Internet Surfer: Getting Started/Internet Surfer - Getting Started (Wayzata Technology)(7231)(1995).bin/pc/textfile/mac_faqs/puzz_faq/part06

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From: uunet!questrel!chris (Chris Cole)
Subject: rec.puzzles FAQ, part 6 of 15
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: rec.puzzles
Summary: This posting contains a list of
     Frequently Asked Questions (and their answers).
     It should be read by anyone who wishes to
     post to the rec.puzzles newsgroup.
Sender: [e-mail] (Chris Cole)
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Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1992 00:09:01 GMT
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Archive-name: puzzles-faq/part06
Last-modified: 1992/09/20
Version: 3

==> english/ladder.s <==
Using every unabridged dictionary available, the best yet found are:
hit ait act ace
pig peg seg sey sty
four foud fond find fine five
play blay bray bras baas bams gams game
green grees greys grays grass
wheat theat treat tread bread
order older elder eider cider cides codes coles colls coals chals chaos
order ormer armer ammer amper imper impel
sixth sixty silty silly sally sably sabby nabby nubby hubby
speedy speeds steeds steers sheers shyers sayers payers papers papery popery
popely pomely comely comedy
griming priming prising poising toising toiling coiling colling collins collies
dollies doilies dailies bailies bailees bailers failers fablers gablers gabbers
gibbers gibbets gobbets goblets
chasing ceasing cessing messing massing masting marting martins martens martels
cartels carpels carpers campers cambers combers cobbers combers robbers
vainest fainest fairest sairest saidest saddest maddest middest mildest wildest
wiliest winiest waniest caniest cantest contest confest confess confers conners
canners fanners fawners pawners pawnees pawnces paunces jaunces jaunced jaunted
saunted stunted stented stenned steined stained spained splined splines salines
savines savings pavings parings earings enrings endings ondings ondines undines
unlines unlives unwives unwires unwares unbares unbared unpared unpaged uncaged
incaged incased incised incises incites indites indices indicts inducts indults
insults insulas insulae infulae

This is not another travelling salesman - it is merely finding the diameter of
connected components of that graph.  The simple algorithm for this is to do
one depth first search from each word, resulting in an O(n*m) worst case
algorithm (where n is the number of words, and m is the number of arcs).  In
practice, it is actually somewhat better, since the graph breaks down into
many connected components.  However, the diameters (and solutions) depend on
what dictionary is used.  Here are the results from various dictionaries:

From /usr/dict/words (restricted to words all lower case alphabetical) (19,694
words): sixth - hubby (46 steps)

From the official scrabble players dictionary (94,276 words): effaces -
cabaret (57 steps)

From the british official scrabble words (134,051 words): vainest - infulae
(73 steps)

From webster's ninth new collegiate dictionary (abridged) (78, 167 words):
griming - goblets (56 steps)

From all of the above, merged  (180,676 words): vainest - injects (58 steps)

To see the effect the dictionary has on paths, here are the lengths of the
shortest paths these pairs, and for the ones mentioned in previous posts, for
each dictionary (a - means that there is no path using only words from that
dictionary):

                  UDW OSPD OSW  W9 ALL
    hit - ace      5    3   3   5   3
    pig - sty      -    5   4   5   4
   four - five     6    6   5   7   5
   play - game     8    7   7   8   7
  green - grass   13    4   4   7   4
  wheat - bread    6    6   6   6   6
  sixth - hubby   46    9   9   -   9
effaces - cabaret  -   57   -   -  33
vainest - infulae  -    -  73   -  52
griming - goblets  -   22  19  56  15
vainest - injects  -    -  72   -  58

==> english/less.ness.p <==
Find a word that forms two other words, unrelated in meaning, when "less"
and "ness" are added.

==> english/less.ness.s <==
base -> baseless, baseness
light -> lightless, lightness
sound -> soundless, soundness
wit -> witless, witness

==> english/letter.rebus.p <==
Define the letters of the alphabet using self-referential common phrases (e.g.,
"first of all" defines "a").

==> english/letter.rebus.s <==
A    first of all, midday
B    fifth of bourbon, starting block
C    fifth of scotch
D    end of the world, back of my hand
E    end of the line, beginning of the end
F    starting friction, front
G    middle of the night, starting gate
H    end of the earth, top of the heap, middle of nowhere
I    next of kin
J    center of project
K    bottom of the deck, two of a kind
L    bottom of the barrel, starting line
M    top of my head
N    center of attention, final countdown, end run
O    second in command
P    bottom of the heap, the first of painters, starting point
Q    at the front of the queue, top quality
R    middle of the road, center of inertia
S    _Last of the Mohicans_, start of something big
T    top o' the morning, one's wit's end, bottom of my heart, last, central
U    second guess
V    center of gravity
W    end of the rainbow, top of the world
X    wax finish, climax
Y    top of your head, center of the cyclone, early years, final extremity
Z    led zeppelin

==> english/lipograms.p <==
What books have been written without specific letters, vowels, etc.?

==> english/lipograms.s <==
Such a book is called a lipogram.

A novel-length example in English (omitting e) exists, titled _Gadsby_.

Georges Perec wrote a French novel titled _La Disparition_ which does
not contain the letter 'e',  except in a few bits of text that the
publisher had to include in or on the book somewhere -- such as the
author's name :-).  But these were all printed in red, making them
somehow ``not count''.

Perec also wrote another novel in which `e' was the only vowel.

In _La Disparition_, unlike _Gadsby_, the lipogrammatic
technique is reflected in the story.  Objects disappear or become
invisible.  We know, however, more or less why the characters can't
find things like eggs or even remember their names -- because the
words for them can't be used.

Amazingly, it's been ``translated'' into English (by Harry Mathews, I
think).

Another work which manages to [almost] adhere to restrictive
alphabetic rules while also remaining readable as well as providing
amusement and literary satisfaction (though you have to like
disjointed fiction) is _Alphabetical Africa_ by Walter Abish.  The
rules (which of course he doesn't explain, you can't help noticing
most of them) have to do with initial letters of words.  There are 52
chapters.  In the first, all words begin with `a'; in the second, all
words begin with either `a' or `b'; etc, until all words are allowed
in chapter 26.  Then in the second half, the letters are taken away
one by one.  It's remarkable when, for instance, you finally get `the'
and realize how much or little you missed it; earlier, when `I' comes
in, you feel something like the difference between third- and
first-person narration.  As one of the blurbs more or less says (I
don't have it here to quote), reading this is like slowly taking a
deep breath and letting it out again.

----
Mitch Marks  [e-mail]

==> english/multi.lingual.p <==
What words in multiple languages are related in interesting ways?

==> english/multi.lingual.s <==
Synonymous reversals:
    Dutch: nier (kidney), French: rein
    French: etats, English: state

==> english/near.palindrome.p <==
What are some long near palindromes, i.e., words that except for one
letter would be palindromes?

==> english/near.palindrome.s <==
Here are the longest near palindromes in Webster's Ninth Collegiate:
catalatic        footstool        red pepper
detonated        locofocos        red spider
dew-clawed        nabataean        retreater
eisegesis        possessor        stargrass
foolproof        ratemeter        webmember

==> english/palindromes.p <==
What are some long palindromes?

==> english/palindromes.s <==
The first words spoken were a palindrome:
    Madam, I'm Adam.
or perhaps:
    Madam in Eden, I'm Adam.
The response, of course, must have been:
    Eve

Napolean's lament:
    Able was I ere I saw Elba.
Has been improved with:
    Unremarkable was I ere I saw Elba, Kramer, nu?

A fish is a:
    laminar animal

Other palindromes in ascending length (drum roll please):
    Dennis sinned.
    Sir, I'm Iris.
    Sup not on pus.
    Name no one man.
    Naomi, did I moan?
    Enid and Edna dine.
    Revenge Meg? Never!
    No lemons, no melon.
    A Toyota's a Toyota.
    Ma is a nun, as I am.
    He harasses Sarah, eh?
    Niagara, O roar again!
    He lived as a devil, eh?
    Nurse, I spy gupsies, run!
    Sit on a potato pan, Otis!
    Slap a ham on Omaha, pals!
    A slut nixes sex in Tulsa.
    Rats live on no evil star.
    Ten animals I slam in a net.
    Go deliver a dare, vile dog.
    Was it a car or a cat I saw?
    Was it Eliot's toilet I saw?
    Al lets Della call Ed Stella.
    Draw, O Caeser, erase a coward.
    Did Eve salt an atlas?  Eve did.
    No pinot noir on Orion to nip on.
    Naomi, sex at noon taxes! I moan.
    Evil I did dwell; lewd did I live.
    Yo, bad anaconda had no Canada boy .
    Egad! A base tone denotes a bad age.
    Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas.
    Red dude kill lion. No ill-liked udder.
    I roamed under it as a tired, nude Maori.
    To Peru, named llama mall 'De Manure Pot'.
    Straw?  No, too stupid a fad.  I put soot on warts.
    Now, Ned, I am a maiden nun; Ned, I am a maiden won.
    Here we no got conical ill lilac in octogon ewer, eh?
    Salamander a ton now. Raw war won not, a Red Nam, alas.
    Fool! A dog lives sad a boxer, Rex. O bad ass evil god aloof!
    'Tenor Octopus Night' netted a cadet tenth ginsu pot, coronet.
    Won total, I am a pro. Bali radar I labor. Pa, mail a tot now!
    Yo, boy! Trap gnus, nude. 'Kangaroo Rag' naked unsung party, O boy!
    Did I strap red nude, red rump, also slap murdered underparts? I did!
    Doc, note: I dissent.  A fast never prevents a fatness.  I diet on cod.
    So regards Rat's Lib: regrets no more hero monster gerbil stars' drag Eros.
    Degas, are we not drawn onward, we freer few, drawn onward to new eras aged?
    Garret, I ogle. Enemy democrats party; trap star comedy men, eel goiter rag.
    Sagas emit taxes, rat snot, or pastrami. I'm Arts, a proton star - sex at
    times a gas.
    Dr. Ana, Cataracts. Uranium enema smarts if fist rams, Amen! Emu in a
    rust car at a canard.
    T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad; I'd assign it a
    name: gnat dirt upset on drab pot toilet.



Those wonderful proper names:
    Dennis, Nell, Edna, Leon, Nedra, Anita, Rolf, Nora, Alice, Carol, Leo,
    Jane, Reed, Dena, Dale, Basil, Rae, Penny, Lana, Dave, Denny, Lena,
    Ida, Bernadette, Ben, Ray, Lila, Nina, Jo, Ira, Mara, Sara, Mario, Jan,
    Ina, Lily, Arne, Bette, Dan, Reba, Diane, Lynn, Ed, Eva, Dana, Lynne,
    Pearl, Isabel, Ada, Ned, Dee, Rena, Joel, Lora, Cecil, Aaron, Flora,
    Tina, Arden, Noel, and Ellen sinned.

A poem:
Mood's mode!
Pallas, I won!
(Diaper pane, sold entire.)
Melt till ever sere, hide it.
Drown a more vile note;
(Tar of rennet.)
Ah, trowel, baton, eras ago.
The reward? A "nisi." Two nag.

Otary tastes putrid, yam was green.
Odes up and on; stare we.
Rats nod. Nap used one-erg saw.
(May dirt upset satyr?)

A toga now; 'tis in a drawer, eh?
Togas are notable.
(Worth a tenner for Ate`.)
Tone liver. O Man, word-tied I.

Here's revel!
Little merit, Ned? Lose, Nap?
Repaid now is all apedom's doom.
    -- Hubert Phillips:

     Headmaster's Palindromic List on his Memo Pad:

Test on Erasmus                       Dr of Law
Deliver soap                          Stop dynamo (OTC)
Royal: phone no.?                     Tel: Law re Kate Race
Ref. Football.                        Caps on for prep
Is sofa sitable on?                   Pots- no tops
XI--Staff over                        Knit up ties ('U')
Sub-edit Nurse's order                Ned (re paper)
Canning is on test (snub slip-up)     Eve's simple hot dish (crib)
Birch (Sid) to help Miss Eve          Pupil's buns
Reaper den                            T-set: no sign in a/c
Use it                                Red roses
Put inkspot on stopper                Run Tide Bus?
Prof.--no space                       Rev off at six
Caretaker (wall, etc.)                Noel Bat is a fossil
Too mand d*** pots                    Lab to offer one 'Noh' play--
Wal for duo?  (I'd name Dr. O)           or 'Pals Reviled'?
See few owe fees (or demand IOU?)     Sums are not set.
    -- Joyce Johnson
    (_New_Statesman_ competition in 1967.  126 words, 467 letters)


Some word (not letter) palindromes:
So patient a doctor to doctor a patient so.
Girl, bathing on Bikini, eyeing boy, finds boy eyeing bikini on bathing girl.

In German:
    Ein Neger mit Gazelle zagt im Regen nie.

In Serbo-Croat:
    Ana voli Milovana.
    Ana nabra par banana.
    Imena Amen nema, a me mi.
    U pero soli i los o repu.
    Ako jad moli silom daj oka.
    Odano mati pita: a ti pitam, o nado?
    Evo sam iza padam mada pazim asove.
          v       v         v       v
    A krt u razu mi laze no one zalim u zaru trka.

Palindromes in other languages that are palindromes in English:
Hebrew: aba or abba, English: dad
German: tat, English: deed

The timeless classic:
    A man, a plan, a canal; Panama?
Has been improved by:
    A dog, a plan, a canal: pagoda!
    -- anonymous

    A man, a plan, a cat, a canal; Panama?
    -- Jim Saxe, plan file @ CMU, 9 October 1983

    A man, a plan, a cat, a ham, a yak, a yam, a hat, a canal--Panama!
    -- Guy Jacobson, plan file @ CMU late 1983

    A man, a plan, a caret, a ban, a myriad, a sum, a lac, a liar, a hoop, a
pint, a catalpa, a gas, an oil, a bird, a yell, a vat, a caw, a pax, a wag,
a tax, a nay, a ram, a cap, a yam, a gay, a tsar, a wall, a car, a luger, a
ward, a bin, a woman, a vassal, a wolf, a tuna, a nit, a pall, a fret, a
watt, a bay, a daub, a tan, a cab, a datum, a gall, a hat, a fag, a zap, a
say, a jaw, a lay, a wet, a gallop, a tug, a trot, a trap, a tram, a torr, a
caper, a top, a tonk, a toll, a ball, a fair, a sax, a minim, a tenor, a
bass, a passer, a capital, a rut, an amen, a ted, a cabal, a tang, a sun, an
ass, a maw, a sag, a jam, a dam, a sub, a salt, an axon, a sail, an ad, a
wadi, a radian, a room, a rood, a rip, a tad, a pariah, a revel, a reel, a
reed, a pool, a plug, a pin, a peek, a parabola, a dog, a pat, a cud, a nu,
a fan, a pal, a rum, a nod, an eta, a lag, an eel, a batik, a mug, a mot, a
nap, a maxim, a mood, a leek, a grub, a gob, a gel, a drab, a citadel, a
total, a cedar, a tap, a gag, a rat, a manor, a bar, a gal, a cola, a pap, a
yaw, a tab, a raj, a gab, a nag, a pagan, a bag, a jar, a bat, a way, a
papa, a local, a gar, a baron, a mat, a rag, a gap, a tar, a decal, a tot, a
led, a tic, a bard, a leg, a bog, a burg, a keel, a doom, a mix, a map, an
atom, a gum, a kit, a baleen, a gala, a ten, a don, a mural, a pan, a faun,
a ducat, a pagoda, a lob, a rap, a keep, a nip, a gulp, a loop, a deer, a
leer, a lever, a hair, a pad, a tapir, a door, a moor, an aid, a raid, a
wad, an alias, an ox, an atlas, a bus, a madam, a jag, a saw, a mass, an
anus, a gnat, a lab, a cadet, an em, a natural, a tip, a caress, a pass, a
baronet, a minimax, a sari, a fall, a ballot, a knot, a pot, a rep, a
carrot, a mart, a part, a tort, a gut, a poll, a gateway, a law, a jay, a
sap, a zag, a fat, a hall, a gamut, a dab, a can, a tabu, a day, a batt, a
waterfall, a patina, a nut, a flow, a lass, a van, a mow, a nib, a draw, a
regular, a call, a war, a stay, a gam, a yap, a cam, a ray, an ax, a tag, a
wax, a paw, a cat, a valley, a drib, a lion, a saga, a plat, a catnip, a
pooh, a rail, a calamus, a dairyman, a bater, a canal--Panama.
        --Dan Hoey, 'discovered' in 1984.

Dan goes on to say "...a little work on the search algorithm could make
it several times as long."

The entire book _Satire: Veritas_ is a palindrome, it starts
"Sir, I stra..." and ends "...  Art, sir, is Satire: Veritas."

References:
    Palindromes and Anagrams
    Howard W. Bergerson
    Dover Publications
    New York, 1973
    ISBN 0-486-20664-5.

    The Oxford Guide to Word Games, chapter 11, titled "Palindromes"
    Tony Augarde

==> english/pangram.p <==
A "pangram" is a sentence containing all 26 letters.
What is the shortest pangram (measured by number of letters or words)?
What is the shortest word list using all 26 letters in alphabetical order?
In reverse alphabetical order?

==> english/pangram.s <==
The single-letter words that have meanings unrelated to their letter shapes
or sounds, position in the alphabet, etc. are:
a - indefinite article; on; in; at; to; he; him; she; her; they; them; it; I;
    have; of; all
c - 100; cocaine; programming language
d - 500
e - base of natural logs; eccentricity; enlarging
g - acceleration of gravity; general ability; $1000; general audience
i - one; unit vector in x direction; personal pronoun; in; aye
j - one; unit vector in y direction
k - 1000; 1024; strikeout; unit vector in z direction
l - 50; ell; elevated railroad
m - 1000; em; pica; an antigen of human blood
n - an indefinite number; en; an antigen of human blood
o - oh
q - quality of oscillatory circuit
R - one of the three Rs; restricted audience
t - t-shirt
u - upper class
v - five
w - w particle
x - unknown quantity; atmospherics; adults only
y - unknown quantity; YMCA
z - unknown quantity; buzzing sound; z particle
It is therefore advisable to exclude single-letter words, with the
possible exception of 'a'.

As always, word acceptability varies with the dictionaries used.  We use these:
9C  - Merriam-Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1986
NI3 - Merriam-Webster's Third New International Dictionary, 1961
NI2 - Merriam-Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition, 1935
OED - Oxford English Dictionary with Supplements, 1933 - 85
'+' indicates obsolete, dialectical, slang, or otherwise substandard word.

Some exceptional pangrams:
Using only words in 9C:
Sympathizing would fix Quaker objectives. (5 words, 36 letters)
Quick brown fox, jump over the lazy dogs. (8 words, 32 letters)
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs. (8 words, 32 letters)
Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz. (7 words, 31 letters)
The five boxing wizards jump quickly. (6 words, 31 letters)
How quickly daft jumping zebras vex. (6 words, 30 letters)
Quartz glyph job vex'd cwm finks. (6 words?, 26 letters)
Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz. (6 words, 26 letters, Dmitri Borgmann)
Using words in 9C and NI3:
Veldt jynx grimps waqf zho buck. (6 words, 26 letters, Michael Jones)
Using words in 9C, NI3 and NI3+:
Squdgy fez, blank jimp crwth vox. (6 words, 26 letters, Claude Shannon)
Using words in 9C, NI3, NI2 and NI2+:
Phlegms fyrd wuz qvint jackbox. (5 words, 26 letters, Dmitri Borgmann)

Some exceptional panalphabetic word lists:
jackbox viewfinder phlegmy quartz (4 words, 31 letters, Mary Hazard)
benzoxycamphors quick-flowing juventude (3 words, 36 letters, Darryl Francis)

Some exceptional nearly panalphabetic isogrammatic word lists:
blacksmith gunpowdery (2 words, 20 letters)
humpbacks frowzy tingled (3 words, 22 letters)

Some exceptional panalphabetic word lists with letters in alphabetical order:
Using only words in 9C:
a BCD ef ghi jack limn op querist ulva wax oyez (11 words, 37 letters)
ABC defog hijack limn op querist ulva wax oyez (9 words, 38 letters)
Using words in 9C and NI3:
a BCD ef ghi jak limn op qres to uva wax oyez (12 words, 34 letters)
ABC defy ghi jak limn op qres to uva wax oyez (11 words, 35 letters)
ABC defy ghi jak limn opaquers turves wax oyez (9 words, 38 letters)
scabicide afghani jokul manrope querist purview oxygenize (7 words, 51 letters)
Using words in 9C, NI3 and NI3+:
a BCD ef ghi jak limn op QRS to uva wax yez (12 words, 32 letters)
ABC defy ghi jak limn op QRS to uva wax yez (11 words, 33 letters)
ab cad ef ghi jak limn op qre stun vow ox yez (12 words, 34 letters)
ABC defy ghi jak limn op querist uva wax yez (10 words, 35 letters)
Using words in 9C, NI3, NI3+, NI2 and NI2+:
ABC def ghi jak limn op qre struv wax yez (10 words, 32 letters)
ABC def ghi jak limn opaquer struv wax yez (9 words, 34 letters)
Using words in 9C, NI3, NI3+, NI2, NI2+ and the OED:
ABC defog hij klam nop QRS tu vow XYZ (9 words, 29 letters, Jeff Grant)
ABC def ghi jak limn op qres tu vow XYZ (10 words, 30 letters)
ABC defog hij klam nop querist uvrow XYZ (8 words, 33 letters, Jeff Grant)
ABC defyghe bij sklim nop querist uvrow XYZ (8 words, 36 letters)
ABC defog hijack limnophil querist uvrow XYZ (7 words, 38 letters, Jeff Grant)

Some exceptional panalphabetic word lists with letters in reverse alpha order:
Using words from 9C:
lazy ox ow vug tsar quip on milk jib hag fed cab a (13 words, 38 letters)
lazy ox wave uts reequip on milk jihad gifted cabal (10 words, 42 letters)
Using words from 9C and NI3:
lazy ox ow vug tsar quip on milk jib hag fed caba (12 words, 38 letters)
lazy ox wave uts roque pon milk jihad gifted caba (10 words, 40 letters)
Using words from 9C, NI3 and NI2:
zo yex wu vug tsar quip on milk jib hag fed caba (12 words, 37 letters)
zo yex wave uts roque pon milk jihad gifted caba (10 words, 39 letters)

All words are main entries in 9C except the following:
9C: ghi (at 'ghee')
NI3: caba, fyrd, jak, opaquers, pon, qre(s), squdgy, uva
NI3+: jimp, QRS (at 'QRS complex'), sklim, vox (at 'vox populi'), yez
NI2: benzoxycamphors, jackbox, limnophil, quick-flowing, yex, zo
NI2+: def, juventude, klam, quar, qvint, struv, tu, wuz
OED: defyghe (at 'defy'), bij (at 'buy'), hij, nop, uvrow (at 'yuffrouw'),
    XYZ (at 'X')

The first time I saw this pangram was in Gyles Brandeth's _The Joy of Lex_.
It appeared there as:

Waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex Bud.  (7 words, 28 letters, proper noun.)

I always wondered why they didn't try modifying it as:

Waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex buds.  (7 words, 29 letters, no proper noun.)

However, why fast dances would irritate incipient flowers is beyond me,
so I tried again:

Waltz, dumb nymph, for quick jigs vex.  (7 words, 29 letters, no proper noun,
                     makes more sense.)

However, sounds kind of sexist, and we can maybe chop off a letter and
eliminate the sexism, although suffering some loss of sense:

Waltz, bud nymph, for quick jigs vex.  (7 words, 28 letters, no proper noun,
                    makes less sense.)

There are river nymphs and tree nymphs and mountain nymphs, so there can
be nymphs of the aforementioned incipent flowers, right?  Sense is a matter
of opinion, so you can move the bud around or turn it into another imperative
verb rather than a noun-as-adjective:

Waltz, nymph, bud, for quick jigs vex.  (7 words, 28 letters, no proper noun,
                     sense is dubious.)
[We've all heard of budding youth, right?]

Waltz, nymph, for quick bud jigs vex.  (7 words, 28 letters, no proper noun,
                    sense is dubious.)
[Yeah, we've all learned to dance a merry jig that looks like one of those
infamous incipient flowers.]

Dub waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex.  (7 words, 28 letters, no proper noun,
                    came up with this on the spot and
                    actually it looks pretty good!)
[The idea being that a nymph, being in control of the soundtrack for a TV
sitcom, has to change the music to which a grandmother is listening, from
something from Ireland to something from Strauss.]

    -- Stephen Joseph Smith <[e-mail]>

It is fairly straightforward, if time-consuming, to search for minimal
pangrams given a suitable lexicon, and the enclosed program does this.
The run time is of the order of 20 MIPS-days if fed `Official Scrabble
Words', a document nominally listing all sufficiently short words
playable in tournament Scrabble in Britain.

I also enclose a lexicon which will reproduce the OSW results much more
quickly.

The results are dominated by onomatopoeic interjections (`pst', `sh',
etc.), and words borrowed from Welsh (`cwm', `crwth') and Arabic (`qat',
`suq').  Other lexicons will contain a very different leavening of such
words, and yield a very different set of pangrams.

Readers are invited to form sentences (or, less challenging, newspaper
headlines) from these pangrams.  Few are amenable to this sort of thing.

    -- Steve Thomas

-----cut-----here-----
#include <stdio.h>
#include <ctype.h>

extern void *malloc ();
extern void *realloc ();

long getword ();

#define MAXWORD 26
int list[MAXWORD];
int lp;

struct list {
    struct list *next;
    char *word;
};

struct word {
    long mask;
    struct list *list;
} *w;
int wp;
int wsize;

char wordbuf[BUFSIZ];

char *letters = "qxjzvwfkbyhpmgcdultnoriase";

int cmp (ap, bp)
struct word *ap, *bp;
{
    char *p;
    long a = ap->mask, b = bp->mask;

    for (p = letters; *p; p++)
    {
        long m = 1L << (*p - 'a');

        if ((a & m) != (b & m))
            if ((a & m) != 0)
                return -1;
            else
                return 1;
    }
    return 0;
}

void *
newmem (p, size)
void *p;
int size;
{
    if (p)
        p = realloc (p, size);
    else
        p = malloc (size);
    if (p == NULL) {
        fprintf (stderr, "Out of memory\n");
        exit (1);
    }
    return p;
}

char *
dupstr (s)
char *s;
{
    char *p = newmem ((void *)NULL, strlen (s) + 1);

    strcpy (p, s);
    return p;
}

main (argc, argv)
int argc;
char **argv;
{
    long m;
    int i, j;

    while ((m = getword (stdin)) != 0)
    {
        if (wp >= wsize)
        {
            wsize += 1000;
            w = newmem (w, wsize * sizeof (struct word));
        }
        w[wp].mask = m;
        w[wp].list = newmem ((void *)NULL, sizeof (struct list));
        w[wp].list->word = dupstr (wordbuf);
        w[wp].list->next = (struct list *)NULL;
        wp++;
    }
    qsort (w, wp, sizeof (struct word), cmp);
    for (i = 1, j = 1; j < wp; j++)
    {
        if (w[j].mask == w[i - 1].mask) {
            w[j].list->next = w[i - 1].list;
            w[i - 1].list = w[j].list;
        } else
            w[i++] = w[j];
    }
    wp = i;
    pangram (0L, 0, letters);
    exit (0);
}

pangram (sofar, min, lets)
long sofar;
int min;
char *lets;
{
    register int i;
    register long must;

    if (sofar == 0x3ffffff) {
        print ();
        return;
    }
    for (; *lets; lets++)
        if ((sofar & (1 << (*lets - 'a'))) == 0)
            break;
    must = 1 << (*lets - 'a');
    for (i = min; i < wp; i++)
    {
        if (w[i].mask & sofar)
            continue;
        if ((w[i].mask & must) == 0)
            continue;
        list[lp++] = i;
        pangram (w[i].mask | sofar, i + 1, lets);
        --lp;
    }
}

long
getword (fp)
FILE *fp;
{
    long mask, m;
    char *p;
    char c;

    while (fgets (wordbuf, sizeof (wordbuf), fp) != NULL) {
        p = wordbuf;
        mask = 0L;
        while ((c = *p++) != '\0') {
            if (!islower (c))
                break;
            m = 1L << (c - 'a');
            if ((mask & m) != 0)
                break;
            mask |= m;
        }
        if (c == '\n')
            p[-1] = c = '\0';
        if (c == '\0' && mask)
            return mask;
    }
    return 0;
}

print ()
{
    int i;

    for (i = 0; i < lp; i++)
    {
        struct word *p = &w[list[i]];
        struct list *l;

        if (p->list->next == NULL)
            printf ("%s", p->list->word);
        else {
            printf ("(");
            for (l = p->list; l; l = l->next) {
                printf ("%s", l->word);
                if (l->next)
                    printf (" ");
            }
            printf (")");
        }
        if (i != lp - 1)
            printf (" ");
    }
    printf ("\n");
    fflush (stdout);
}
-----and-----here-----
ankh
bad
bag
bald
balk
balks
band
bandh
bang
bank
bap
bard
barf
bark
bed
beds
beg
bend
benj
berk
berks
bez
bhang
bid
big
bight
bilk
bink
bird
birds
birk
bisk
biz
blad
blag
bland
blank
bled
blend
blight
blimp
blin
blind
blink
blintz
blip
blitz
block
blond
blunk
blunks
bod
bods
bog
bok
boks
bold
bond
bong
bonk
bonks
bop
bord
bords
bosk
box
brad
brank
bred
brink
brinks
brod
brods
brog
brogh
broghs
bud
bug
bugs
bulk
bulks
bump
bumps
bund
bunds
bung
bungs
bunk
bunks
burd
burds
burg
burgh
burghs
burk
burks
burp
busk
by
ch
crwth
cwm
cwms
dab
dag
dak
damp
dap
deb
debs
debt
deft
delf
delfs
delft
delph
delphs
depth
derv
dervs
dhak
dib
dig
dight
dink
dinks
dirk
disk
div
divs
dob
dobs
dog
dop
dorp
dowf
drab
draft
drib
dribs
drip
drop
drub
drubs
drunk
drunks
dub
dug
dugs
dung
dunk
dunks
dup
dusk
dwarf
dzo
dzos
fad
fag
falx
fank
fard
fax
fed
fend
fends
fenks
fez
fib
fid
fig
fight
fink
firk
fisk
fix
fiz
fjord
fjords
flab
flag
flak
flank
flap
flax
fled
fleg
flex
flight
flimp
flip
flisk
flix
flog
flogs
flong
flongs
flop
flops
flub
flump
flumps
flung
flunk
flux
fob
fobs
fog
fogs
fold
folds
folk
folks
fond
fonds
fop
fops
ford
fords
fork
forks
fox
frab
frank
frap
fremd
fright
friz
frog
frond
frump
frumps
fub
fud
fug
fugs
fund
funds
funk
funks
fy
fyrd
fyrds
gab
gad
gamb
gamp
gap
gawk
gawp
ged
geld
gib
gid
gif
gild
gink
gip
gju
gjus
gled
glib
glid
glift
glitz
glob
globs
glyph
glyphs
gob
god
gold
golf
golfs
golp
golps
gonk
gov
govs
gowd
gowf
gowfs
gowk
gowks
graft
graph
grub
grypt
gub
gubs
gulf
gulfs
gulp
gulph
gulphs
gunk
gup
gym
gymp
gyp
gyps
hadj
hank
hyp
hyps
jab
jag
jak
jamb
jap
jark
jerk
jerks
jib
jibs
jig
jimp
jink
jinks
jinx
jird
jirds
jiz
job
jobs
jog
jogs
jud
juds
jug
jugs
junk
junks
jynx
kang
kant
kaw
keb
kebs
ked
kef
kefs
keg
kelp
kemb
kemp
kep
kerb
kerbs
kerf
kerfs
kex
khan
khud
khuds
kid
kids
kif
kifs
kight
kild
kiln
kilp
kind
kinds
king
kip
klepht
knag
knight
knob
knobs
knub
knubs
kob
kobs
kond
kop
kops
kraft
krantz
kranz
kvetch
ky
kynd
kynds
lav
lev
lez
link
luz
lynx
mawk
nabk
nth
pad
park
pawk
pax
ped
peg
pegh
peghs
pelf
pelfs
penk
perk
perv
pervs
phang
phiz
phlox
pig
pight
pix
pleb
plebs
pled
plight
plink
plod
plongd
plonk
pluck
plug
plumb
plumbs
plunk
ply
pod
polk
polks
pong
pork
pox
poz
prex
prod
prof
prog
pst
pub
pud
pug
pugh
pulk
pulks
punk
pyx
qat
qats
qibla
qiblas
quark
quiz
sh
skelf
skid
skrump
skug
sphinx
spiv
squawk
st
sunk
suq
swiz
sylph
tank
thilk
tyg
vamp
van
vang
vant
veg
veld
velds
veldt
vend
vends
verb
verbs
vet
vex
vibs
vild
vint
vly
vox
vug
vugs
vuln
waltz
wank
welkt
whack
zag
zap
zarf
zax
zed
zek
zeks
zel
zig
zigs
zimb
zimbs
zing
zings
zip
zips
zit
zurf
zurfs

==> english/phonetic.letters.p <==
What does "FUNEX" mean?

==> english/phonetic.letters.s <==
FUNEX? (Have you any eggs?)
SVFX. (Yes, we have eggs.)
FUNEM? (Have you any ham?)
SVFM. (Yes, we have ham.)
FUMNX? (Have you ham and eggs?)
S,S:VFM,VFX,VFMNX! (Yes, yes: we have ham, we have eggs, we have ham and eggs!)

CD ED BD DUCKS? (See the itty bitty ducks?)
MR NOT DUCKS! (Them are not ducks!)
OSAR, CDEDBD WINGS? (Oh yes they are, see the itty bitty wings?)
LILB MR DUCKS! (Well I'll be, them are ducks!)

In Spanish:
SOCKS. (Eso si que es.)

==> english/piglatin.p <==
What words in pig latin also are words?

==> english/piglatin.s <==
cess    ->    essay
coke    ->    okay
lawn    ->    onlay
lout    ->    outlay
lover    ->    overlay
plover    ->    overplay
plunder    ->    underplay
sass    ->    assay
stout     ->    outstay
trash    ->    ashtray
wear    ->    airway
wonder    ->    underway


==> english/pleonasm.p <==
What are some redundant terms that occur frequently (like "ABM missile")?

==> english/pleonasm.s <==
11.5% APR
ABM missile
ABS system
AC current
ACT tests
AMOCO Oil Co.
APL programming language
ATM macine
BASIC Code
BBS System
CAD design
CNN news network
DC current
DMZ zone
DOS operating system
GMT time
Geirangerfjorden (Fjord Fjord Fjord)
HIV virus
ISBN number
ISDN network
LCD display
LED diode
La Brea Tar Pits
Los Altos Hills (The Hills Hills)
MIDI Interface
Mount Fujiyama (Mount Mountain)
NATO organization
NFS File System
PCV valve
PIN number
RAM (or ROM) memory
Ruidoso River (Noisy River River)
SALT talks
SAT test
SCSI Interface
SEATO organization
VIN number
floccinoccinihlipilification (from 4 latin words meaning "nothing")
hoi polloi (a genuine bilingual redundancy)
hot water heater

==> english/plurals/collision.p <==
Two words, spelled and pronounced differently, have plurals spelled
the same but pronounced differently.

==> english/plurals/collision.s <==
axe and axis -> axes
base and basis -> bases
ellipse and ellipsis -> ellipses

==> english/plurals/doubtful.number.p <==
A little word of doubtful number,
a foe to rest and peaceful slumber.
If you add an "s" to this,
great is the metamorphosis.
Plural is plural now no more,
and sweet what bitter was before.
What am I?

==> english/plurals/doubtful.number.s <==
cares -> caress

==> english/plurals/drop.s.p <==
What plural is formed by DROPPING the terminal "s" in a word?

==> english/plurals/drop.s.s <==
necropolis -> necropoli

==> english/plurals/endings.p <==
List a plural ending with each letter of the alphabet.

==> english/plurals/endings.s <==
Legend
0 = plural formed (basically) by adding letter
1 = plural spelled differently from singular
2 = ditto, plural contains punctuation
3 = plural spelled the same as singular

All entries are from Merriam-Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary,
except those marked "(NI3)", which are from the Third International.
Entries in brackets are probable dictionary artifacts.

A 0 VAS VASA
B 1 SLUBBI SLEYB (NI3)
C 0 CALPULLI CALPULLEC (NI3)
D 2 GRANT-IN-AID GRANTS-IN-AID
E 0 ALA ALAE
F 1 SHARIF ASHRAF (NI3)
G 0 AIRE AIRIG (NI3)
H 0 LIRA LIROTH
I 0 BAN BANI
J 1 KHARIJITE KHAWARIJ (NI3)
K 0 PULI PULIK
L 1 ARMFUL ARMSFUL
M 0 GOY GOYIM
N 0 KRONE KRONEN
O 2 DERRING-DO DERRINGS-DO (NI3) [1 MEO MIAO/MIXTECA MIXTECO/PAPIOPIO PAPIO/SUMU SUMO (NI3)]
P 2 AIDE-DE-CAMP AIDES-DE-CAMP
Q 3 QARAQALPAQ QARAQALPAQ (NI3)
R 0 KRONE KRONER
S 0 A AS
T 0 MATZO MATZOT
U 0 HALER HALERU
V 3 TIV TIV (NI3)
W 2 SON-IN-LAW SONS-IN-LAW [1 KWAPA QUAPAW (NI3)]
X 0 EAU EAUX
Y 0 GROSZ GROSZY
Z 3 HERTZ HERTZ

==> english/plurals/french.p <==
What English word, when spelled backwards, is its French plural?

==> english/plurals/french.s <==
state/etats

==> english/plurals/man.p <==
Words ending with "man" make their plurals by adding "s".

==> english/plurals/man.s <==
caiman
doberman
German
human
leman
ottoman
pitman
Pullman
Roman
shaman
talisman

==> english/plurals/switch.first.p <==
What plural is formed by switching the first two letters?

==> english/plurals/switch.first.s <==
falaj -> aflaj (Chambers English Dictionary)

==> english/portmanteau.p <==
What are some words formed by combining together parts of other words?

==> english/portmanteau.s <==
Such words are called "Portmanteau" words.  Here is a very incomplete list:
beefalo        beef, buffalo
brunch        breakfast, lunch
chortle        chuckle, snort
fantabulous    fantastic, fabulous
flare        flame, glare
flounder    flounce, founder
glimmer        gleam, shimmer
glitz        glamour, ritz
liger        lion, tiger
motel        motor, hotel
smash        smack, mash
smog        smoke, fog
squiggle    squirm, wiggle
tangelo        tangerine, pomelo
tigon        tiger, lion
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/potable.color.p <==
Find words that are both beverages and colors.

==> english/potable.color.s <==
burgundy
champagne
chartreuse
chocolate
claret
cocoa
coffee
cream
midori (Japanese for green. Does Japanese count?)
rose
wine

==> english/rare.trigraphs.p <==
What trigraphs (three-letter combinations) occur in only one word?

==> english/rare.trigraphs.s <==
Here is a list of all the trigraphs which occur exactly once in the union of
_Official Scrabble Words_ (First Edition), the _Official Scrabble Players
Dictionary_ and _Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (Second Edition)_,
together with the words in which they occur.

The definition of "word" is a problematic.  For example, lots of words
starting deoxy- contain the trigraph `eox', but no others do.  Should
`eox' be on the list?

Common words are marked with a *.

aae baaed
adq*headquarter headquarters
ajs svarajs
aqs talaqs
bks nabks
bze subzero
cda ducdame
dph*headphone headphones
dsf*handsful
dts veldts
dzu kudzu kudzus
ekd*weekday weekdays
evh evhoe
evz evzone evzones
exv sexvalent
ezv*rendezvous
fhu cliffhung
fjo fjord fjords
fsp*offspring offsprings
gds smaragds
ggp*eggplant eggplants
gnb signboard signboards
gnp*signpost signposted signposting signposts
gnt sovereignty
gty hogtying
gza*zigzag zigzagged zigzagging zigzaggy zigzags
hds camanachds
hky droshky
hlr kohlrabi kohlrabies kohlrabis
hrj lehrjahre
hyx asphyxia asphyxias asphyxiate asphyxies asphyxy
itv mitvoth
iwy skiwy
ixg sixgun
jds slojds
jje hajjes
jki pirojki pirojki
jym jymold
kky yukky
ksg*thanksgiving
kuz yakuza
kvo mikvoth
kyj*skyjack skyjacked skyjacker skyjackers skyjacking skyjackings skyjacks
llj killjoy killjoys
lmd filmdom filmdoms
ltd*meltdown meltdowns
lxe calxes
lzy schmalzy
mds fremds
mfy comfy
mhs ollamhs
mky dumky
mmm dwammming
mpg*campground
mss bremsstrahlung
muo muon muonic muonium muoniums muons
nhs sinhs
njy benjy
nuu continuum
obg hobgoblin hobgoblins
ojk pirojki
okc*bookcase bookcases
ovk sovkhoz sovkhozes sovkhozy
pev*grapevine grapevines
pfs dummkopfs
php ephphatha
pss topssmelt
pyj pyjama pyjamaed pyjamas
siq physique physiques
slt juslted
smk besmkes
spb*raspberries raspberry
spt claspt
swy swythe
syg*easygoing
szy groszy
tux*tux tuxedo tuxedoes tuxedos tuxes
tvy outvying
tzu tzuris
ucd ducdame
vho evhoe
vkh sovkhoz sovkhozes sovkhozy sovkhos
vly vly
vns eevns
voh evohe
vun avuncular
wcy gawcy
wdu*sawdust sawdusted sawdusting sawdusts sawdusty
wfr bowfront
wft ewftes
xeu exeunt
xgl foxglove foxgloves
xiw taxiway taxiways
xls cacomixls
xtd nextdoor
xva sexvalent
yks bashlyks
yrf gyrfalcon gyrfalcons
ysd paysd
yxy asphyxy
zhk pirozhki
zow zowie
zwo*buzzword buzzwords
zzs*buzzsaw

==> english/records/pronunciation/silent.p <==
What words have an exceptional number of silent letters?

==> english/records/pronunciation/silent.s <==
  longest sequence  BROUGHAM (4, UGHA)
  for each letter  AISLE, COMB, INDICT,
   HANDSOME, TWITCHED, HALFPENNY, GNOME, MYRRH, BUSINESS, MARIJUANA, KNOCK,
   TALK, MNEMONIC, AUTUMN, PEOPLE, PSYCHE, CINQCENTS, FORECASTLE, VISCOUNT,
   HAUTBOY, PLAQUE, FIVEPENCE, WRITE, TABLEAUX, PRAYER, RENDEZVOUS
  homophones, for each letter  O(A)R, LAM(B), S(C)ENT,
   LE(D)GER, DO(E), WAF(F), REI(G)N, (H)OUR, WA(I)VE, HAJ(J)I, (K)NOT, HA(L)VE,
   PRIM(M)ER, DAM(N), J(O)UST, (P)SALTER, ?, CAR(R)IES, (S)CENT, TARO(T),
   B(U)Y, ?, T(W)O, ?, RE(Y), BIZ(Z)
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/records/pronunciation/spelling.p <==
What words have exceptional ways to spell sounds?

==> english/records/pronunciation/spelling.s <==
  same spelling, different sound -OUGH (7)
   BOUGH, COUGH, DOUGH, HICCOUGH, LOUGH, ROUGH, THROUGH
  different spelling, same sound AIR (9)
   AIR, AIRE, ARE, AYR, AYER, E'ER, ERE, ERR, HEIR
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/records/pronunciation/syllable.p <==
What words have an exceptional number of letters per syllable?

==> english/records/pronunciation/syllable.s <==
  longest for each number of syllables
   one SCRAUNCHED  [SQUIRRELLED (11)] two SCRATCHBRUSHED (14)
   one, for each letter  ARCHED, BROUGHAMS, CRAUNCHED, DRAUGHTS,
    EARTHED, FLINCHED, GROUCHED, HAUNCHED, ITCHED, JOUNCED, KNIGHTS, LAUNCHED,
    MOOCHED, NAUGHTS, OINKED, PREACHED, QUETCHED, REACHED, SCRAUNCHED,
    THOUGHTS, UMPHS, VOUCHED, WREATHED, XYSTS, YEARNED, ZOUAVES
   two, for each letter  ARCHFIENDS, BREAKTHROUGHS, CLOTHESHORSE,
    DRAUGHTBOARDS, EARTHTONGUES, FLAMEPROOFED, GREATHEART, HAIRSBREADTHS,
    INTHRALLED, JUNETEENTHS, KNICKKNACKS, LIGHTWEIGHTS, MOOSETONGUES,
    NIGHTCLOTHES, OUTSTRETCHED, PLOUGHWRIGHTS, QUICKTHORNS, ROUGHSTRINGS,
    SCRATCHBRUSHED, THROATSTRAPS, UNSTRETCHED, VERSESMITHS, WHERETHROUGH,
    XANTHINES, YOURSELVES, ZEITGEISTS
  shortest for each number of syllables
   two AA  three AREA (4) [O'IO (3)] four IEIE (4) five OXYOPIA (7)
   six ONIOMANIA  [AMIOIDEI (8)] seven EPIDEMIOLOGY (12) [OMOHYOIDEI (10)]
   eight EPIZOOTIOLOGY  nine EPIZOOTIOLOGICAL (16) ten EPIZOOTIOLOGICALLY
    twelve HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUAPUAA (21)
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/records/spelling/longest.p <==
What is the longest word in the English language?

==> english/records/spelling/longest.s <==
The longest word to occur in both English and American "authoritative"
unabridged dictionaries is "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis."

The following is a brief citation history of this "word."

New York Herald Tribune, February 23, 1935, p. 3
"Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis succeeded
electrophotomicrographically as the longest word in the English
language recognized by the National Puzzlers' League at the opening
session of the organization's 103d semi-annual meeting held yesterday
at the Hotel New Yorker.

The puzzlers explained that the forty-five-letter word is the name of a
special form of silicosis caused by ultra-microscopic particles of
siliceous volcanic dust."

Everett M. Smith (b. 1/1/1894), President of NPL and Radio News Editor
of the Christian Science Monitor, cited the word at the convention.
Smith was also President of the Yankee Puzzlers of Boston.
It is not known whether Smith coined the word.

"Bedside Manna. The Third Fun in Bed Book.", edited by Frank Scully,
Simon and Schuster, New York, 1936, p. 87
"There's been a revival in interest in spelling, but Greg Hartswick,
the cross word king and world's champion speller, is still in control
of the situation.  He'd never get any competition from us, that's
sure, though pronouncing, let alone spelling, a 44 letter word like:
        Pneumonoultramicrosopicsilicovolkanakoniosis,
a disease caused by ultra-microscopic particles of sandy volcanic dust
might give even him laryngitis."

It is likely that Scully, who resided in New York in February 1935,
read the Herald Tribune article and slightly misremembered the word.

Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary, 1936
Both "-coniosis" and "-koniosis" are cited.
"a factitious word alleged to mean 'a lung disease caused by the inhalation
of very fine silica dust' but occurring chiefly as an instance of a very long
word."

Webster's first cite is "-koniosis" in the addendum to the Second Edition.
The Third Edition changes the "-koniosis" to "-coniosis."

I conjecture that this "word" was coined by word puzzlers, who then
worked assiduously to get it into the major unabridged dictionaries
(perhaps with a wink from the editors?)  to put an end to the endless
squabbling about what is the longest word.

==> english/records/spelling/most.p <==
What word has the most variant spellings?

==> english/records/spelling/most.s <==
catercorner

There's eight spellings in Webster's Third.

catercorner
cater-cornered
catacorner
cata-cornered
catty-corner
catty-cornered
kitty-corner
kitty-cornered

If you look in Random House, you will find one more which doesn't appear
in Web3, but it only differs by a hyphen:

cater-corner

---
Dan Tilque    --     [e-mail]

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/deletion.p <==
What exceptional words turn into other words by deletion of letters?

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/deletion.s <==
   longest beheadable word  P(REDETERMINATION) (16/15)
    longest for each letter (6-88,181,198,213,13-159,14-219,15-155,16-96,220,
     17-85) APATHETICALLY, BLITHESOME, CHASTENING, DEMULSIFICATION,
     EMOTIONLESSNESS, FUTILITARIANISM, GASTRONOMICALLY, HEDRIOPHTHALMA,
     IDENTIFICATION, JUNCTIONAL, KINAESTHETIC, LIMITABLENESS, METHYLACETYLENE,
     NEOPALEOZOIC, OENANTHALDEHYDE, PREDETERMINATION, QUINTA, REVOLUTIONARILY,
     SELECTIVENESS, TREASONABLENESS, UPRAISER, VINDICATION, WHENCEFORWARD,
     XANTHOPHYLLITE, YOURSELVES, ZOOSPORIFEROUS
    longest beheadable down to a single letter  PRESTATE (8)
   longest curtailable word (not a plural)  (BULLETIN)G (9)
    longest curtailable down to a single letter  LAMBASTES
   longest alternately beheadable and curtailable word  ASHAMED (7)
   longest arbitrarily beheadable and curtailable (all subsequences words)
     SHADES (6)
   longest terminal ellision word  D(EPILATION)S (11)
   longest letter subtraction down to a single letter  STRANGLING,
    STRANGING, STANGING, STAGING, SAGING, AGING, GING, GIN, IN, I
   longest charitable word (subtract letter anywhere)
    PLEATS: LEATS,PEATS,PLATS,PLEAS,PLEAT
   shortest stingy word (no deletion possible)  PRY (3)
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/insertion.and.deletion.p <==
What exceptional words turn into other words by both insertion and
deletion of letters?

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/insertion.and.deletion.s <==
   longest word both charitable and hospitable
    AMY: AM,AY,MY;GAMY,ARMY,AMOY,AMYL
   shortest word both stingy and hostile  IMPETUOUS (9)
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/insertion.p <==
What exceptional words turn into other words by insertion of letters?

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/insertion.s <==
   longest hydration (double reheadment)  (D,R)EVOLUTIONIST (12/13)
   longest hospitable word (insert letter anywhere)
    CARES: SCARES, CHARES, CADRES, CARIES, CARETS, CARESS
   shortest hostile word (no deletion possible)  SYZYGY (6)
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/movement.p <==
What exceptional words turn into other words by movement of letters?

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/movement.s <==
   longest word allowing exchange of letters (metallege)
    CONSERVATIONAL, CONVERSATIONAL
   longest head-to-tail shift
    SPECULATION, PECULATIONS
   longest double head-to-tail shift
    STABLE-TABLES-ABLEST
   longest complete cyclic transposal  ATE-TEA-EAT (3)
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/substitution.p <==
What exceptional words turn into other words by substitution of letters?

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/substitution.s <==
longest onalosi (substitution in every position possible)
 PASTERS: MASTERS,POSTERS,PALTERS,PASSERS,PASTORS,PASTELS,PASTERN
shortest isolano (no substitution possible)
 ECRU
longest word, all letters changed to other letters in minimum number of
steps, yielding another word  THUMBING-THUMPING-TRUMPING-TRAMPING-
 TRAPPING-CRAPPING-CRAPPIES-CRAPPOES
longest word girders  BADGER/SUNLIT, BUDLET/SANGIR (6)
longest word with full vowel substitution
 CL(A,E,I,O,U)CKING (8) also Y D(A,E,I,O,U,Y)NE (4)
longest words with vowel substitutions
 DESTRUCTIBILITIES, DISTRACTIBILITIES (17)
longest word constant-letter-shifted to another PRIMERO-SULPHUR (7)
 arithmetical-letter-shifted DREAM-ETHER (5)
 constant-shift-with-transposal (shiftgrams) AEROPHANE-SILVERITE (9)
longest word pair shifted one position on typewriter keyboard WAXIER-ESCORT (6)
longest word pair confusable on a telephone keypad AMOUNTS-CONTOUR (7)
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/transposition.p <==
What exceptional words turn into other words by transposition of letters?

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/transposition.s <==
   longest reversal  DESSERTS,STRESSED (8)
   longest well-mixed transposal
    CINEMATOGRAPHER, MEGACHIROPTERAN  (15)
   longest transposition list
    APERS, APRES, ASPER, PARES, PARSE, PEARS, PRASE, PRESA, RAPES, REAPS, SPARE,
    SPEAR (12)
    ANGRIEST, ANGRITES, ASTRINGE, GAIRTENS, GANISTER, GANTRIES, GRANITES,
    INGRATES, RANGIEST, TEARINGS  (10) [SATING(ER), SIGNATE(R), TANGIER(S) (3)]
    ANORETICS, ATROSCINE, CANOTIERS, CERTOSINA, CONARITES, CREATIONS, REACTIONS,
    TRICOSANE (8)

  transposition with deletion, insertion, or substitution
   longest well-mixed transdeletion
    SONOLUMINESCENCES, UNECONOMICALNESSES (17/18)
   longest word transdeletable to a single letter
    CONCENTRATIONS-CONSTERNATION-CONTORNIATES-TRANSECTION-
    STENTORIAN-TRANSIENT-ENTRAINS-NASTIER-ASTERN-TEARS-SATE-TEA-AT-A (14)
   longest Baltimore transdeletion (word transdeletable on every letter)
     IDOLATERS: DELATORS, SOTERIAL, DILATERS, ASTEROID,
    STOLIDER, SOREDIAL, DILATORS, DIASTOLE, TAILORED  (9)
   shortest word that cannot be transadded to another word  SYZYGY (6)
   longest well-mixed transubstitution
    MICROELECTROPHORESIS, SPECTROCOLORIMETRIES (20)
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/words.within.words.p <==
What exceptional words contain other words?

==> english/records/spelling/operations.on.words/words.within.words.s <==
   longest non-trivial charade  IN-DISC-RIM-IN-A-TI-ON (16)
    longest forward and reverse charade
     MAT-HE-MA-TI-CAL, LAC-IT-AM-EH-TAM
   longest snowball or rhopalic  T-EM-PER-AMEN-TALLY (15)
   longest reverse rhopalic  HETERO-TRANS-PLAN-TAT-IO-N (21)
   highest ratio of subwords/length (logogram)
    FIRESTONE: RE, TO, ON, NO, IF, FIR, IRE, RES, TON, ONE, NOT, RIF, FIRE,
    IRES, REST, TONE, FIRES, STONE, SERIF (20/9)
   longest charlinkade  FORESTALL: FOREST, ALL; FORE, REST, TALL (9)
   longest alternade  TRIENNIALLY: TINILY, RENAL (11)
   shortest three-letter-minimum word deletions
    PILGRIMAGE: RIM, GAG, PILE; GRIM, LAG, PIE
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/records/spelling/sets.of.words/nots.and.crosses.p <==
What is the most number of letters that can be fit into a three by three grid
of words, such that no letter is repeated in any row, column or diagonal?

==> english/records/spelling/sets.of.words/nots.and.crosses.s <==
Games magazine ran a contest on this.  The winner had 62:

        proxying|   buckwash  |   veldt
        ------------------------------------
        stumbled|      j      |  zincography
        ------------------------------------
        whack   | providently |   bumfs

Here are some good tries:

        backsword |thumpingly |   fez
        ----------------------------------
        vexingly  |      q    | throwbacks = 61
        ----------------------------------
        thump     | beadworks |   jingly

        backsword | thumpingly|  vex
        ----------------------------------
        vexingly  |      q    | throwbacks = 60
        ----------------------------------
        thump     |  bedrocks |   flying

        subjack   |downrightly|    fez
        ----------------------------------
        novelwright|     q    |  backups   = 59
        ----------------------------------
        pyx       |  subface  | downright

        krafts    | exhuming  | blowzy
        ----------+-----------+-----------
        phylum    |     j     | transfixed = 56
        ----------+-----------+-----------
        vexing    | folkways  | chump

        klutz     | cymograph |   fend
        ----------+-----------+-----------
        exscind   |     j     | kymograph = 54
        ----------+-----------+-----------
        myograph  |flunked    |   vibs
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.

==> english/records/spelling/sets.of.words/squares.p <==
What are some exceptional word squares (square crosswords with no blanks)?

==> english/records/spelling/sets.of.words/squares.s <==
Word squares are a particular example of a type of crossword known
as "forms".  They were more popular early in the 20th century than
they are now, but people still like to compose and solve them.  Forms
appear every month in the _Enigma_, which is the monthly publication
of the National Puzzlers' League.  The membership fee is $13 for
the first year, and information may be obtained from:

  David A. Rosen
  207 East 27th St. #3K
  New York, NY 10016

All members have the option of choosing a nom de plume; for example,
I go by the nom "Cubist".  Another good place to find information on
forms is in _Word Ways_, which is a quarterly journal of recreational
linguistics:

  _Word Ways_
  Spring Valley Road
  Morristown, NJ  07960

I'll have a paper appearing here at some point on the "support" of a
form (which I'll discuss below).

Word squares come in two flavors, regular and double.  In regular word
squares the words are the same across and down; in double word squares
all words are different.  The largest legitimate word square has order
9 (although Jeff Grant has come close to the 10), and what is considered
to be the finest example was discovered by Eric Albert via computer search:

  necessism
  existence
  circumfer
  escarping
  sturnidae
  sempitern
  infidelic
  scenarize
  mergences

All words appear in from Webster's New International Dictionary, Second
Edition.  It's the *only* single-source 9-square known, and its only
flaw is that "Sturnidae" is a proper (capitalized) word.  All words
are also solid-form (no phrases, spaces, punctuation marks, etc.).

Eric was using about 63,000 words when he discovered his square.  Using
about 78,500 9-letter words, I found an additional square:

  bortsches
  overtrust
  reparence
  trabeatae
  strestell
  creatural
  hunterite
  escalates
  steelless

All are in the OED, except for "trabeatae", which is in NI2.  This
makes this square arguably the second-best ever discovered.  All
words are uncapitalized and solid-form, but it has the flaw of using
more than one source.  It is, however, the *only* known 9-square that
uses only uncapitalized, solid-form dictionary words.

There are about 2000 9-squares known, all of which were constructed
by hand except for the two noted above.  Almost all of these use
very obscure sources of words.  As a general rule of thumb, if you
discover a new form via computer search, it is probably going to be
of high quality, since it is hard to obtain computer-readable word
lists that contain *really* obscure words.

The largest known double word-squares are of order-8.  They are
considered to be about as hard to construct as a regular word
square of order-9, and this is substantiated by the work I've
done on the mathematics of form construction.   The following
fine example was constructed by Jeff Grant (see his article in
_Word Ways_, Vol. 25 Num. 1, pp. 9-12):

  trattled
  hemerine
  apotomes
  metapore
  nailings
  aloisias
  tentmate
  assessed

All are dictionary terms, but there are some weak entries, e.g.

  Aloisias: individuals named Aloisia, a feminine form of Aloysius
  occurring in the 16th and 17th century in parish registers of
  Hinton Charterhouse, England (The Oxford Dictionary of English
  Christian Names, 3rd Edition, E.G. Withycombe, 1977)

Such words are, however, dear to the heart of logologists!  For
other examples of double squares see the article mentioned above.

There are also many other types of forms.  Some of the most common
are pyramids, stars, and diamonds, and some come in regular and double
varieties, and some are inherently double (e.g. rectangles).

How hard is it to discover a square, anyway, and how many are there?
As a data point, my program using the main (Air Force) entries in
NI2 (26,332 words), found only seven 8x8 squares.  This took an hour
to run.  They are:

outtease  appetite  unabated  acetated  interact  repeated  repeated
unweaned  prenaris  nopinene  cadinene  neomenia  evenmete  evenmete
twigsome  perscent  apostate  edentate  toxicant  pectosic  pectosic
teguexin  ensconce  bistered  tindered  emittent  entresol  entresol
easement  taconite  antehall  antehall  rectoral  amoebula  amoebula
anoxemia  irenicum  tearable  tearable  anaerobe  tessular  tessular
seminist  tincture  entellus  entellus  cinnabar  etiolate  etiolate
edentate  esteemer  deedless  deedless  tattlery  declarer  declared

If the heuristic mathematics are worked out, the number of different
words in your word-list before you'd expect to find a regular word
square of order-n (the "support") is about e^{(n-1)/2}, where e ~ 15.7.
For a double word square of order-n the support is about e^{n/2}.
There is a simple algorithm which is more precise, and this gives a
support of 75,641 for a regular 9-square, and a support of 272,976
for a double 9-square (using my 9-letter word list), which agrees
well with reality.
--
Chris Long, 265 Old York Rd., Bridgewater, NJ  08807-2618
[e-mail]

==> english/records/spelling/single.words.p <==
What words have exceptional lengths, patterns, etc.?