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Palindromes are words that read the same backwards. The shortest palindromes are Aha, dad, eye, mom,nun, pup,dud etc. One-word palindromes include madam, radar, sexes, solos, tut-tut, racecar, rotator. The longest palindrome which is a common word is 'redivider' with 9 letters. The longest palindromes but which are uncommon words are the 11-letter 'detartrated' and (in the 'Oxford English Dictionary' 1971 edition) 'tattarrattat'. The longest American-English palindrome is the 9-letter 'releveler'. In Britain the word is spelled 'releveller' and is not a palindrome. The longest palindromic place-name in America is the 11-letter 'Wassamassaw', a swamp north of Charleston, North Carolina state. It's an American Indian word meaning "the worst place ever seen"! The 11-letter word 'aibohphobia' is defined as a fear of palindromes. Yep, it's a made-up word, but hats off to its author Stan Kelly in "The Devil's Advocate" UNIX Review Nov.1994. For the longest known foreign single-word palindrome is the Finnish 'saippuakauppias', a 15-letter word for "soap-seller". It can even be spelled 'saippuakivikauppias', taking it to 19 letters. Penelope Gilliatt created this 51-letter palindrome: 'Doc, note I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod.' Alastair Reid created this 95-letter palindrome about the poet T.S. Eliot 'T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad. I'd assign it a name: 'Gnat dirt upset on drab pot toilet'. In 1967, Joyce Johnson wrote an excellent long palindrome for a "New Statesman" competition, given below. It has 126 words and 467 letters, and I've marked the middle letter in red (the "o" of "owe"). The title (in capitals) is not part of the palindrome. HEADMASTER'S PALINDROMIC LIST ON HIS MEMO PAD Test on Eramus Deliver slap Royal: phone no.? Ref. Football Is sofa sitable on? XI-Staff over Sub-edit Nurse's order Caning is on test (snub slip-up) Birch (Sid) to help Miss Eve Repaper den Use it Put inkspot on stopper Prof.-no space Caretaker (wall, etc.) Too many d-pots Wal for duo? (I'd name Dr O) See few owe fees (or demand IOU) Dr of Law Stop dynamo (OTC) Tel: Law re Kate Race Caps on for prep Pots-no tops Knit up ties ('U') Ned (re paper) Eve's simple hot dish (crib) Pupil's buns T-set: no sign in a/c Red roses Run Tide Bus? Rev off at six Noel Bat is a fossil Lab to offer one 'Noh' play-or 'Pals Reviled'? Sums are not set Using the clues, can you identify the palindrome word? The number of letters is given in brackets. mid-day(4) an action(4) doctrine(5) an Eskimo canoe(5) flat(5) type of musical note(5) type of coastal grass(6) restorer(7) More on Palindrome in the next issue BACK to the Main Page

ANSWERS

mid-day(4)- noon
an action(4)- deed
doctrine(5)- tenet
an Eskimo canoe(5)- kayak
flat(5)- level
type of musical note(5)-minim
type of coastal grass(6)-marram
restorer(7)-reviver