ANAGRAMS. BY C. W. FISHER. (From Harper's Young People)

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2155, 1 May 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

ANAGRAMS. BY C. W. FISHER. (From Harper's Young People)

The pastime of making and guesting anagrams is not at all new. Many centuries ago people began pnzzling their brains over the many entanglements that the letters of the alphabet wind themselves up in, and the game still remain* its power to fascinate. The keen-witted boy or girl of to-day — and man and woman, .too, for the matter — finds as much pleasure and perplexity in it as did the young Greek of more than twenty centuries ago. An anagram is simply a re-arrangement of the letters of a word, done in such a manner that another or several other words are made. Thus "canoe" 'becomes "ocean," and 'astronomers" "moon-starers.' The former of these anagrams is a very simple one. No little slcill and thought, however, are necessary where, besides, forming new words, and endeavours to make these new words suggest the original ; as, for instance, to have them ask a question the answer to which is found in the given word, or to find an anagram which shall define the word it is derived from. This is a higher order of amusement, and offers opportunities for the use of sharp eyes and the exercise of quick waits that are to be found in very few games. A delightful evening may be spent by a number of persons, part of whom make while the others solve the anagrams. A box of pasteboard letters, such as are sold in all toy and stationary shops, ii all that is needed in the way of material, unless one's spelling is at all uncertain, in which case a good dictionary is indispensable, I make special mention of this, because I have spent many trutless hours in trying to unravel a knotty anagram, only to find at last that the word had been carelessly spelled at the outset, and its anagram was, of course, incorrect. Be sure, then before transposing a letter, that your word is properly spelled. Do not select a long word. One of four or five syllables is often more easily suggested than one of two or three, as a general rule a rather short j word containing a number of vowels is harder to discover than any other. Having chosen your word, place the letters, that form it before you on the j table without regard to order, and as ' they lie they may suggest one or more words. If either of these lias any bearing upon or connection with the meaning of the original word, it is a good word to use in the anagram. If such words fail to appear at once, keep transposing and changing the letters until they do, and your anagram will thas have a point, and be something more than a mere trick j in letters. Practise and experience will make you very expert after a while, though many a very brilliant hit has been made unconsciously. Proper names— of authors and distinguished men -are excellent to begin on. and their anagrams can be made to refer to their best known works. Of this kind of anagram the pen-name of Bryan Waller Proctor ia a good name, aud Proctor i 3 almost better known as "Barry Cornwall, poet," than by his own name. No fixed rules or general directions can be given to aid you in this. The method 1 adopt, and which has proved very successful, is as follows : I spread the letters out in front or me just as they come, and looking carefully at them try to get some clew to the word they represent. If I fail to do bo, I change repeatedly backward and forward, in and out, until, if our arithmetics did not tell us otherwise, it would seem as if they could not possibly be arranged in more ways than I bave employed. If, after this, I am still in the dark, I give up attempting to find the whole word by inspiration or inspection, and devote myself to building it up piecemeal, always, however, • begiuning right at the tail end. The terminations of English words are comparitively few, aud I use in tui v—u — ringing all possible changes on them — such common snifixes as '* tion," " ness," "ity, "al," "ous," "ances," "io,"as we'll as others that are familiar to you all. Using any one of these, as a " trial" ending, I of course, have only the remaining letters of the word to arrange, and the task is at once simplified. Following this plan one rarely fails to bring down his pame. In guessing in the manner pointed out above, it often happens that one's whole mind becomes so intent upon forming the sepal-ate syllables that one actually fails to discover the word, even when it lies spelled in full before them ; and I have seen people — not young ones, cither — With such a word as SOMETIMES in front of them saying to themselves " SO-MET-I-MES, SOM-ETI-MES, what on earth can that be ?" and they have not seen the word, and gone on transposing the letters. The following are excellent examples of anagrams with some meaning : Charles Steuort gives the very suggestive anagram, "Chaiuies (old spelling) Arthurs seat." James Stuart makes "A just master;" Florance Nightingale gives "Flit on cheeriDg angel." Presbyterian is " best in pr.i\cr." Chimney becomes *'my niche ;' editorial, "Lo ! I read it ;" Christinnitv, " 'Tis in charity ;" religion, "Lo!l i iijn;" penitentiary, "Nay, I repent it ," paralytic, " Pity Clara ;" telegraph, " (licat help." Another type of anagran is simply curious, without serving to suggest the word from which it comes. In this chs3 may be mentioned " New door," which, transposed, makes "one word," and which has bothered many a youngster who was told to form One Word from tbe anagram. "Early bat" gives betrayal, and this is called Queen Victoria's angram. From "Neat girl" we get triangle, relating, integral, and altering; from "Hot grub," brought; from "One-half bias, "fashionable; "Tea slops," Apostles, and so on indefinitely. There i 9 no better way , in fact, there is no other way, to become a good anagrammariau — to coin a long word— than to practice constantly, and I know of no more charming evening occupation, Here are a few to sharpen yonr wits upon ; 1, City life ; 2, Roast mules ;3, White rose ; 4, Far into Rome ; 5, Mind bis map ; 6, Hard Castle ; 7, His odd name ;8, Queen's bust ; 9, Rice soup ; 10, Dry, voices ; 11, Ate so much ; 12, Oyster man ; 13, No more stars ; 14, Hear a gun ; 15, A dry shop; 16, Incur stamps; 17, Clear habit ; IS, Oily tapers ; 19, I'm sent to Pat ; 20, Sha'n't copy ; 21, O ! stop, cat ; 22, Best rod ; 23, 0, fat, fat niece ; 24. Scrape rent ; 25, Made in pint pots ; 26, A cent pie ; 27, Heads, sir, 2S, Some .miie ; 29, Ned it toper ; 30, Cart-horse ; 31, Hectic rat; 32; Any one can; 33, Nine thumps ; 34, Sin sat on a tin tar tub ; 35, 1 a beer tin j 36, Sly wares ; 37, I take no lamp.