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Around The World In 80 Limericks, W. E. Brandt

Word Ways

A collection of limericks about geographic regions and locations.

It's Elementary, Steve Kahan

Word Ways

The periodic table provides the backdrop for the thirty examples presented below. Each word in the list is the result of replacing a single letter in the name of a chemical element with another and permuting the ensuing collection.

Vanilla Vaginas: Strange Bedfellows, A. Anil

Word Ways

It's often surprising, even amusing, when unlikely words turn out to be related etymologically, such as vanilla and vagina (pod, sheath). Some of those here seem so unlikely you're unlikely to believe me and will wan to look them up yourself for confirmation or details. Admittedly many pairings are of composite words that share a common root in only part of the word(s). But the two halves of the hyphenated words listed here count separately.

Organization, Steve Kahan

Word Ways

General practitioners are virtually things of the past. When something ails us today, we invariably consult with a specialist whose area of expertise is a particular part of the human anatomy. The twenty words that follow represent close facsimiles of some bodily organs in need of reconstructive surgery. In fact, substituting a new letter for another in each given word will expose such an organ after appropriate rearrangement is performed. To illustrate, TAROT would be transformed into AORTA after a "T" is removed and replaced by an "A".

A Word Of Difference, J. James Mancuso

Word Ways

A selection of neologisms starting with the letters A & B.

Instructions To Authors

Word Ways

Instructions to authors wishing to contribute to the publication.

Back Cover

Word Ways

The back cover of this issue, including a crossword puzzle.

The Essential E, Richard Lederer

Word Ways

About the letter E I am enthusiastic, enchanted, ecstatic, exhilarated, ecstatic, exuberant, ebullient, and effervescent. Ah, those wonderful words that begin with E: In their early lives, enthusiastic meant "possessed by a god," enchanted "singing a magic song," ecstatic "in a trance, exhilarated "made thoroughly cheerful," exhuberant, and ebullient and effervescent, "overflowing, boiling over, spouting out." E is truly a godlike letter that magically entrances, cheers our spirits, and bubbles over.

Counting, Sir Jeremy Morse

Word Ways

A poem.

Answers And Solutions

Word Ways

Answers and solutions to the puzzles contained in this issue.

Word Ways Magic, Martin Gardner

Word Ways

This trick is based on a paper-fold idea by Max Maven that I included in my Sterling book Mental Magic. It occurred to me that "Word Ways" applied nicely to the trick.

Numerical Charades Part 2, Susan Thorpe

Word Ways

Part 2 of Numerical Charades examines words which can be split into groups of letters whose numerical totals make numerical series when the letters are assigned a = 1, b = 2 ... z = 26. The series below fall into one of two categories. They are either progressive numerical charades in which successive numbers increase; or regressive numerical charades in which successive numbers decrease. Progressive and Regressive series other than consecutive numbers are also considered.

Front Cover And Publication Information

Word Ways

Front cover and publication information for this issue, including the table of contents.

Natural Order, Sir Jeremy Morse

Word Ways

A poem

The Odd Homonym Attack - A New Figure Of Speech, Solomon W. Golomb

Word Ways

Not to be confused with the classical ad hominem attack, our new odd homonym attack consists of replacing the target's actual name with an unflattering homonym. Here are a few examples.

It's Not Easy Being Mondegreen, Don Hauptman

Word Ways

As every card-carrying recreational linguist knows, a mondegreen is a mishearing: a phrase that has been misconstrued, usually with humorous results.

Color Blind - 1, Steve Kahan

Word Ways

While it seems as if the list below is comprised or unrelated words, things are not so black and white here. In fact, this collection is abundantly colorful if you can see through the camouflage. In each instance, you are asked to remove one unspecified letter from what is given and rearrange the remaining letters to reveal a hidden hue. Thus, the excision of "H" from HERD yields RED when the letters E, R, and D are permuted. Performing this type of reconstructive surgery twenty times will reveal the true colors of this quiz.

Numerical Charades Part 1, Susan Thorpe

Word Ways

The division of a word into 2 or more groups of letters, each group forming another word, is called charades. BEDEVIL = BED+EVIL. The division of a word into groups of letters which, when assigned their numerical positions in the alphabet, provide group totals which, together, have a generic numerical structure, can therefore be referred to as numerical charades.

Book Review: The Great American Fortune Cookie Novel, Karen Farrell

Word Ways

A book review for Dave Morice's The Great American Fortune Cookie Novel.

Definitive Acrostics, A Anil

Word Ways

These are 'backward' acronyms. Instead of abbreviating a given phrase or company name, etc, they start with the abbreviation given, usually a single word, and use its letters as the initial letters of a phrase created to define or relate to the word. Ideally, no words in the acronym should be related to the head word etymologically.

Look Back!, A. Ross Eckler

Word Ways

Over the years Word Ways has displayed a varied logological corpus. In this column I revisit forgotten ideas, connect seemingly-disparate concepts, and suggest further investigation.

Magic Spells, Jeremiah Farrell

Word Ways

Magic spelling tricks have a special appeal to those of us with a passion for recreational linguistics and mathematics. Provided or course that they are well done. This means that mathematics should be subtle (sometimes the performer does not even fathom it) and the denouement should be dazzling. In a recent letter to us Martin Gardner indicated his top two choices. He was commenting on his Word Ways article "An Amazing Spelling Trick."

"It's My Centennial!" Said Tom Swiftly, Richard Lederer

Word Ways

Starting in 1910, boys grew up devouring the adventures of Tom Swift, a sterling hero and natural scientific genius created by Edward Stratemeyer. Many of Tom's inventions predated technological developments in real life -- electric cars, seacopters, and houses on wheels. In fact, some say that the Tom Swift tales laid the groundwork for American science fiction.

Colloquy

Word Ways

Responses to previously published articles.

Rhyming, End-To-End-Palindromic Verse, Jim Puder

Word Ways

Rhyming, end-to-end-palindromic (RETEP) verse is a relatively recent development in palindromic composition. As its name indicates, RETEP verse is to be distinguished from other varieties of rhyming palindromic verse in which whatever palindromicity exists is not of the end-to-end kind. RETEP verse is arguably the most sophisticated and ambitious form of palindromic writing ever attempted, and it is certainly one of the more challenging ones to try to compose.

Kickshaws, Dave Morice

Word Ways

A collection of linguistic kickshaws.

Book Review: May I Have A Word With You?, Karen Farrell

Word Ways

A book review of Steven Kahan's May I Have A Word With You?

When An Ad Becomes A Pipe And Opens A School-Ion Dee-Day, Willy Mwakapenda

Word Ways

Ad

Ad a day

A day and a day

A day

day

When one day closes, another opens

When one day clothes, another wears ...

Punk Whiz 9, A. Anile

Word Ways

Yet another misdefinition pun quiz. Numbers in parentheses are the letters in the answer; (4|4) is a charade, an eight letter word that splits into a four plus four letter pun.

Antigrams From Word Ways: A Retrospective, A. Anil

Word Ways

In the November 2009 Kickshaws, Ove Michaelsen presented a selection of antigrams from various sources, but excluded mention of any from Word Ways. I've presented nearly 200 herein and felt a review of the best of these would give Word Ways due credit and balance out Ove's list. A few of these don't agree grammatically but were apt enough otherwise to forgive and include.