anagramme

These purple Sicilian cauliflowers were mentioned in the previous story, about a gluttonous gal...

anagramme (ana gram) noun, masculine

 : an anagram is "a reversing [a reordering, rearrangement, or transposition] of letters of a word or a group of words in order to extract a meaning or a new word." (French definition follows...) 

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Un anagramme c'est un "renversement de lettres" d'un mot ou d'un groupe de mots pour en extraire un sens ou un mot nouveau. -Wikipedia

Examples: 

 police - picole  (to "picoler" is to booze)

aube - beau

soigneur - guérison

imaginer - migraine

Did you notice how, for certain words, the new meaning is not so disconnected from the original? The aube, or "dawn" is indeed beau! To soigner, or treat, would indeed lead to la guérison, or "recovery". And to imaginer too much may lead to a migraine! Some wordsmiths swear by the wisdom in anagrams and did you know that writers and artists often use anagrams to come up with a nom de plume, or pseudo (thus Jim Morrison is "Mr Mojo Risin" in the song "L.A. Woman"....)

But the fun really kicks in when you put your own name on the line.... as I do in the following example (it'll be your turn next, so stop snickering!)

Using an internet anagram server created by wordsmith Anu Garg, I typed in the following 13 letters: "kristin ingham" (my maiden name)  

... next, I waited for the wisdom, or sagesse, that would certainly be inherent in the rearrangement of all 13 letters. Here's what I learned about myself:

Hang Miniskirt

Looking at the above words, I can hardly make out the letters of my name, but there, indeed, are all 13 of them! As for the "wise message".... well, let's just say that miniskirts no longer hang the same way these 43-year-old days--or that it's high time to "hang miniskirt".

A Sinking Mirth

(Do you see my name in the above letters? Oh well, "A Sinking Mirth" must equal "when 'happy laughter' drowns", which would explain why I still find it hard to tell a joke in French. 

Rash Timing Kin : this clearly refers to my tendency to precipitate toward the family buffet.   

Mash Irking Nit: this was, in fact, a childhood pastime while walking home from baseball practice: mashing all those irking nits. Yipes, I meant gnats!!! It was gnats--and not nits!--that I mashed!

Nevertheless, continuing on this theme, two other anagrams are proposed, incredible all the letters in my name are found here:

Harm Skiing Nit: whether they fly or ski... makes no difference! 

Ah Smirking Nit: (the one's that got away)

Moving on, the thirteen letters in "Kristin Ingham" also spell:

Gamin Hits Rink

This would refer to my 9th year, when I won a blue ribbon in ice skating! (Winning entailed the letting go of the guard rail... and knocking over my two pint-size competitors in the process.) 

Margins Hit Ink : Yes! (the writer in me likes it). 

And, conversely, all 13 letters, rearranged again, spell:

Harm Siting Ink : agreed: ink should move across the page... or else!

Ranting. Him Ski!

For how many years did I suck my thumb in self pity whilst my husband soared down the slopes in Serre Chevalier? Sucking one's thumb is still proving to be easier than learning to skier.

Iran Might Sink

Gosh! No wonder those cute Persian boyfriends fled from me! 

***

Well, you learned more about me than you may ever have wanted to know! And now it is your turn to feed the letters of your name into the Internet Anagram Server... and to let us know a few truths about your own nitpicky self.

Share your results, or your feedback, in the comments box!

 Wisdom from Smokey, photos, and French homonyms! at the end of this edition...

"Propre / Pas Propre"  ("Clean / Not Clean") SmokeyDoll, 8-months-old in this picture, demonstrates the French concept of "squeaky clean and fluffy".

Smokey, comparing his sweet scent to that of the "snapper" dragon's. On second thought, one must never compare oneself to a flower... or a weed for that matter! Therein lies the secret of a sound mind.

Can't get enough French? Here's a very short & quick read, written by my dear Francophone friend, Barbara, on French homonyms!

Comments

[meredith]

Here's a couple of mine using my maiden name (meredith williams):
A Milder Slime Whit...makes me sound dumb
or
A Wilder Lime Smith...that sounds like a good cocktail :)

[Debbie Weitman]

I'm not sure which of my anagrams is stranger:
Bad Time Newbie
or
Ambient Dweeb I
Hmm. This could cause a...
Mini Web Debate

[Sherman Unkefer]

Cool post!

[Rick DeNatale]

I don't think wikipedia picked the right word with renversement. Transposition is the correct choice.

I think the wikipedian who wrote that might have partially confused anagram with palindrome.

[Bill in St. Paul]

Using Bill in St Paul, I got:
Pinball I Lust
Basil Pill Nut
Lab Unlit Slip
Ball Insult Pi (as a Math major, I'd never do this)
Nail Pub Tills
I think you could come up with a plot for a book based on some of these.

[Bruce T. Paddock]

Debbie, I love all of yours.

I don't have time to read through all 2503 of my anagrams right now, but a glance at the top of the list is pretty disheartening.

Cab Pocked Turd

Backed Crud Pot

[Herm in Phoenix, AZ]

Great idea for a post, Kristin.

Here are a couple of mine:

Her my mere
Eh, me merry
mere ryhme

À bientôt

[Vera Marie Badertscher]

What fun. I didn't think they could do much with my last name Badertscher--but they found quite a few. And I loved my sister, Paula Price, turning into A Car Pileup!!

[Eileen deCamp]

Fun post today Kristin!

Here are a few of mine:

Mean Lice Peed

A Piece Lend Me -

Camel Need Pie

Peace Lined Me

[Erin Thruston]

So fun!!! If I just used my first and last name a few of the following came up:

Thornier Nuts
Hitters On Run
Their Nun Rots
Inner Oh Strut

If I added my middle name, which is Marie, the following was the funniest:

A Rhinestone Rim Rut!

You brought a smile to my day, so thank you!

Erin

[Jules Greer]

Kristi Darling - I loved this post-brought out the real neardy side of me. I put in all of my names + four husbands last names.
They said there were not enough "words" to describe me!!!

Thank God I am on great terms with the X's and their beautiful wives - we have all evolved into the greatest family.

I loved Eileen's 'Peace Lined Me" - I thought that described you to a T.

Herm "Eh, Me Merry" is all about you!!!

Erin - are you our Erin from the Harvest of 2008 - A Rhinestone Rim Rut! just seemed to reminds me of those old harvest days.

Kristi - this was so much fun, you never cease to amaze me with the scope of your "nerdyness".

XOXO

MOM

[Candy in SW KS]

Fun!! There were way too many when I used my full name - so I did like Bill in St Paul and used my screen name Candy in SW KS. My favorite is: Windy Snacks!

[Herm in Phoenix, AZ]

Did anyone notice the lady’s image in the cauliflower closest to the vendor in your “humpty-dumpty cauliflower wall” photo?

[Marjie]

Oooh, I LOVE the anagramme engine!! Thank you for sharing it. The best and most accurate: A Jolly Ornery Racer Minx

A few other favorites:

A Creamy Ornery Jinx Roll
Macaroni Jeer Lynx Lorry
Arcane Jelly Mirror Onyx

[Kristin Espinasse]

Meredith (and all who shared some humbling anagrams...) I was crestfallen to discover many of the combinations that the server spit out (spat?) for me... so I went back to my maiden name (only to discover more madness!).

Rick, thanks for "transposition". Much better.

Herm, yes! I do see a face in that cauliflower.

Vera Marie: "A Car Pile-up"... love it! Much better than "stunning" to describe a woman!

Eileen: lucky you with "Peace Lined Me"! And, Herm, or "Eh, Me Merry!"

And thanks "Windy Snacks", "A Thornier Nut", "A Jolly Ornery Racer Minx", "Ambient Dweeb", "Basil Pill Nut" "Cab Pocked Turd"... what a bunch of characters we have here!

Signed,
"Risk It" (had to get rid of the "n" to snag this one!)

[marianne giordano]

Here are a couple of mine:
Maiden name:
Area Girl Mooning - Sounds like a shocking
newspaper headline.
Mangier Liar Goon - How terrible of me
Anal Grimier Goon - Even worse!!!
Aging Liar Moron --I'm not liking these!!!
Agile Roman Groin - Sounds Interesting
Regaining La Moor
and These 2 sound French
Arrainging Lei Moo

Married name:

a Aria Nerd Mooning - Sounds like a High-
pitched jack-a$$

A Maiden Roaring On - What, I talk to much?
A Area Dining Moron - Can't eat properly
A ordaining moaner - A minister that always
complains

There are some others but I not dare print them.
Marianne in Patterson. NY

[Pat Cargill]

This is one fun-time post. Loved reading everyone's "names." Here are a few of mine, using my maiden name:
Tailcoat Ray Rip (Patricia Taylor)

A Optical Rarity (Illusion at its best)
Atypical Air Rot (Sounds smelly to me)

Try Tapioca Liar (I prefer custard, thank you very much.)

Apiary Talc Riot (Whatta big fat mess!!)

Tiara Party Loci (At the Ritz, beinsur)
Aorta Piracy Lit (Heartbreaking story)
Italic Oar Party (Those curvy oars!)
Coital Pair Tray (eek...try not to think about it)
Ciao Trail Party (It was a blast!)
Attic Pair Royal (So THAT'S what happened to Aunty Louise and Uncle Bob!)
Arc Tail Topiary (Not for public display)
Airplay Ricotta (Food fight!!!)

Wishing all a fun weekend from a snowy, but not-sticking much, Roanoke, VA.

[Donna]

Here's a few examples of what the Anagram Server returned for my name (Donna Lang):

Gland Anon (Hi, I'm a Gland...)

Land Gonna (Is that Yoda speak for "Gonna Land"?)

Land Nag No (One reaction when I found out I'd be spending 4 more days in Paris thanks to the snow storm...)

Land Nag On (... and the other, because I wanted to keep my job!)

And if I add my middle name (Kay), most of them end up looking like names of Vietnamesse delicasies! lol. Here's two of my favorites of the choices that are almost understandable:

Glad Oak Nanny (So, I was a governess at a vinyard or a plantation in a past life?)

Dang Yank Loan (Plan ahead - budgeting is best!)

[Kristin Espinasse]

Marianne, Pat, and Donna, You gals should have written today's post! Your comments are too clever and funny!

[Arthur]

Did you know that the name of Llaregub Hill in Dylan Thomas's "Under Milkwood" is not just an anagram but a reversal of "Bugger All" - an English expression meaning "absolutely nothing".
Arthur HotRodBoy

[Lorna Ponte Tomek]

Hi Kristin, I tried the anagram and found it rather interesting and a wee bit telling. I used my maiden name, Lorna Ponte and, although there were many many combinations I think the ones that were the best were:
lean pronto =mI take this to mean lose some weight already
my son especially liked "parent loon" which he says that means you're a crazy parent!
planner too = I do like to plan

tanner pool = like tanning by the pool!

portal none = there's no way out.

That was fun Kristin, Merci

[Gretel]

MMM.... after reading everyone else's lovely and funny names I am "totally green" with envy!
(gretel layton...nice to use my maiden name for a change!)

Herm...I can see a "lady in her bonnet" in the cauliflower!

[ahnapier]

Okay, here we go. My name is Tim Napier, so I can do:

I am ten per (yes, I have a price)

tame piner (I am a sad one who stays in line.)

Ripen meat (I wouldn't eat it if I were you.)

[writingfeemail]

I love the pictures of unique and interesting doors that you post. In Troyes, I kept snapping shots of old doors studded with iron pegs or rounded Church doors. They are amazing! Of course, your page is helpful with communication in France as well! Love it!