Published Sunday, April 6, 1997
Sherman
Jubelier
My Word!
My Word!
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THE FOLLOWING following sentences contain something in common:
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1. A SCHOOLMASTER works in the classroom.
2. TEACHERS shouldn't turn into cheaters.
3. MENTORS mustn't become a monster.
4. It's a shame that A SHOPLIFTER has to pilfer.
5.There is CONVERSATION where voices rant on.
6. Some of us have MEDICAL CONSULTATIONS that sometimes turn into noted miscalculations.
7. TWO PLUS ELEVEN gives the same result as one plus twelve.
NORTH is a thorn. SOUTH reshuffles into shout. EAST begets seat and teas. WEST becomes wets and stew.
An anagram is a form of wordplay dating back to the third century B.C. Both the Greeks and the Romans engaged in this kind of verbal pastime. The seventh sentence is particularly stunning in that it is correct both in arithmetic and in anagram formation.
There are three-letter anagrams: OWN _ won, now; EAT _ ate, tea.
Four-letter anagrams are: MEAT _ mate, team; STAR _ tsar, rats, tars.
Some five-letter anagrams are: LEAPS _ lapse, pleas, pales.
More notable anagrams are:
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1. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. I swear he's like a lamp. I am a weakish speller. We all make his praise.
2. RONALD WILSON REAGAN. Insane anglo warlord.
3. WESTERN UNION. No wire unsent.
4. THE MORSE CODE. Here come dots.
5. The TELEGRAPH. Great help.
6. When SANTA disappoints the kids, he's a Satan.
7. WILLIAM CLINTON. No calm till I win.
8. WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON. Jilts nice women. In for fall.
I invite my creative readers to compose anagrams of their own names. Please send them to Noel Carroll, Editorial Page Editor, The Herald, Post Office Box 51, Sharon, Pa., 16146. The best ones will appear in a future column.
DICTION, a noun, has two meanings:
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1. The degree of clarity and distinctness of pronunciation in speech or singing. It is the accent, inflection and intonation used by a speaker or singer to enumerate words.
2. The style of speaking or writing dependent upon the choice and use of words. Latin: dicere, to say.
``Members of an avian species of identical plumage congregate'' means ``Birds of a feather flock together.''
``A single Melrose per diem restrains the arrival of the Hippocratic apostle'' means ``An apple a day keeps the doctor away.''
Now it's your turn. Go slowly because precipitancy generates prodigality. (Haste makes waste.) Translate these pompous proverbs back into the original form.
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1. Eschew the implement of correction and vitiate the scion.
2. The stylus is more potent than the claymore.
3. The greatest of need is the maternal parent of the art of original contrivance.
4. Integrity is the superlative strategy.
5. A single graphic facsimile is appraised in excess of myriad articulations.
6. The person emitting the ultimate cachinnation possesses thereby the optimal cachinnation (KAK'-e-na-shun).
7. Adorn yourself with the comfortable pedal encasement.
8. Sugary condiments secure initial pleasure, but fermented grain is decidedly more parsimonious of time.
9. Precocious entry into a somnolent condition succeeded by precocious re-entry into a scheduled plan of activities will maximize salubrious conditions, remunerative gains, and sapience.
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1. Spare the rod and spoil the child. Eschew: to avoid, shun; vitiate: to reduce the value of, to spoil.
2. The pen is mightier than the sword. Stylus: sharp pointed instrument used for writing, marking or engraving. Claymore: a large double-edged broadsword formerly used by Scottish Highlanders.
3. Necessity is the mother of invention.
4. Honesty is the best policy.
5. A picture is worth a thousand words. Myriad: innumerable. Greek: muriad, ten thousand.
6. He who laughs last laughs best. Cachinnation: To laugh hard, loudly, or convulsively. Latin: cachinnare, to laugh loudly.
7. If the shoe fits, wear it.
8. Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker. Parsimonious: Excessively sparing or frugal.
9. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Sapience: having great wisdom. Latin: sapere, to be wise.
That's all for today. My Word!
Sherman S. Jubelirer is a self-described verbivore, a devourer of words. The retired owner of the Whitmer-Smith store in Sharon shares his love of words with The Herald's readers in this column, which appears on the first Sunday of each month.
