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What happens when you remove the letter a from the alphabet? You b-head it.
Each of this week's words sprouts another word if you behead it. Go ahead,
try it. Decollate these words. Decapitate them. You won't hurt a thing.
Nor would the word-police arrest you, for in each instance you would be
generating another word, a 100% dictionary word.
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bounce, discard, decrease, compose... do I have the idea?
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#2734
05/23/2000 10:33 PM
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so far, the pattern has been to drop just the initial letter, in which case bounce qualifies.
here's another: pregnant
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That gives me an idea. What is the longest word in the English language that can be continuously decapitated to form a new word? The final word must be at most two letters long.
This doesn't do it but it'll give you an idea of what I mean: Clever, lever, ever.
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_lever:
Well, you figured out mine. Will cogitate for more.
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#2737
05/26/2000 12:13 PM
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Yesterday’s citation referring to Quakers is pretty heavy and stern stuff from Thomas Paine. Here are some lighter glimpses of Quakers, who are known for their "quiet’ meetings:
- Two Quakers come doorknocking and when the front door is opened, they don’t say anything.
- "I am a Quaker; in case of emergency, please be quiet." [badge popular in Quaker circles]
Cheers from a ‘quakerly’ paulb.
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#2738
05/26/2000 12:39 PM
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here's an interesting one: squash
so, a new subclass; words which when beheaded give a word with a related sense
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#2740
05/27/2000 10:07 PM
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Pooh-Bah
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Actually, taking off the 'ing, Smash works well...
smash, mash, ash, sh...
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> Actually, taking off the 'ing, Smash works well...
smash, mash, ash, sh...
Top marks jmh! I couldn't think of any and I'm the one who posted the challenge!
A close alternative would be 'Trash', I suppose, now you mention it.
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newbie
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umm, nice challenge
tricky getting more than 5
globe (obe = subdivision of phylus or clan)
U-boat
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#2743
05/31/2000 12:12 AM
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A similar one: scrunch.
Nearly cheating on this one: espy.
Possible, only: scrap.
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It's not a decapitation really, but if you just remove one letter at a time:
startling, starling, staring, string, sting, sing, sin, in, I
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..and two days later I have come up with a six letter decapitation:
ASTRAY
OK it's not the commonest spelling of 'aye' but it's in my dictionary.
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I don't think anyone will beat Bridget's score - core - ore - re.
Bingley
Bingley
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Back to topic...
Anyone remember this 80s song?
Take the L out of Lover/
And it's Oooo-over
Of course my waggish punk rock friends and I had to change it to:
Take the S out of Slaughter/
And its Laaa-aughter!
Well, we liked it!
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old hand
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Doug Reminds of the hackneyed old one: manslaughter is an awful thing, but woman's laughter is worse. OK, OK, I'm sorry. But I couldn't resist it...[embarrassed] 
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i did laundy this past week end -- and realize
bleach
leach
each
ach!
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enthusiast
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LAUNDERETTE MEETING LEADS TO BIZARRE DRUG-CRAZED SEX ROMP
splashes, plashes, lashes, ashes, she's, he's, E's
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Are return trips-to foreign parts permitted? If, then (using standard transliterations):
Radar, Adar (Hebrew), dar (Aramaic), ar, r
speaking of which: trips, rips, ips, ps, s
Have I broken all the rules?
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smile, spear, plate, strait, blast, flap, craving
It occured to me, jmh, that removing the "ing" could be described as something akin to hemicorporectomy...Except we don't do that in the UK...
Sara x
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#2754
04/28/2001 12:11 AM
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Dear sara: I am not sure what a "hemicorporectomy" would entail.I have assisted at appendectomies, cholecystectomies, etc., but never a hemicoporectomy.
And removing "ing" might be "docking" as in making a tale (sic) short, but would it yield a new word?
Incidentally jmh has not been with us for almost a month. We will be glad when she rejoins us.
We have so few members from the UK, you are extra welcome on that account. Please pity our curiosity and give us some data in your Profile.I hope you have forgiven my unthinking rudeness in the grog call post.
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prelate
relate
elate
late
ate ... (and, if allowed to cut from the foot instead of the head)
at
a
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if allowed to cut from the foot instead of the head
Hmm, cut their heads off, they can't think; cut their feet off, they can't run away.
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great one, Keiva! and you can pluralise the first word for an additional point, too, he added pontifically.
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Verbal decapitation: instead of a makeshift term like "beheading", why not use the technical term: "APHAERESIS".
I decapitulate! Off with 'is 'ead!
However, since wwh notes that the word is from the Greek apo (“away”) + hairein, I trust he was merely referring to my need for Rogaine.
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the technical termGreeks? we don' need no steenkin Greeks...! 
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"Greeks? we don' need no steenkin Greeks...!"
Surely you wouldn't disrespect our dear Helen of Troy?
Gentlemen, let's defend her honor and give this heel the Hectoring he deserves!
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"Greeks? we don' need no steenkin Greeks...!"
Let us now praise all learned men, many of whom were Hellenes and their descendants or admirers.. Let us require maverick to eat a krater full of Welsh rabbit made with feta cheese, and wash it down with two gallons of retsina. A mild sentence for defaming a noble race.
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Let us require maverick to .. wash it down with two gallons of retsina"
Wish I could see how he looks after that resina takes effect.
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#2764
08/19/2001 10:25 PM
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Actually, a racial slur is not typical maverick. I wonder if archie is using his system, trying to make trouble for maverick.
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#2765
08/19/2001 10:39 PM
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From beheaded to decapitated to arhaeresis.
From Anglo-Saxon to Latin to Greek.
Ain't English wonderful? You can say the same thing so many ways, and be as clear or as obscure as you like!
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#2766
08/20/2001 11:20 AM
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yeahbut. archie doesn't know how to do the sign I used, Dr Bill. My point was the linguistic one made now by Keiva. though of all the wines in all the world (and I do my share in sampling their bounty) I would have to say that retsina's taste is fearfully reminiscent of the smell of the foul loo cleaning agent used in school lavatories in my youth, so you can stick that where the sun shines not!
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#2767
08/20/2001 12:47 PM
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[blue]retsina's taste is fearfully reminiscent of the smell of the foul loo cleaning agent used in school lavatories[/blue]
Which is why *I would have trouble considering it part of a mild sentence.
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All linguaphiles take as gospel " The Greeks had a word for it." And let me remind you, mav, you didn't say "Greek" meaning the language, you said "Greeks" meaning the people.
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" The Greeks had a word for it." My mama always warned me: Beware of gits bearing grief!  
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Dear mav: your mama should have warned you about getting boiled in Greece.
And "gits bearing griefs" is a form of cacemphaton.
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