Photo from typography friendfeed group
Elvis Presley in 1956 on Milton Berle show singing Hound Dog.
From Denny: What is an anagram? Bet you haven't thought about this idea in some time. Well, some people play with their food; writers play with their words! Rearrange words to create another word or phrase, often with hilarious results. You can only use the letters available and only once to produce your fun. The object is to produce another word or phrase that comments upon the original word or phrase used. Now that takes skill!
It can be a synonym, antonym, parody, criticism or praise of the subject used. Here are a couple of funny examples: George Bush = He bugs Gore, Madonna Louise Ciccone = Occasional nude income, and the most famous writer for 400 years now, William Shakespeare = I am a weakish speller.
Today it isn’t quite the brain teaser task it once was. Today we have the internet with fun sites like Wordsmith and Anagram Genius to provide us with the resources of anagram generators.
Anagrams have quite a history as they were popular in the Middle Ages in Europe as well as Greece all the way back to 300 BCE.
I threw the phrase “economic depression” into wordsmith’s generator and up popped all kinds of crazy combinations. The one I liked best was “comedic opines snore.”
From the folks over at wordsmith.org are a few examples of funny anagrams from their Anagram Hall of Fame.
Elvis = Lives
Listen = Silent
Internet Anagram Server = Isn't rearrangement rave?
Dormitory = Dirty Room
Dictionary = Indicatory
Schoolmaster = The classroom
Clint Eastwood = Old West Action
Madam Curie = Radium came
A telephone girl = Repeating "Hello"
Western Union = No Wire Unsent
The country side = No City Dust Here
Evangelist = Evil's Agent
Astronomers = Moon starers / No more stars
Postmaster = Stamp Store
A telescope = To see place
The eyes = They see
The cockroach = Cook, catch her
The Morse Code = Here Come Dots
The Meaning of Life = The fine game of nil
Waitress = A stew, Sir?
Conversation = Voices Rant On
Mr. Mojo risin' = Jim Morrison
(from the Doors song, "L.A. Woman")
The Great New York Rapid Transit Tunnel = Giant work in street, partly underneath
Mother-in-law = Woman Hitler
Funeral = Real Fun
Protectionism = Nice to imports
A domesticated animal = Docile, as a man Tamed it
Butterfly = Flutter-by
Heavy Rain? = Hire a Navy!
The Check is in the Mail = Claim "Heck, I sent it (heh)"
The United States Bureau of Fisheries = I Raise the Bass to Feed Us in the Future
Snooze Alarms = Alas! No More Z's
A Decimal Point = I'm a Dot in Place
The Earthquakes = That Queer Shake
Statue of Liberty = Built to Stay Free
And the best for last, a Biblical quote:
'And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.' = The Word engendered Light as a blast. A delight hit.
Now I double dare you to create a poem out of anagrams! Yikes! That might take me a few months to construct... if ever... BTW, that's a portrait of "me" sleeping on the family dog who's a generous soul...;)
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