3. Word Puzzles and Games

28 Pages·2014·0.38 MB·English

3. Word Puzzles and Games
Robert Snapp
[email protected]
DepartmentofComputerScience
UniversityofVermont
RobertR.Snapp©2014 3.WordPuzzlesandGames CS32,Fall2014 1/27
1 WordGames
Riddles
Lipograms
Palindromes
Anagrams
2 ComputationalQuestions
Heuristics
Trees(andFactorialTrees)
TheMultiplicationPrinciple
EnumeratingAnagramshavingnUniqueSymbols
EnumeratingAnagramshavingRepeatedSymbols
3 References
RobertR.Snapp©2014 3.WordPuzzlesandGames CS32,Fall2014 2/27
Probablyonlyoneperson: the“I”oftherhyme.
A Riddle
AsIwasgoingtoSt.Ives,
Imetamanwithsevenwives,
Eachwifehadsevensacks,
Eachsackhadsevencats,
Eachcathadsevenkits;
Kits,cats,sacks,andwives,
HowmanyweregoingtoSt.Ives?
RobertR.Snapp©2014 3.WordPuzzlesandGames CS32,Fall2014 3/27
A Riddle
AsIwasgoingtoSt.Ives,
Imetamanwithsevenwives,
Eachwifehadsevensacks,
Eachsackhadsevencats,
Eachcathadsevenkits;
Kits,cats,sacks,andwives,
HowmanyweregoingtoSt.Ives?
Probablyonlyoneperson: the“I”oftherhyme.
RobertR.Snapp©2014 3.WordPuzzlesandGames CS32,Fall2014 3/27
A Lipogram
GadsbywaswalkingbackfromavisitdowninBrantonHill’s
manufacturingdistrictonaSaturdaynight. Abusyday’straffic
hadhaditsnoisyrun;andwithnotmanyfolksinsight. His
Honorgotalongwithouthavingtostoptograspahand,ortalk;
foraMayoroutofCityHallisashiningmarkforany
politician. Andso,comingtoBroadway,aboomingbassdrum
andsoundsofsinging,toldofasmallSalvationArmyunit
carryingonamidstBroadway’snightshoppingcrowds.
Gadsby,walkingtowardthatgroup,sawayounggirl,back
towardhim,justfinishingalong,soulfuloration:::
(From,ErnestVincentWright,Gadsby,WetzelPress,1939;cf.RossEckler,Makingthe
AlphabetDance,St.Martin’sPress,NewYork,1996,pp.2–3.)
RobertR.Snapp©2014 3.WordPuzzlesandGames CS32,Fall2014 4/27
Another Lipogram
Enfettered,thesesentencesrepressfreespeech. The
textdeletesselectedletters. Weseethereveredexegete
rejectmetredverse: thesestet,thetercet—evenles
scènesélevéesengrec. Herebels. Hesetsnewprecedents.
Heletsclevernessexceeddecentlevels. Heeschews
theesteemedgenres,theexpectedthemes—evenlesbelles
lettresenvers. HepreferstheperverseFrenchesthetes:
Verne,Péret,Genet,Perec—hence,hepensfervent
screeds,thenentersthestreet,wherehesellstheseletterpress
newsletters,threecentspersheet. Heengenders
perfectnewnesswhereverweneedfreshterms.
FromEunoiabyChristianBök,CouchHouseBooks,Toronto,2001.
RobertR.Snapp©2014 3.WordPuzzlesandGames CS32,Fall2014 5/27
Palindromes
A man, a plan, a canal — Panama!
Madam, I’m Adam.
Was it a bat I saw?
Rise to vote, sir.
Draw, O Caesar, erase a coward.
Egad, a base life defiles a bad age.
RobertR.Snapp©2014 3.WordPuzzlesandGames CS32,Fall2014 6/27
Anagrams: Origins
Theoldestknownanagramsmayhavebeenwrittenin260BCbyLycophron,a
Greekpoet. Hispoem“Cassandra”containstwo:
ThelettersinthenameofPtolemyPhiladelphus
…TOƒEMAIO†;
arerewrittenas
A…O MEƒITO†;
whichtranslatesto“madeofhoney.”
ThelettersinthenameofArsinoë(Ptolemy’squeen),
AP†INOH;
arerewrittenas
HPA† ION;
whichmeans“Hera’sviolet.”
RobertR.Snapp©2014 3.WordPuzzlesandGames CS32,Fall2014 7/27
Anagrams: American Presidents
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: oh, call man “brain”
HERBERT CLARK HOOVER: the ever dark horror
HARRY S TRUMAN: rash army runt
DWIGHT DAVID EISENHOWER: he did view the war doings
JAMES EARL CARTER: a rare calm jester
RONALD WILSON REAGAN: no darlings, no ERA law
GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH: huge berserk rebel
warthog
(cf.RossEckler,MakingtheAlphabetDance,St.Martin’sPress,NewYork,1996,p.139.)
RobertR.Snapp©2014 3.WordPuzzlesandGames CS32,Fall2014 8/27
More Anagrams
INCOMPREHENSIBLE:probleminChinese
STORMYWEATHER:showerymatter
ROCKYMOUNTAINS:o,man—skicountry
THEPIANOBENCH:beneathChopin
THECAFETERIA:fact: Ieathere.
(cf.RossEckler,MakingtheAlphabetDance,St.Martin’sPress,NewYork,1996,
pp.139–141.)
RobertR.Snapp©2014 3.WordPuzzlesandGames CS32,Fall2014 9/27