Thursday, December 15, 2011

Anagrams

During my childhood, a common classroom or camp “party game” tested our skills in unscrambling words, often from a thematic list. And although I won these games more times than I didn't, my victory during the 6th grade solicited a tease from my teacher.

It was this time of year, and so we were challenged with word combinations such as:

elds (as in sled)

eawhrt (as in wreath)

rreeedin (as in reindeer)

and, … well, you get the rpeicut (picture).

Presenting me with my prize, my teacher exclaimed, “Rats?!”

I smiled sheepishly, not yet understanding her reference.

“Rats?!” she said again, her grin toothy.

I don’t remember what the original scramble had looked like, but what the teacher was really looking for was “star.”

Hell, even “arts” would have been more seasonally appropriate.

I don’t know, though, can’t rats be part of Christmas?

In the ensuing years, I’ve made a mental note whenever I’ve considered a word that – when scrambled – creates another word of related significance.

My list is admittedly short, and I present it to you now in hopes that you’ll add a few more:

TEXAS and TAXES

CREATION and REACTION

PARENTAL and PRENATAL

NUCLEAR and UNCLEAR

Your turn…

5 comments:

Martha Gates-Mawson said...

LISTEN and SILENT

Kristy @Loveandblasphemy said...

I don't have any for you, but I have always been puzzled by the word "extraordinary." Extra. Ordinary. That does not mean what extraordinary is supposed to mean.

Jules said...

Oh anagrams and hillbillies are dangerous but your list cracked me up. And yes why can't rats be part of Christmas? I'm going to look for a rat ornament. :)
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

cj Schlottman said...

Katie,

Your anagrams a terrific, and I tip my hat to Martha, too. Can't for the life of me think of one.

Namaste..........cj

Lazarus said...

Evian and Naive (as in people who spend so much on bottled French water are naive...) There's a site, I think it's www.wordsmith.org/anagramserver or something close to that on www.wordsmith.org that will give you all the anagrams for any word or words that you input. Very cool, check it out!