the mensa book of words abbie salny

BOOK OF WORDS, PUZZLES І ODDITIES The Mensa Book of Words, Word Games, Puzzles & Oddities The Mensa Book of Words, Word Games, Puzzles & Oddities Abbie F Salny I PEHENNIAL 11 В И А И У HARPER & R O W , PUBLISHERS, N e w York Cambridge, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington L o n d o n , M e x i c o City, Sao Paulo, S i n g a p o r e , Sydney To Jerry Salny, as always, and to fellow Mensans Roberta Rubin, M.D., and Barnett Zumoff, M.D.,for helpful words THE MENSA BOOK OF WORDS, W O R D GAMES, PUZZLES & ODDITIES Copyright © 1988 by Dr Abbie F Salny All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews For information address Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53rd Street, New York, N.Y 10022 Published simultaneously in Canada by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited, Toronto Designer: C Linda Copy editor: Dingier Abigail Bok Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Salny, Abbie F The Mensa book of words, w o r d games, puzzles & oddities Vocabulary games English language—Etymology—Miscellanea Puzzles PE1449.S283 1988 I Title 428.1 87-45661 ISBN 0-06-096208-9 (pbk.) 88 89 90 91 92 FG 10 3 Word CONTENTS Foreword vii Introduction 1 Words, Words, and More Words How many have their changed common and present our not so meanings, language, and common how how the words rest some came of the people to world turned into things "That's Not English!" Derivations: "knock Why on you order find in wood"? a dish we What 87 sometimes is an a la Crecy, say "amicus what are "d.v." instead curiae," and you most of if likely to it? Misunderstood, Mispronounced, and Misused 112 Words that they're being forte are so common used (pronounced most of us don't incorrectly—unless words f o r t , not f o r t - a y , unless music) Puzzles and Games How Smart Are You? 131 145 you realize are are your playing FOREWORD T h i s b o o k is a b o u t t h e g l o r i e s a n d d e l i g h t s o f m y language, English Despite the Eastern European origin of m y n a m e , I a m a n E n g l i s h m a n E n g l i s h is t h e l a n g u a g e I s p e a k , t h e l a n g u a g e I u s e a s a n a u t h o r , a n d t h e l a n g u a g e I l o v e E n g l i s h is p a r t o f all o u r c u s t o m s a n d c u l t u r e , a n d t h e c u s t o m s a n d c u l ture that foster t h e language in t u r n are part of o u r world h e r i t a g e It is t h i s h e r i t a g e t h a t l e n d s r i c h n e s s a n d s t r e n g t h t o o u r l a n g u a g e , n o t b e c a u s e E n g l i s h is p u r e a n d homogenous, b u t b e c a u s e it i s a n e c l e c t i c a n d h e t e r o g e n e o u s s e l e c t i o n of t h e b e s t f r o m m a n y s o u r c e s A n d in its t u r n E n g l i s h h a s c o m e t o i n f l u e n c e its m a n y s o u r c e s : b e c a u s e o f t h e e n o r m o u s w o r l d influence of Anglophone peoples, the British Empire, more recently America and other m e m b e r s of the and Common- w e a l t h , E n g l i s h is r a p i d l y b e c o m i n g a l i n g u a f r a n c a It is t h e first-choice second language the w o r l d over M y s e c o n d g r e a t l o v e is f o r t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n t h a t h a s e n a b l e d m e to discover a higher loyalty to the w o r l d culture shared a n d contributed to b y eighty t h o u s a n d m e m b e r s w o r l d w i d e : M e n s a T h i s w o r l d c u l t u r e is t h e s y s t e m o f k n o w l e d g e , k n o w h o w , skills, arts, s c i e n c e a n d t e c h n o l o g y , c o m m e r c i a l p r a c t i c e , style of c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d cooperation that e d u c a t e d intelligent people e v e r y w h e r e and share As a great M e n s a n , Dr Abbie Salny h a s a place of particular i m p o r t a n c e i n t h i s c u l t u r e S h e is o n e o f t h e f e w enthusiasts w h o k e e p o u r s t r a n g e s h i p afloat As a v e r y able a n d well- trained psychometric psychologist, she w a s of inestimable use to m e in m y l o n g y e a r s as M e n s a ' s International Chairman W i t h o u t h e r w o r l d travel a n d assiduous w o r k in m a n y lands, viii FOREWORD Mensa would not have spread so far in a n d b e y o n d the I n t h i s d e l i g h t f u l , p e r c e p t i v e , a n d m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y , fun et- Anglophone world ymology, Abbie takes us on an adventurous journey around the varied and unexpected sources of the language w e all delight in using Y o u r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e r i c h subtleties o f E n g l i s h a n d y o u r j o y i n its b e a u t y w i l l b e g r e a t l y enhanced b y this book —Victor Serebriakoff Honorary International President of Mensa INTRODUCTION S i n c e t h i s is a M e n s a b o o k o f w o r d s , w o r d o r i g i n s , d e r i v a t i o n s , meanings, a n d oddities, p e r h a p s w e should begin b y defining the word "Mensa"—or rather, by saying w h a t "Mensa" is n o t It is n o t a n a c r o n y m o r a s l a n g S p a n i s h e x p r e s s i o n N o r i s it t h e w o r d f o r s t u d e n t d i n i n g h a l l , a l t h o u g h it i s u s e d t h i s w a y i n s o m e E u r o p e a n c o u n t r i e s It is n o t e v e n a n o b s c u r e o r f o r e i g n w o r d f o r g e n i u s " M e n s a " is t h e L a t i n w o r d f o r t a b l e and the n a m e of an international society c o m p o s e d exclusively of individuals w h o h a v e s c o r e d in t h e top p e r c e n t o n any s t a n d a r d i n t e l l i g e n c e test (or its e q u i v a l e n t ) W h e n t w o b a r risters, t h e late Roland Berrill a n d Dr Launcelot Lionel W a r e , O.B.E., f o u n d e d a n d n a m e d t h e organization m o r e t h a n forty y e a r s a g o in O x f o r d , E n g l a n d , t h e y e n v i s i o n e d a r o u n d table o f e q u a l s w i t h m e m b e r s f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d It is i n t e r esting to note that the design for the M e n s a e m b l e m features a slightly m i s s h a p e n M f o r m i n g a s q u a r e table, w i t h a globe f l o a t i n g s o m e w h a t p r e c a r i o u s l y a b o v e it: a n e x c e l l e n t s y m b o l for a s o m e w h a t a m o r p h o u s group, speaking d o z e n s of languages, with no coherent philosophy, linked only b y high s c o r e s o n IQ tests Under the long-term direction of the n o w honorary president, Victor Serebriakoff, an almost irrepressible enthusiast a n d p r o m o t e r of Mensa, the organization has g r o w n to nearly 80,000 m e m b e r s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d with, to p a r a p h r a s e the INTRODUCTION old joke, at least , 0 opinions A l t h o u g h t h e M e n s a Con- stitution strictly forbids M e n s a itself f r o m e x p r e s s i n g a n o p i n ion, like-minded M e n s a n s h a v e f o r m e d Special Interest G r o u p s (SIGs) t o e x c h a n g e i d e a s , u s u a l l y b y m a i l A t last c o u n t we f o u n d a listing o f o v e r 150 SIGs, i n c l u d i n g A s t r o n o m y and Space, the Libertarians, the Millard Fillmore Association, the S h y n e s s SIG, t h e S k y d i v i n g SIG, t h e S o u l SIG, O v e r , t h e Civil Liberties SIG, a n d so o n T h e q u e s t i o n t h a t a n y M e n s a n w h o is i n t e r v i e w e d b y a n y o n e m u s t b e p r e p a r e d t o f a c e is, " W e l l , h o w c a n y o u justify s u c h a n elitist o r g a n i z a t i o n ? " T h e r e ' s o n l y o n e a n s w e r to t h a t loaded question Any organization with an admission criterion is elitist T h e f a c t t h a t M e n s a h a s o n l y o n e c r i t e r i o n , w h e t h e r y o u live in Lagos, L o n d o n , o r L o s A n g e l e s , o r e v e n Ladakh, m a k e s it l e s s e l i t i s t t h a n m o s t m e m b e r s h i p o r g a n i z a t i o n s R a n k , m o n e y , social standing, occupation, race, sex, a n d skin color a r e t o t a l l y i r r e l e v a n t A l l t h a t m a t t e r s is a s c o r e i n t h e t o p p e r c e n t o n a n y s t a n d a r d I Q test D e s p i t e p o p u l a r o p i n i o n , n o t all M e n s a m e e t i n g s a r e intellectual T h e r e m a y b e family picnics, cruises, "fold, staple, a n d m u t i l a t e " p a r t i e s (at w h i c h t h e r a t h e r o n e r o u s t a s k of putting together several h u n d r e d n e w s p a p e r s for the local g r o u p is t u r n e d i n t o a n o c c a s i o n f o r f u n m i x e d w i t h hard work), a Great Books discussion, a local theater-going group, a g a m e s evening, a n i m p r o m p t u p a r t y in h o n o r o f a visiting Mensan, a lunch group (one of w h i c h has gathered o n c e a m o n t h for twenty-two years), or an evening of table-hopping, eating, a n d d r i n k i n g at a local (tolerant) restaurant A b o v e all, M e n s a n s l o v e t o u s e w o r d s , a n d t h e propensity o f M e n s a n s t o w r i t e , s p e a k , a n d , i n g e n e r a l , t o u s e w o r d s , is a p p a r e n t in m a n y M e n s a activities T h e local n e w s p a p e r s for e a c h M e n s a group, the national m a g a z i n e that goes to every M e n s a n , a n d t h e p u b l i c i t y f o r M e n s a all t e n d t o f e a t u r e w o r d s , w o r d puzzles, w o r d games, and a great deal of correspon- d e n c e F o r those isolated b y g e o g r a p h y or for a n y o t h e r rea- INTRODUCTION З s o n , t h e r e is t h e "little g r e e n r a g , " f o n d l y k n o w n t o its r e a d e r s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d a s The Isolated M, a member-to-member service T h e "little g r e e n r a g " also features, to t h e expressed d i s m a y o f n e w r e a d e r s , t h i n g s c a l l e d f e g h o o t s , a f t e r t h e title o f t h e b o o k in w h i c h t h e y originally a p p e a r e d F e g h o o t s a r e s o m e w h a t s p o o n e r i s t i c p u n s T y p i c a l is t h e s t o r y o f t h e t w o little S w i s s b o y s r i d i n g d o w n a n A l p , w i t h t h e i r m o t h e r t h e h a n d l e b a r s A f t e r o n e s h a r p c u r v e , t h e first b r o t h e r on says to t h e s e c o n d , " L o o k Hans, n o M a ! " No M e n s a gathering complete without a few n e w feghoots although, is admittedly, there are those w h o hate t h e m passionately T h e r a n g e o f m e m b e r s is w i d e C o m p u t e r w h i z S i r Clive S i n c l a i r is, a m o n g many other things, chairman of British M e n s a I s a a c A s i m o v , t h e n o t e d , p r o l i f i c p o l y g l o t a u t h o r , is honorary vice-president of International Mensa A m o n g other wordsmiths of o n e variety or another are J e a n Auel, the bests e l l i n g a u t h o r o f t h e Clan of the Cave Bear series; W a r r e n Mur­ p h y , u p in t h e multimillion sales in m a n y languages o n the Destroyer series, a n d also the author of the s c r e e n version of The Sanction Eiger and coauthor of some prize-winning de­ tective books; R e b e c c a Brandywine, the author of m a n y pop­ ular r o m a n c e s ; William W i n d o m , the actor; T h e o d o r e Bikel; and Mensa's honorary president, Victor Serebriakoff Experts in o t h e r fields i n c l u d e D o n a l d P e t e r s o n o f t h e F o r d Motor Company; the c h a r m i n g lady k n o w n as Morocco, w h o hap­ p e n s to hold several graduate d e g r e e s in Middle-Eastern stud­ ies a n d G y p s y folklore, but m a y b e best k n o w n for h e r MiddleEastern dancing; the British-born engineer w h o holds the c r e d i t f o r s o m e r a t h e r n o t a b l e a c h i e v e m e n t s in t h e oil i n d u s t r y , including the f a m o u s d r y hole gravel island off the North Slope of Alaska She even has a ship n a m e d for her W h i l e all t h e t h o u s a n d s o f j o b s listed i n t h e government manuals m a y not b e represented, M e n s a does have postal e m ­ p l o y e e s , o n e o f w h o m fills l e c t u r e h a l l s r e g u l a r l y w h e n he speaks o n S h e r l o c k Holmes W e also h a v e a w o r l d - r e n o w n e d P U Z Z L E S AND G A M E S M A R 139 = N o w m e a n s anything small, but not originally APR = Originally m e a n t " w i t h h o r n s " b u t is n o w a sign MAY = T h i s f o o d is n a m e d a f t e r s o m e o n e moderately JU famous N = A b o o k division, a c o u r t distinction, or just plain childish JU LY = Wisely, and usually well AUG SE P О = Usually, it's s o m e t h i n g funny = Eve regrets this o n e CT = A six-car pileup on the express­ w a y at r u s h h o u r , f o r e x a m p l e NOV = Perhaps a special car, perhaps a super star DEC = A g a r b a g e t r u c k a t s i x A.M.; a j e t plane o v e r h e a d ; a traffic j a m in M e x i c o City 28 E a c h of the following lines has three w o r d s interleaved E a c h has to with food U n s c r a m b l e the w o r d s C C A S M H E E M D B D W E A The I H H T S S T B A P N A G L E N H A I B E G H S O G P P C L I C A O N L N following three N N A E U M I T A C H puzzles are a cross between cross­ words, anagrams, and w o r d squares A quotation has been p l a c e d in t h e s q u a r e s b e l o w Spaces b e t w e e n t h e w o r d s h a v e b e e n indicated You must u n s c r a m b l e the letters f r o m below e a c h l i n e , d e c i d e w h e r e t h e y fit ( t h e y a r e p l a c e d b e l o w t h e i r p r o p e r b o x e s ) , a n d r e c o n s t r u c t t h e q u o t a t i o n J u s t t o m a k e it a little h a r d e r , t h e q u o t a t i o n s a r e p r o v e r b s t h a t h a v e b e e n p u t into extremely verbose language O n c e y o u u n s c r a m b l e p u z z l e , y o u h a v e t o d e c i p h e r t h e s e n t e n c e itself the 140 THE MENSA B O O K OF W O R D S 29 ' • 11 "і E A £.і A / A If ft t} L C ) F A1 C A HDL I C LJ / " £ /- N C? M C) C *t i l і £ F 1' J hf At " R 1" R N z 11 / At A/ D t к і? M A/ Z C > Г ' і N r It F C / r £ у r / Z О I // / ' S 1/ /c ! •> Я T I L Я і / Af / у ' cIPS і s о у 30 • A В •J £ A A L l L T C T R T u S Y • • • R F s R £ £ C Є? & є A Я N F U L s s N T 0 T s Л/ U T Y / F £ / / P U Z Z L E S AND G A M E S 31 A £ B_ S T H I r о u_ U 142 THE MENSA B O O K OF W O R D S ANSWERS: PUZZLES AND GAMES T h e a n s w e r t o t h e first m y s t e r y p o e m is rialto T h e a n s w e r t o t h e s e c o n d is d a m a s k T h e a n s w e r to t h e t h i r d p o e m is c u r f e w T h e a n s w e r to t h e last is O r i e n t , a n d t h e p o e m itself c o n tains h i n t s t h a t t h e w o r d is g e o g r a p h i c a l B e c a u s e t h e defin i t i o n is valid o n l y f o r E u r o p e a n s a n d A m e r i c a n s , t h a t h i n t is given too T h e first l e t t e r s q u a r e is C O N E O V E R N E T S E R S E Of course, y o u m a y have c o m e u p w i t h a n o t h e r solution W e ' d l i k e t o s e e it, i f y o u h a v e a d i f f e r e n t s q u a r e m a t c h i n g these specifications T h e s e c o n d l e t t e r s q u a r e is M I N D I D E A N E S T D A T E Again, there m a y well b e other solutions to this problem This is t h e o n e w e f o u n d T h e t h i r d s q u a r e w a s m o r e d i f f i c u l t , a s y o u h a d t o m a k e u p y o u r o w n w o r d s with n o hints given W e c a m e u p T R E E R O A D E A S E E D E N with A N S W E R S : P U Z Z L E S AND G A M E S 143 T h e anagram w o r d s are not as simple as they seem w e r e r h y m e s to m a k e t h e t a s k a little e a s i e r , There however B r a e , b e a r , b a r e 10 Trace, crate, cater, react Afield, failed T h e a n a g r a m s in s e n t e n c e s a r e slightly h a r d e r , w i t h only context clues T h e y are entirely reasonable, however, a n d can b e solved 11 Continued, 12 Regally, gallery, allergy unnoticed 13 Airmen, marine, 14 Finished, 15 Enlisting, listening 16 A c D E G і м H: d e c i g r a m , g r i m a c e d ( I f y o u c a n f i n d a n y remain fiendish m o r e , please write This o n e did not s e e m to have a n y other anagrams.) 17 A E E L M N S S : nameless, maneless, salesmen, lameness, maleness 18 C E I K O H S T : corkiest, rockiest, stockier (Again, if y o u find a n y m o r e , p l e a s e let u s 19 know.) T h e first c o i l e d s e n t e n c e starts at t h e l o w e r left-hand c o r n e r It r e a d s , " T h e t o t a l i t y o f r e f u l g e n t m a t e r i a l i s n o t a u ­ r i f e r o u s " — o r , in p l a i n E n g l i s h , "All t h a t glitters is n o t g o l d " 20 This w o r d square was made from a palindrome, that is, a s e n t e n c e t h a t r e a d s t h e s a m e b a c k w a r d a s f o r w a r d It i s p o s s i b l e to start at e i t h e r e n d — e i t h e r w i t h t h e S s e c o n d from t h e left o n t h e t o p line o r t h e S u p f r o m t h e b o t t o m left T h e r e is o n e n u l l It r e a d s , " S u m s a r e n o t s e t a s a t e s t o n 21 All b u t " b e e c h e s " c a n b e a n a g r a m m e d T h e a r e Craig; M a r c e l ; O s b e r t ; E d w i n , all b o y s ' n a m e s cannot b e m a d e into a boy's 22 Erasmus." anagrams "Beeches" name All c a n b e a n a g r a m m e d i n t o b i r d s , fish, o r o t h e r a n i m a l s , except " d o o r w a y " T h e y are avocet; egret; tarpon 23 All c a n b e a n a g r a m m e d i n t o c o u n t r i e s b u t " p i c n i c " T h e countries are Argentine; Algeria; Angola 144 24 THE MENSA B O O K OF W O R D S Sequoia 25 Queue 26 S t a c c a t o (also b a c c a r a t , b a c c a l a u r a t e , p o l a c c a , s a c c a d i c , a n d a f e w o t h e r s ) ; a w k w a r d ; u n k n o w n (also b l a n k n e s s , pinkness, unknot, and several other w o r d s w i t h unkn); beginning asphyxiate 27 Jigsawn, firebrand, miniature, Capricorn, mayonnaise, juvenile, judiciously, laughable, serpent, obstruction, super- nova, decibels 28 Camembert, cheddar, swiss tangerine, banana, plum broccoli, eggplant, spinach 29 "Inhabitants of vitreous habitations will wisely refrain f r o m casting projectiles of consolidated mineral matter." T h i s s e n t e n c e translates, o f c o u r s e , into " P e o p l e w h o live in glass houses shouldn't t h r o w stones." 30 " A totality of refulgent o b j e c t s is n o t n e c e s s a r ily auriferous." T h e t r a n s l a t i o n is: "All t h a t glitters is n o t g o l d " 31 "Be careful what y o u ask for because y o u just might get it." HOW SMART ARE YOU? T h e following twenty questions represent w h a t y o u m a y en­ c o u n t e r o n a n intelligence test, a l t h o u g h w e tried to make t h e m a little m o r e a m u s i n g t h a n t h e a v e r a g e I Q - t y p e q u e s t i o n Take the twenty questions and m a r k y o u r answers carefully T i m e yourself v e r y carefully too, a n d w o r k as quickly as y o u can TIME STARTED: T h e d a y b e f o r e t w o d a y s a f t e r t h e d a y b e f o r e t o m o r r o w i s S A T U R D A Y W h a t d a y i s it t o d a y ? What comes next, most logically, in the following sequence? S A I B L C V D E E R F A G N H N I I J V K E L R M S N A a P Y b В О Q R c R R d В R W h a t is o n e t w e n t i e t h o f o n e h a l f o f o n e t e n t h o f , 0 ? W h a t is t h e f o l l o w i n g s c r a m b l e d NNREAIVARYS word? 146 THE MENSA B O O K OF W O R D S In t h e following e x a m p l e s , e a c h set of s y m b o l s stands f o r a w o r d S t u d y all t h r e e w o r d s g i v e n a n d t h e s y m b o l e q u i v ­ alents a n d translate the fourth line into a w o r d доеед GREEN GRASS AOWAA MARKS [ШФДД V W h i c h of the sentences given below means approxi­ m a t e l y t h e s a m e a s : " b e a u t y is o n l y s k i n d e e p " ? a) S o m e a c t r e s s e s a r e s o m a d e u p b y t h e s t u d i o s that y o u c a n n o t tell w h a t t h e y r e a l l y l o o k like b) D o n ' t j u d g e a b o o k b y its c o v e r c) S o m e p e o p l e h a v e p r e t t i e r a p p e a r a n c e s t h a n o t h e r s d) G o o d l o o k s d o n ' t m a t t e r t h a t m u c h HOW SMART ARE YOU? 147 W h i c h o f t h e f i g u r e s s h o w n b e l o w t h e l i n e o f d r a w i n g s best continues the sequence? C a n o e is t o o c e a n l i n e r a s g l i d e r is t o : a) k i t e b) a i r p l a n e c) b a l l o o n d) car E v e r y o n e at t h e M e n s a p a r t y c o n t e s t w o n p r i z e s Tom w o n m o r e t h a n Sally; A n n w o n less t h a n J a n e ; J a n e w o n less t h a n Sally b u t m o r e t h a n Walter W a l t e r w o n f e w e r prizes than Ann W h o w o n the most prizes? T h e r e is o n e five-letter w o r d w h i c h c a n b e i n s e r t e d in e a c h of the t w o blanks b e l o w W h e n y o u h a v e put in the right w o r d , y o u will h a v e four n e w w o r d s , t w o o n e a c h line (Example: Place WORK on the line between HAND PLACE, giving HANDWORK AND WORKPLACE.) BOAT WORK DOG HOLD 1 T o m , J i m , P e t e r , S u s a n , a n d J a n e all t o o k t h e M e n s a test Jane scored higher than Tom, Jim scored lower than Peter b u t h i g h e r t h a n S u s a n , a n d P e t e r s c o r e d l o w e r t h a n T o m All of t h e m a r e eligible to join M e n s a , but w h o h a d t h e score? highest 148 THE MENSA B O O K OF W O R D S I f it w e r e t w o h o u r s l a t e r , it w o u l d b e h a l f a s l o n g u n t i l m i d n i g h t a s it w o u l d b e i f it w e r e a n h o u r l a t e r W h a t t i m e i s it n o w ? P e a r is to a p p l e a s p o t a t o is t o : a) b a n a n a b) r a d i s h c) s t r a w b e r r y d) lettuce 14 Continue the following n u m b e r series b e l o w w i t h the group of n u m b e r s w h i c h best continues the series a) 1 10 7 ? ? b) 10 c) d) 1 W h i c h o f t h e f o l l o w i n g is least like t h e o t h e r s ? a) p o e m e) b) n o v e l c) p a i n t i n g d) statue flower W h a t is t h e f o l l o w i n g w o r d w h e n it is u n s c r a m b l e d ? H C P R A A T E U 17 W h a t is t h e n u m b e r t h a t is o n e h a l f o f o n e q u a r t e r o f one tenth of four hundred? 18 W h i c h of the sentences given b e l o w m e a n s approxi- mately the same as the proverb: "Don't count y o u r chickens until t h e y are a) hatched"? S o m e eggs have double yolks so y o u can't really count eggs and chickens b) Y o u c a n ' t w a l k a r o u n d t h e h e n h o u s e t o c o u n t the e g g s b e c a u s e it w i l l d i s t u r b t h e h e n s a n d t h e y w o n ' t lay eggs c) It is n o t r e a l l y s e n s i b l e t o r e l y o n s o m e t h i n g t h a t h a s not yet happened and m a y not ever happen d) S i n c e e g g s b r e a k s o e a s i l y , y o u m a y n o t b e a c c u r a t e in y o u r c o u n t of future c h i c k e n s T h e same four-letter w o r d can b e placed o n the blank lines b e l o w to m a k e t w o n e w w o r d s f r o m e a c h of those s h o w n Put in the correct four-letter w o r d to m a k e four n e w from those shown below words HOW SMART ARE YOU? 149 (Example: HAND c o u l d b e p l a c e d b e t w e e n BACK W O R K to m a k e BACKHAND a n d HANDWORK.) HEAD MARK DREAM 20 FALL W h i c h of the figures s h o w n b e l o w the line of drawings best completes the series? Mill Г II I J III Г Nil llllll Г I a T I M E FINISHED: Mil I III II Г Mill J llllll,' Лиш llllll b J I e d 150 THE MENSA B O O K OF W O R D S ANSWERS Friday a) P Y T h e alternate letters starting w i t h S spell "silver anniversar," a n d this s e q u e n c e completes the p h r a s e "silver anniversary." 25 ANNIVERSARY MENSA b) b) b) TOM 10 HOUSE 11 JANE P.M b) b o t h g r o w i n t h e ground a) a l t e r n a t e n u m b e r s g o u p b y a n d d o w n b y 1, s t a r t i n g w i t h 1, a n d 10 e) T h e o n l y o n e t h a t is n o t a n a r t i s t i c w o r k m a d e by man 16 PARACHUTE 17 18 c) 19 LAND 20 c) T h e n u m b e r of lines g o e s d o w n opposite t h e stick, u p o n t h e side w i t h t h e stick, a n d t h e stick alternates from l o w e r left to t o p right N o w t h a t y o u h a v e f i n i s h e d , h e r e is h o w t o i n t e r p r e t scores, based on a limited sample of Mensa m e m b e r s the who took t h e s e tests S c o r e o n e point for e a c h c o r r e c t a n s w e r A d d points if y o u finished in less t h a n t w e n t y minutes A d d points if y o u finished in less t h a n thirty minutes Total score 25: W h a t are y o u waiting for? You're an excellent Mensa candidate HOW SMART ARE YOU? Total score - : You can almost surely pass the Mensa p e r v i s e d test Total score - : A very good candidate for Mensa Total score - : A fair candidate B e l o w 10: E v e r y o n e h a s a n off day! 152 THE MENSA B O O K OF W O R D S HOW TO JOIN MENSA So n o w you've learned a great m a n y n e w words, learned the origins of s o m e old ones, a n d are anxious to put y o u r n e w k n o w l e d g e to g o o d use H o w about joining M e n s a a n d m e e t i n g o t h e r s w h o also like w o r d s ? If y o u did w e l l o n t h e mini-quiz, t r y M e n s a ' s test Or, if y o u h a v e p r i o r s c o r e s f r o m a n y stand a r d i z e d intelligence test, o r equivalent, like t h e S.A.T., o r t h e G.R.E., o r t h e M.A.T., y o u m a y b e eligible to join o n t h e basis o f s u c h s c o r e s W r i t e to M E N S A , D e p t M W B , 6 E Street, B r o o k l y n , NY 1 , f o r f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n , o r 14th call 1-718-934-3700 Good luck! In Canada, write to MENSA Canada, Dept W , B o x 505, Station S, T o r o n t o , M M L GAMES/PUZZLES Did you knew that miniature actually means red lead" (small • drawn wrth red lead in illuminated manuscripts)? That the orig Ing of harlot was a naughty man? That Mr Akademos, who rente* to Plato, gave his name t o the philosopher's famous school? really mean: three o'clock, not twelve (from the Latin litur< nones) If you think you're a wordsmith, a phrasemaker or a veteran user of the English language, wait until you've tried this collection of lexicographical brainbusters From Mensa quizmaster Abbie Salny here are tough questions about words you think you know in addition t o games and puzzles using w o r d derivations, meanings and little-known facts In this book you'll test your skills w i t h multiple-choice quizzes, crossword puzzles, anagrams, story puzzles, palindromes and more, and you'll discover: • w o r d s w h o s e m e a n i n g has c h a n g e d o r c o m p l e t e l y r e v e r s e d over time • unusual derivations • commonly misunderstood and mispronounced words • people and places w h o have turned into everyday words Dr Abbie Salny is the Supervisory Psychologist of Mensa, a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology and the author of several bestselling books of games and puzzles, including The Mensa Think Smart Book Mensa is the renowned international high-I.Q society, a 50,000member organization whose ranks include Isaac Asimov, Sir Clive Sinclair and Donald Peterson, president of Ford Motor Company A L U B R A R [...]... s t o g l u e together the m e m b e r s of the society, a n d this sense of "belonging" that keeps Mensans r e n e w i n g their membership Unless, o f c o u r s e , t h e y h a v e b e c o m e life m e m b e r s a n d that they are part of the group forever know 1 WORDS, WORDS, AND MORE WORDS Perhaps y o u have a poinsettia plant adorning y o u r house, or y o u might have seen the beautiful bougainvillea... o w to extract the b Apparently in c o m m e m o r a t i o n of the Battle of Magenta, d y e in 1859 i n 1 8 5 9 , a s it w a s d i s c o v e r e d a t t h a t t i m e 28 THE MENSA B O O K O F W O R D S c 101 F r o m t h e G r e e k magen, MAGNET magentos, "deep purple" T h e lodestone; anything with the properties of the lodestone, namely, attracting other objects, used figuratively of anything that... Parisiorum, "the m u d town of the Par- m e a n s " m u d " i n Latin) T o judge a n d put to death without benefit of a formal trial a From the practice of hanging people from a nailed-up linchpin b F r o m a w o r d invented b y S h a k e s p e a r e in o n e o f his plays, c F r o m Captain William L y n c h of Virginia indicating this sort of action 97 MACABRE Gruesome—like the Dance of Death a Origin... description used b y manuscript writers w h o copied them by hand 12 23 THE MENSA B O O K OF W O R D S BLAZER A type of sports jacket, originally w o r n only b y men a F r o m the fact that the originals w e r e always blazing red, a n d t h e n a m e c a m e to b e a p p l i e d t o a n y j a c k e t o f t h a t t y p e b F r o m the Earl of Blazer, a friend of Beau Brummel, w h o c F r o m Blaezera, in... constellation Southern Fish T h e n a m e o f the a s t r o n o m e r , Karl F o m a l h a u t ( 1 6 9 0 - 1 7 8 5 ) , w h o discovered the constellation a n d n a m e d the star b F r o m Arabic w o r d s meaning "the whale's m o u t h " c F r o m t h e island of F o m a l h a u t in t h e South Pacific, w h e r e t h e s t a r w a s first i d e n t i f i e d 20 61 THE MENSA B O O K OF W O R D S FORENSIC... "religious teachings" 14 THE MENSA B O O K OF W O R D S b F r o m t h e n a m e given to this style of t e a c h i n g a n d learning b y the philosopher Catechismus of the University of Bol o g n a in t h e f o u r t e e n t h c e n t u r y c Via Latin, f r o m t h e G r e e k roots o f " s o u n d " a n d " b a c k , " forming a G r e e k w o r d m e a n i n g "to din into the e a r s " 32 CHAUVINISM... use o f s o m e trick o r ruse in the presentation o f e v i d e n c e or the interviewing of witnesses 35 CLINK Slang w o r d for prison a F r o m t h e s o u n d t h e d o o r m a k e s w h e n it s h u t s b e h i n d t h e b F r o m the clinking s o u n d s of t h e c h a i n s a t t a c h e d to the c F r o m the Clink Prison o n Clink Street in prisoner ankles of the prisoners London Southwark,... n v e n t e d it b A rough approximation of the sound of the Chinese w o r d m e a n i n g e x p l o s i v e , a s it w a s u s e d in C h i n a f o r m a n y y e a r s p r i o r t o its d e v e l o p m e n t i n W e s t e r n c o u n t r i e s 18 THE MENSA B O O K OF W O R D S c 51 F r o m t h e G r e e k w o r d dynamos, EARL meaning "power" A British rank of nobleman, b e t w e e n a marquis and... b F r o m the t o w n Camelot in England, w h e r e t h e y w e r e that of a camel first i n t r o d u c e d to the W e s t e r n w o r l d c F r o m the Moravian Jesuit priest Kamel, w h o collected the plant in t h e Philippine Islands 31 CATECHISM Any organized system of teaching d r a w n up o n the question-and-answer basis a T h i s n a m e w a s given to religious instruction b y the early... floor b Japanese for obeisance c A corruption o f b o w , in t h e s e n s e o f inclining t h e h e a d o r lowering the u p p e r part of the body, showing that the mark of respect was m u c h deeper LADY A w o m a n , especially of refinement; the equivalent w h e n capitalized of Lord, originally used for " w i f e , " b y u p p e r class w o m e n a F r o m t h e L a t i n ladiusa, b F r o m O