Tag: anagrams
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One Word: Antigram
An antigram is an expression formed by rearranging the letters of another expression to mean its opposite. For example, āflusterā rearranges to spell ārestfulā. Other classic examples: ālistenā = āsilentā; āantagonistā = ānot againstā; āearliestā = āarise lateā. The word āantigramā is short for āanti-anagramā ā an anagram being any word or phrase formed by…
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A Grumpy Old Anagram!
A favorite quote of mine, from the 1993 movie Grumpy Old Men: “The first ninety years or so, they go by pretty fast … Then one day you wake up and you realize that you’re not eighty-one anymore.” ā Burgess Meredith These words are spoken in the movie by the āGrandpa Gustafsonā character (Meredith). I…
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Two Words: Dependent / Dependant
Is it dependent or dependant? Perhaps either one? And what does this have to do with smoking hippopotamuses? First, the grammar gremlin: To be dependent (with an āeā) is to rely on, or be supported by, something or someone. Maybe Iām dependent, for example, on coffee to get me going in the morning. In British…
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What’s Your Favorite Color?
Whatās your favorite color? Why do you like it? Mine is blue. It soothes me. Not that blue is the only color I like. Red excites me ā especially those deep maroon shades. In winter, I crave the deep lush green of midsummer. There really arenāt many colors I donāt like. But always I come…
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Contribute a Verse (Thanks, Dev!)
Contribute a verse! Thatās the message from my friend and fellow blogger, Dev Samaddar. So Iāll try. (Read on!) But first, some background: Devās irked by the hype heās hearing lately about ābeing uniqueā and ādeveloping your own styleā. He thinks thereās way too much emphasis on this notion. He challenges it on his website,…
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All the Candidatesā Anagrams
Itās that joyful season when anagram freaks (like me) dig deep to see what things we can spell by reshuffling letters in the names of leading candidates for President of the US of A. Break out your Scrabble blocks, and letās begin. First, a note: When anagramming public figures, I shoot for humor ā ideally…
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The Gary Matthews Anagrams
Wordsmith.org quotes a supposed sage as saying, “All the life’s wisdom can be found in anagrams. Anagrams never lie.” Is this so? Can we really learn hidden truth by rearranging the letters of a name or phrase? I had to find out! For me, aĀ natural place to start was with my dear departed mom. Her…
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The SAE Anagrams
Let’s see — how many words and phrases can we find in “Sigma Alpha Epsilon”? It’s a timely question, now that this national college fraternity (SAE for short) is back in the news: It’s taking heat for running its parties on a “White Girls Only” basis. This won’t helpĀ it recover from last March’s viral video…
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Charmian Matthews: “influencing, rosy” mom!
Thinking of you, Mom, this Mother’s Day. And every day! Hard to believe I’m justĀ three years youngerĀ today than you were when you died,Ā in 1991, at 68. Too soon! But what an impact you made — on the world, on me, on everyone who knew and loved you — in those years. Your full name wasĀ “Minnie…
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What is an Astonished Tamale?
Just what is an āastonished tamaleā, anyway? Several people have asked me what the name means and why I chose it for this blog (AstonishedTamale.com). There are several answers. The first two were promptly pegged by my friend Patricia Visser, in her thoughtful comments on the first article: 1. I love to be astonished! Itās…