Thursday, February 26, 2009

Word Mutants

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational had asked its readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. I thought that was fun, so here's my attempt:

With a letter added

  • prayfer: a prayer for the appearance of a specific object in the Christmas stocking

  • compunter: a computer that helps you place bets on software-offshoring companies in yet-to-be-developing nations

  • sufferling: a child of insufferable parents

  • abstinthe: to abstain from drinking absinthe while reading Wodehouse

  • extravagrant: to stay out of suitcases in the presidential suites of grand hotels

  • celeberate: when clueless celebrities gather in a TV studio to berate the policies of the government


With a letter deleted

  • banstand: a covered outdoor platform, across the busiest crossing of a city, where crowds gather for lighting candles to fight terrorism

  • univerity: a college that preaches universal truths

  • faceboo: to join a Facebook group created for taking potshots at a person, an object, or an idea


With a letter changed

  • inferface: a biometric interface that has sensors to figure out if your face has the characteristics of a jihadi killer

  • singelton: a gay singer

  • designame: to create self-explanatory designations from proper nouns. For example, Chief Satyam Officer

  • conpetition: a pre-judged competition on a TV reality show

  • euphomia: the feeling of intense happiness experienced by a megalomoaniac

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Recently i happen to see your blog while googling and i managed to clear the crossword puzzles except one.

Clue: The fellow sees to it:

Word starting with 'C' and 'A' as third letter (totally 5 letters word)

Ufff, i am tired, it has been disturbing for the past one week.
Please let me know the answer.

My Id: rengabhai@gmail.com

And please do update your blog with more interesting stuffs one like that online banking page editing. :)


Thanks in advance,
Rengaraman

Anonymous said...

Hello Anindita,

Thanks for the amusing word exercise! I especially like "celeberate" "faceboo" and "conpetition."

Tom Roux
Editor-at-Large
The Business Insider Blog (http://www.timrosablog.com)