natrix, Ralph G. Beaman
Natrix, Ralph G. Beaman
Word Ways
Here's a one-dimensional crossword for all you jaded fans. Simply fill in the letters as called for by the definitions to find a (11, 5, 5) dictionary phrase. As there are as many words as letters you should have no trouble in completing it. If you don't have a dictionary handy and end up stumped, see Answers and Solutions.
Words With Two Doubled Letters, Philip M. Cohen
Words With Two Doubled Letters, Philip M. Cohen
Word Ways
In the February 1973 Word Ways, Darryl Francis searched for examples of words having two doubled letters (as abbess and buccaneer). Specifically, he attempted to find examples for all doubled pairs excluding J, Q, V and X -- that is, words containing aa-aa, aa-bb, aa-cc, ... , yy-zz, zz-zz.
Kickshaws, Willard R. Espy
Kickshaws, Willard R. Espy
Word Ways
Kickshaws is currently being assembled by a series of guest editors. All contributions should be sent to the editor in Morristown, New Jersey.
Living Terror, Merlin X. Houdini
Living Terror, Merlin X. Houdini
Word Ways
Living organisms move. They act. Their actions may be inimical to man's best interests. They inspire fear, dread, even terror. From time immemorial, humans have viewed with alarm, nay, with horror, the evil that lurks inside living consciousness.
The Patterns Of Statenames, A. Ross Eckler
The Patterns Of Statenames, A. Ross Eckler
Word Ways
Word play involving the names of the fifty states, or their US Post Office abbreviations, has frequently appeared in Word Ways. This subject is appealing, I think, because it deals with a word list of manageable size; one can easily discuss the logological properties of the whole set of words, as Dmitri Borgmann did in the November 1970 issue when he sought state name transpositions. Furthermore, readers tend to identify with the states in which they live, offering improvements on the original.
Answers And Solutions
Word Ways
Answers and solutions to the puzzles contained in this issue.
Distillation, Mary W. Matthews
Distillation, Mary W. Matthews
Word Ways
If not for you, I'd not be in this fix--
You came to me, you smiled deep in my eyes.
I knew not then I'd feel grief's hot, sharp pricks;
No, I was coaxed by false love's lures and sighs.
"Everybody Loves A Baby ...", George J. Grieshaber
"Everybody Loves A Baby ...", George J. Grieshaber
Word Ways
I use my 1961 Webster's Third New International Dictionary, backed up by a 1945 Second Edition. I was raised, literally, on an old Funk and Wagnalls which lifted my five inches closer to the dining room table top.
Front Cover, Publication Information
Front Cover, Publication Information
Word Ways
Front Cover, Publication Information, Table of Contents
On Figures Of Speech, John Mcclellan
On Figures Of Speech, John Mcclellan
Word Ways
It is a toss-up with many persons as to whether History or Mathematics is their most unfavorite subject, and we shall keep this introduction to a minimum for that reason. Luckily, Mathematics does not concern us here, but we feel that a small amount of historical background should be supplied in the interest of clarification.
Roman Holiday, Boris Randolph
Roman Holiday, Boris Randolph
Word Ways
If you are at SIXES and SEVENS with regard to Roman numbers, note that the SIX contains a 9 and the SEVEN, a 5. Some of our other numbers have Roman figures in them, too.
Elementary, My Dear Reader, Darryl Francis
Elementary, My Dear Reader, Darryl Francis
Word Ways
In the very first issue of Word Ways (February, 1968), Dmitri Borgmann looked at the transposability of the names of a few of the chemical elements. For example, CURRY ME can be rearranged to give MERCURY, and A TIN LUMP can be rearranged to give PLATINUM. Unfortunately, terms like CURRY ME and A TIN LUMP are not recorded in any dictionaries we know of.
Notes On Palindromes, Robert Funt
Notes On Palindromes, Robert Funt
Word Ways
Outside of Sotades, the inventor of the form, the greatest palindromist in history may well be the late-Victorian poet Edwin Fitzpatrick, now principally remembered for his translation of Omar Khayyam which he entitled "The Rubaiyat of Charades and Palindromes". Although his rendering has been termed eccentrick and even obscure by some, there is little doubt that he remained faithful both to the Tentmaker's rigid use of quatrains and his highly phantasmagorial sense of imagery.
Colloquy
Word Ways
Webster's Dictionary defines colloquy as mutual discourse. Readers are encouraged to submit additions, corrections and comments about earlier articles appearing in Word Ways. Comments received up to a month prior to publication of an issue will appear in that issue.
Instructions To Authors
Word Ways
Instructions to authors wishing to contribute to the publication.
Strike-Outs: Even-Letter Deletions, Stanley L. Payne
Strike-Outs: Even-Letter Deletions, Stanley L. Payne
Word Ways
Various kinds of wordplay can be devised using deletions: the APRICOT contains a PIT, household GARBAGE yields GARAGE sales. The May 1967 Word Ways featured Tom Pulliam's synonymic deletions: INDOLENT contains IDLE, to DECLINE is to DIE. This article features a special class of deletions -- those in which the even letters of a word are struck out, leaving another word.
Got That Rhythm, Maxey Brooke
Got That Rhythm, Maxey Brooke
Word Ways
Some talented performers, like Sid Caesar, can speak a series of nonsense syllables and, by varying the rhythm, make their audience think they are speaking French, Spanish, German, Italian, or Russian.
The Lady, Or The Tiger?, Fred Abrams
The Lady, Or The Tiger?, Fred Abrams
Word Ways
Since its publication in Century Magazine in July, 1882, Stockton's classic puzzle story has fascinated generations of Americans. A semi-barbaric princess is faced with the horrifying dilemma of either allowing her lover to wed a beautiful lady, or condemning him to be devoured by a ferocious tiger.
The Longest Palindrome, Jeff Grant
Colloquy
Word Ways
Webster's Dictionary defines colloquy as mutual discourse. Readers are encouraged to submit additions, corrections and comments about earlier articles appearing in Word Ways. Comments received up to a month prior to publication of an issue will appear in that issue.
All Words Are Interesting, Pamela H. Brang
All Words Are Interesting, Pamela H. Brang
Word Ways
The scientific method requires that any profound experimental result be verified by duplication. This should be by an independent competent unprejudiced researcher. I qualify.
Onomasticon I, George H. Scheetz
Onomasticon I, George H. Scheetz
Word Ways
One of my favorite pastimes is gathering together words that share an interesting suffix -- or perhaps share a similar spelling, regardless of etymology.