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A High-Scoring Scrabble Game, Ron E. Jerome
A High-Scoring Scrabble Game, Ron E. Jerome
Word Ways
Games between average Scrabble players are likely to produce a total score somewhere between 400 and 60 points; games between experts (e.g., those who qualify for the National Scrabble Championships held in London each June) often score twice as much. However, if the two Scrabble players co-operate instead of compete with each other, far higher scores can be achieved. For example, in the May 1972 Word Ways, Darryl Francis detailed a Scrabble game in which the combined scores of the two players was 3108 points!
Mysterious Acrostics, Jezebel Q. Xixx
Mysterious Acrostics, Jezebel Q. Xixx
Word Ways
Most of us know what a word square is -- or, at least, think we do. Those of us who do not know, consult Webster's Third New International Dictionary in order to find out.
Word Torture, Ralph G. Beaman
Word Torture, Ralph G. Beaman
Word Ways
Readers of Word Ways know that a Beheadment is the removal of the first letter of a word to generate a new word: SWORDMANSHIP - S = WORDMANSHIP. Similarly, a Curtailment is the removal of the last letter: GAMINESS - S = GAMINES (defined in Webster's Third as "tomboys").
Kickshaws, David L. Silverman
Kickshaws, David L. Silverman
Word Ways
Readers are encouraged to send their own favorite linguistic kickshaws to the Associate Editor. All answers appear in the Answers and Solutions at the end of this issue.
An Acrogemalic Apologia, Willard R. Espy
An Acrogemalic Apologia, Willard R. Espy
Word Ways
The conventional journalistic wisdom anathematizes any mouthful of a word like anathematizes. Write clearly, write crisply, say the commandments; be positive, not negative; active, not passive; concise, not prolix. Never use two syllables where one will do.
The Terminal Man, A. Ross Eckler
The Terminal Man, A. Ross Eckler
Word Ways
They typical unabridged dictionary contains approximately 350,000 words: if inferred forms (for example, adding -S to nouns and -ED or -ING to verbs) are added, the total stockpile of English words and phrases probably exceeds 500,000. Large as this number is, it is easily topped by a less-well-known stockpile of words: the surnames of United States residents. As of June 1, 1964, there were nearly 1,100,000 different surnames for which Social Security cards had been issued since the program began 28 years earlier.
Unusual, Obscure And Preposterous, Ralph G. Beaman
Unusual, Obscure And Preposterous, Ralph G. Beaman
Word Ways
The recent publication of Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary (reviewed elsewhere in this issue) prompts me to ask if readers of Word Ways really know their unusual, obscure and preposterous words. Below are 21 subjects and three columns of words. For each subject, find a word from each column that goes with it. For example, under BLIND (No. 2) one should select abacinate (17), chionablepsia (5) and exoculate (1). This is abbreviated as 2: 17-5-1. That leaves 20 combinations for you to match. Score yourself 5 for each correct group. A score of 70 or less (see Answers and Solutions) suggests you …
Instructions To Authors
Word Ways
Instructions to authors interested in contributing to the publication.
Answers And Solutions
Word Ways
Answers and solutions to the puzzles contained in this issue.
Vowel Tetragrams, Darryl Francis
Vowel Tetragrams, Darryl Francis
Word Ways
We were recently fortunate enough to come by an extensive listing of tetragrams existing in the Second Edition of Webster's New International Dictionary. The listing is a straight computer printout of the tetragrams involved -- no attempt whatsoever has been made to link words with the tetragrams. So, given that a certain tetragram is included in the listing, one has to either rack one's brains to think of a corresponding word, or search Webster's Second carefully.
The Big Challenge, David L. Silverman
The Big Challenge, David L. Silverman
Word Ways
In the November 1974 Kickshaws, we challenged Word Ways readers to select ten different letters from the alphabet so as to maximize the number of five-five letter-splits that could be anagrammed into words. We were careful not to specify rigid rules -- we dislike the Procrustean nature of most puzzle contests with cash awards, and we think that anyone willing to tackle this arduous research ought to have the privilege of determining xes own acceptable and unacceptable words. In the February Kickshaws, we suggested a simple weighting scheme designed to force readers to use common words whenever possible, and lightheartedly …
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.
Front Cover, Publication Information
Front Cover, Publication Information
Word Ways
Front Cover, Publication Information, Table of Contents
Surrealistic Art Objects, Paul Remley
Surrealistic Art Objects, Paul Remley
Word Ways
Palindromic poems, by nature, are suggestive. I am not referring to debase dung, nudes abed, or the other exotic bits of imagery that conveniently lend themselves to palindromization. Palindromic poems are self-suggestive. Every word added onto or inserted into a palindromic poem suggests other words in reverse, and these words, when assimilated into the palindrome, suggest additional words. As long as some of these suggested words are acceptable to the construct-long as some of these suggested words are acceptable to the constructor, the cycle can repeat indefinitely, producing a palindrome of considerable length.
Syzygy, Dmitri A. Borgmann
Syzygy, Dmitri A. Borgmann
Word Ways
Word buffs have long known that a remarkable several-syllable word written without any of the five basic vowels (A, E, I, O, U) is the word SYZYGY. No one knows why this particular word should have been singled out for attention. It certainly is not the longest such word: longer examples include, but are not limited to, GYPSYFY, GYPSYRY, and SYMPHYSY. Yet, the fact remains that no one ever heard of these longer words, but everyone knows about SYZYGY.
A Plurality Of Singular Verse, Willard R. Espy
A Plurality Of Singular Verse, Willard R. Espy
Word Ways
In the November 1973 Word Ways, Will Shortz quoted George Canning's famous eighteenth-century conundrum involving the words cares and caress. There are many other words exhibiting this property, as the following verse suggests.
Chesswords, Dmitri A. Borgmann
Chesswords, Dmitri A. Borgmann
Word Ways
One of various sidelights to the game of chess is the problem known as a Knight's Tour (or Knight's Spring), the problem of having the knight make a complete circuit of the standard 8 x 8 chessboard, alighting once and only once on each of the 64 squares.
Pocket Webster Comparison, William Sunners
Pocket Webster Comparison, William Sunners
Word Ways
In the February 1974 Word Ways, Murray R. Pearce presented a most helpful corrective dissertation on errors abounding in the specialized word books published by various contest firms. He rendered a distinctive service to the puzzle-solving readers of this magazine, and to all logologists. His list of omitted words and detected errors are a welcome blessing to prize seekers.
Word Weights, Charles W. Bostick
Word Weights, Charles W. Bostick
Word Ways
In his article "Lightweights and Heavyweights" in the November 1972 issue of Word Ways, Darryl Francis introduced the concept of weight for words. He then went on to form two lists, one of words that were heavy for their size and another of words that were light for their size. I'd like to play around with that concept a bit more in this article.
Of Sex And Fear, Merlin X. Houdini Iv
Of Sex And Fear, Merlin X. Houdini Iv
Word Ways
Some logologists are word collectors at heart. Over the years, the attention of these collectors has been drawn to three very special groups of words: those ending with the suffixes -MANCY (designating a form of divination), -MANIA (describing some kind of madness, passion, or craze), and -PHOBIA, (referring to types of fear or aversion).
A New Logology Cash Contest, Ralph G. Beaman
A New Logology Cash Contest, Ralph G. Beaman
Word Ways
Editors and readers of Word Ways evidently are unaware that real world problems do not arrive complete with rules for their solution.
Four-Letter Words, Jezebel Q. Xixx
Four-Letter Words, Jezebel Q. Xixx
Word Ways
We are addicted to using four-letter words.
Anagrams: Ars Magna?, Judith Tarr Isquit
Anagrams: Ars Magna?, Judith Tarr Isquit
Word Ways
In her November 1973 Word Ways review of Howard Bergerson's new book, Palindromes and Anagrams (Dover, 1973), Jezebel Q. Xixx declared that "nowhere near 1,169 really good, modern anagrams have been devised". In a letter, she further asserted that she could create a dozen superb anagrams a day indefinitely, all having the quality so conspicuously absent in previously-published examples.
X-Terminated Words, Darryl Francis
X-Terminated Words, Darryl Francis
Word Ways
In his definitive volume on logology, Language On Vacation (Scribner's, 1965), Dmitri Borgmann points to the existence of three words both beginning and ending with the letter X.
The Poet's Corner
Word Ways
From time to time, Word Ways receives a variety of short poems related to recreational linguistics, some original, others previously published. As poetic output cannot be easily predicted, these will be presented on an irregular basis.
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-Vowel Hawaiian Words, Prince Djoli Kansil
All-Vowel Hawaiian Words, Prince Djoli Kansil
Word Ways
Vowels are the backbone of any language for without them there can be no speech as we know it. A vowel, as opposed to a consonant, is a speech sound produced without stopping or obstructing the flow of air from the lungs. A second, familiar definition is any letter of the alphabet representing (or usually representing) the sound of a vowel. In English, as we learned in grade school, these letters are A, E, I, O, U and sometimes W and Y.
Kickshaws, David L. Silverman
Kickshaws, David L. Silverman
Word Ways
Readers are encouraged to send their own favorite linguistic kickshaws to the Associate Editor. All answers appear in the Answers and Solutions at the end of this issue.
Answers And Solutions
Word Ways
Answers and solutions to the puzzles contained in this issue.