by Harold Fox

To get under way, consider the following puzzler from Will Shortz. It is one of a sort that he regularly poses on “Weekend Edition” on NPR.

Name two parts of the body that are pluralized not by adding an s to their names but by changing their vowels.

That is an easy one, just for a warmup. Here is a more difficult one.

The word MARINE consists of five consecutive, overlapping state postal abbreviations—Massachusetts (MA), Arkansas (AR), Rhode Island (RI), Indiana (IN), and Nebraska (NE). Can you think of a common seven-letter word that has the same property? Hint: The first letter is also M.

Both of those are from Shortz’s The Puzzlemaster Presents 200 Mind-Bending Challenges From NPR®, Random House, 1996, numbers 148 and 156, respectively.

I have mentioned the name of Richard Lederer more than once in preceding numbers of this column. He is the coiner of the term “verbivore” and one of my heroes. He is probably best known for such books as his Anguished English, Crazy English, More Anguished English, and more recently A Man of My Words (St. Martin’s Press, 2003). You have no doubt read some of his contributions such as, “Ours is the only language in which you drive in a parkway and park in a driveway and your nose can run and your feet can smell” (from the home page of his website www.verbivore.com). That one and many more have appeared on the Internet, usually without attribution, so consider this a nod of recognition and appreciation as well as an introduction.

His website, Richard Lederer’s Verbivore, is an important reference for verbivores. It contains biographical information, a complete listing of his books, a schedule of his speaking engagements and a number of excerpts from his columns and books. You could go there to get a quick introduction to some of his work or for a refresher, if you are not a newcomer. You could also ask the doctor any burning linguistic question you might have by clicking “Ask Richard Lederer.”

He also provides a listing of “organizations for pun pals and other logophiles” in “Verbivores’ Havens.”

Another service provided by this richly verbivorous website is “Language Links on the Net,” containing “a list to whet (and wet) your language appetite.” The links provided are cataloged in the following manner:

Etymology

Grammar & Usage

Language Columns/Online Magazines

Linguistic Links

Newsgroups

Puns

Reference

Dictionaries & Thesauri

Other Language Reference Links

Word Games

Word & Letter Play

Word Watching & Vocabulary Development

In other words, Lederer provides a wealth of Internet resources for verbivores of many different stripes. I count 152 entries, but don’t be surprised if the number has increased by the time you investigate, because he solicits additions and updates the list. At any rate there are lots of fascinating sites for your enjoyment, no matter what your particular interest within the verbivorous world may be.

Lederer’s first professional employment was as a teacher of English in St. Paul’s School, Concord NH. His early books presented examples of student bloopers with the English language. I call those books “recyclable” because, no matter how many times I return to them, they always provoke many smiles, chuckles, and belly laughs. To provide a sampling of such humor, I close with a few examples from “The Bard According to Student Bloopers”(Verbivore, May 10, 2007), four out of that list of 11 of what he calls “uncut and unpolished student gems.”

• Shakespeare never made much money and is famous only because of his plays and sonics. He lived at Windsor with his merry wives, writing hysterectomies, tragedies, comedies, and errors. I don't see why he is so popular when his writing skills are so low. He wrote in Islamic pentameter, and you can't hardly understand what he is saying.
• During the banquet scene, Lady Macbeth is afraid her husband will expose himself in front of his guests. Then Lady Macbeth gets kilt. The proof that the witches in Macbeth were supernatural is that no one could eat what they cooked.
• Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couplet. This story presents a one on one situation between a man and a woman. Romeo and Juliet belonged to the families of the Montages and Copulates, and Lady Copulate disliked Romeo.
• Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained.

Until next time, send me your solutions (or suggestions or complaints or stumpers) at hfox@juno.com or 2005 Burroughs Drive, Dayton, Ohio 45406.