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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.
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,
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Kickshaws, Benjamin G. Zimmer
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 …
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Rhyme-Forced Proverbs, Eugene Ulrich
Rhyme-Forced Proverbs, Eugene Ulrich
Word Ways
A few years ago, when my niece was in grade school, she recited for me some of the proverbs her teacher has been telling them. "But," she added, "I don't like all of them, because their words don't fit together." Not too sure what she meant, I asked her to tell me some that she did like. "Well," she volunteered, "'Birds of a feather flock together' and 'There's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip' and 'Haste makes waste.' But one I don't like is 'All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.' And 'A bird in the …
Renaming The Months, A, Ross Eckler
Renaming The Months, A, Ross Eckler
Word Ways
Most people are familiar with the dictum that one should only eat oysters in months containing the letter R, even though refrigeration has made this caution unnecessary. The letter R is contained in eight consecutive months, September through April, but absent from the remainder, May through August.
Bowdlerized Alphabet Soup, Dmitri A. Borgmann
Bowdlerized Alphabet Soup, Dmitri A. Borgmann
Word Ways
The socially most significant article in the May 1985 Word Ways is one by Dan Laycock, discussing the obscene properties of alphabet soup. Since this food is frequently consumed by young children, it is of the utmost importance to avoid corrupting their impressionable minds by the accidental formation of off-color words. As a public service to soup purveyors, I offer the following nine solutions to this vexing problem:
Last Man Circuit: Circumstantial, Walter Shedlofsky
Last Man Circuit: Circumstantial, Walter Shedlofsky
Word Ways
In case of my death, please deliver to Police. Leonard Fromken
Are Acrostic Messages Real?, A, Ross Eckler
Are Acrostic Messages Real?, A, Ross Eckler
Word Ways
One of the commonest ways to "prove" that an author is engaging in wordplay is to search for odd patterns of letters in his writings.
Kickshaws, Howard W. Bergerson