Reverse a Word news

What's New?

3/9/06: A new Key Klub member, Beth Martenson! Beth submitted this 4-worder for 11 points: in nip spin snips. Cheers, Beth! Enjoy the many privileges of your membership.

2/26/06: Daniele Dexter has added 11 points to her score with a new 4-worder. That gives her a tie for 35th place in the rankings. Her 4-worder: at tar rats stare. They do! I've seen them doing that. Congratulations, Daniele!

2/17/06: A new player has joined the Reverse a Word elite. With 28 points, Daniele Dexter becomes a member of the Key Klub, with all rights and privileges thereof or therefrom. She scored 22 of her points with 2 four-worders, each beginning with pi. Hearty congratulations, Daniele! Enjoy your well-earned celebrity.

2/7/06: More Word Wonders by Jeff Barnes. Get 'em while they're hot.

1/22/06: (Later) Be sure to see the new Word Wonders page, and check out the wonder of words.

1/22/06: Two new acceptable 6-worders raise Jeff Barnes' score to 8851 points. He's still in fourth place.

Ar rat tarp prate retarp praters, and at tar rate retar prater retarps.

Ar=a metric unit, tarp=tarpaulin, prate=to chatter, retarp=to cover with a tarp again, retar=to tar[ex., a roof] again.

Jeffrey has agreed to participate in a new page here which will feature palindrome and anagram poetry and other word fun. The page should be up by this evening, Sun., Jan. 22. All palindrome/anagram poets and word-funners out there may contribute entries through email.

1/18/06: [Later] A new six-worder and two new five-worders bring Jeff's score to 6629. He's now in fourth place. In ani mina anima lamina animals and one of the five-worders, er rev ever revel levers.

Ani=a tropical bird, mina=unit of weight in ancient Greece, anima=the soul, lamina=a thin layer.

Keep 'em coming, Jeff! Will Jeff be the one to break the eight-worder barrier? Is breaking that barrier within the realm of human possibility? [Gasp] Stay tuned!

1/18/06: Two hundred sixty-five more points for Jeff Barnes as the result of 24 new four-worders and a three-worder. In Jeff's words: I'll just add one 3-worder, since it describes so well the process ofdiscovery in Reverse a Word. ha! aha! haha!

Ah.

1/16/06: Jeffrey has added two more six-worders and three more five-worders to his total. His score is now 5,031 points, and he's in fifth place in the rankings. Jeff's also submitted more four- and three-worders I haven't checked and scored yet. Good work, Jeff!

Jeffrey's new six-worders: re per repo roper report tropers, and em med demo domed demode redomed.

Re=concerning, repo=repurchase agreement, tropers=users of metaphor, med=medical(informal), demo=demonstration, demode=out of fashion.

One of his five-worders: ag gar ragi cigar tragic. Ag=short for agriculture, gar=a kind of fish, ragi=an East Indian grain.

1/12/06: A new Reverse a Word star, Jeffrey Barnes, has accumulated 2,476 points, is in sixth place in the rankings, and is our newest Key Klub member! Jeffrey's new and acceptable entries include two six-worders, two five-worders, two four-worders, and ten three-worders: we ewe ewer rewet stewer prewets, pa cap pace recap spacer precaps, do odd eddo odder reddog, us sum muse resum amuser, do pod dope epode, us sue deus suede. Three-worders not listed.

Eddo=a variety of taro plant, reddog=to blitz in football, epode=lyric poem, ewer=pitcher. Congratulations, Jeff!

3/10/05: We have our 1200th top player -- Erin Ayles. Congratulations, Erin! You're now an official member of the Key Klub. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, too. Cheers!

2/1/05: Roxanne and Tony are now Key Klub members. They submitted a four-worder, worth 11 points. Congratulations!

1/18/05: Congratulations to Raymond Ward, our latest Key Klub member! Raymond amassed fourteen points with fourteen three-worders.

11/21/04: Barbie Girl has become a Key Klub member by earning twelve points for a four-worder and a three-worder. Congratulations!

9/29/04: Our newest Key Klub member is Susie Andrews. She submitted ten acceptable three-worders for ten points. Nice going, Susie!

8/31/04: With two acceptable new four-worders and four three-worders Julia Salevan has moved up to 35th place. She has a total of 37 points.

2/6/04: Julia Salevan has achieved Key Klub membership with a four-worder, worth 11 points. Congratulations Julia!

All guestbook signees, grand total now an exciting 1, qualify for coveted Key Klub membership, with full benefits and privileges. So much gain for so little effort! Say hello!

10/3/03: Reverse a Word has its first ever seven-worders! Two of them. They were submitted by Cesar Pascual, who moves into first place in the rankings. Each seven-worder earns 11,111 points, and Cesar's total score is now 37,491. These are his two seven word entries:

er ret iter retin uniter retinue reuniter

te ret iter retin uniter retinue reuniter

Er is an interjection expressing uncertainty; te is the seventh note, synonymous with ti; to ret is to soak; an iter is a passage (in anatomy); to retin is to plate afresh with tin; a uniter is one who unites; a retinue is a body of attendants; a reuniter is one who unites again. Fantastic! We weren't sure seven-worders were possible within the constraints of the game. This is an historic day. Wonderfully done, Cesar!

Cesar has submitted more four- and six-worders which we haven't finished checking. His score will go higher.

10/2/03: Cesar Pascual has moved into second place. He submitted 81 acceptable five-worders worth 8991 points, giving him a total score of 15269. He also sent in additional six-worders and four-worders which we haven't yet processed. One of his five-worders: ti lit tile elite retile.

9/24/03: With two new acceptable six-worders Cesar Pascual has amassed a total of 6276 points and is now in third place. He has also submitted a numerous five- and four-worders which we haven't checked yet, so his score will undoubtedly go even higher. His two acceptable new six-worders are: ar rac cart trace recart tracery, and ca rac cart trace recart tracery. Definitions: ar = a unit of measure for area, rac = obsolete form of rack, recart = to cart again, tracery = a kind of ornamental work, ca = Scottish form of calf.

Please remember that once an entry appears in the samples section of the HowTo Play page, that entry may no longer be used for credit points by any player.

9/3/03: A new player, Cesar Pascual, is now in 4th place in the Reverse a Word rankings! He did it with nine acceptable five-worders, 219 four-worders, and 646 three-worders, for a total score of 4054. One of his five-worders: el lee eels sleet steels. A remarkable accomplishment. Congratulations, Cesar!

8/7/03: New Whale poetry by The Pierros in The People Pond section of The Whale and Herring Poetry Page. Not to be missed if you can!

7/13/03: This just in:

Oh, my goodness! This is so unexpected...I'd like to thank all the
little people who made this award possib...oh. wait - wrong
speech...Thanks for the acknowledgement...It's always nice to know One
is appreciated.

TheGypsy

7/11/03: Gypsy, formerly TheaterGypsy, has attained the unheard of score of 1000 points in The Find a Phrase Game. Confidential info: Gypsy, an actress, stars in a short film which will be shown in the Scranton, PA area. Yippeeeee!, Gypsy, on two counts.

4/24/03: Announcing a Special Award to Verbal. Verbal used computer-aided technology to amass a humongous score in Reverse-a-Word. His score far outdistances all other entrants. Congratulations, Verbal! See Members page for Verbal's award listing--under Special Awards. No one here understands how he did it, but we're impressed!

1/26/03: Kathy Turner is our 1100th Reverse a Word player. She thus gains membership in the Key Klub as a special awards member. Congratulations, Kathy.

10/1/02: New Poetry on The Whale and Herring Poetry Page. Rollicking Serio-Comedy in the style of Herman Melville--well, maybe not quite. Abstract, by A. Nonny. Moose. It's in the People Pond section. See it here.

9/25/02: ekimbell joins the ranks of Key Klub members. e submitted a four-worder and four three-worders, all acceptable, for fifteen points. The four-worder: om mot tome comet. Om is a sacred Hindu syllable. A mot is a witty remark. A tome is a large, scholarly book. Congratulations, e!

6/12/02: Jason Babineau is our newest Key Klub member. He burst upon the scene with fourteen acceptable three-worders. Congratulations, Jason!

2/24/02: Leaping into seventh place with five five-worders, thirty four-worders, and 63 three-worders worth a total of 948 additional points is [wild applause] theatergypsy! One of her five-worders: ta pat taps spate retaps. Ta is an interjection meaning thanks. A spate is a sudden outpouring.

2/17/02: Theatergypsy has sent in a ton and a half more entries, completely overwhelming the Reverse a Word staff. We'll publish tg's new score whenever those staff slackers decide to get back to work.

2/11/02: Reverse a Word fever! Theatergypsy's caught it. She submitted a bunch of new, acceptable entries, and her score is now 322. She's in 13th place. One of her entries, a five-worder is: oo loo tool loots stools. An oo is a kind of Hawaiian bird. A loo is a water closet (in England). Nice going, tg!

And, we have a brand new Key Klub member. Icarus sent in entries worth fifteen points to qualify. Congratulations, ic! Don't forget the sunscreen. Your absolutely fabulous Reverse a Word poster is on its way.

2/6/02: Theatergypsy has moved into 27th place with five three-worders and three four-worders worth a total of 45 points. One of her four-worders: in nit tins snits.

12/11/01: Our newest Key Klub member is home, from Australia, who submitted fourteen acceptable three-worders worth fourteen points. Congratulations, home! Your membership poster is in the [e]mail.

11/29/01: 1000th top player! And they said it wouldn't last. Congratulations to meg ware of The UK, Reverse a Word's 1000th top player. The stringent rules specify that only correct entries qualify a player for top-playerhood. Meg also becomes a member of the Key Klub in the Special Awards category. Your RaW poster is on it's way!

11/12/01: Our newest Key Klub member is none other than theatergypsy who is well-known to Find a Phrase aficionados. She racked-up 23 points, thirteen more than needed for Reverse a Word Key Klub membership, with two four worders and a three-worder. One of the four-worders: we ewe ewer rewet. Congratulations, theatergypsy, and welcome to the wonderful world of Reverse a Word!

10/15/01: A new Key Klub member, lawrence hung, submitted this four-worder: la pal slap palsy. Congratulations, lawrence!

10/11/01: With a five-worder, fourteen four-worders, and twelve three worders - all acceptable - Tyra has increased her total Reverse a Word score to 13,744. The five-worder: il lie veil lieve reveil. Il is an obsolete form of ill. Lieve means beloved. To reveil is to veil again.

Tyra also submitted the correct solution to this week's Find a Phrase puzzle, tying her with theatergypsy for first place.

10/8/01: Tyra submitted a number of new Reverse a Word entries several months ago. We shamefacedly admit that we haven't scored them yet. We'll get to them very soon.

Theatergypsy has taken over first place in the Find a Phrase rankings.

4/16/01: An awed silence has fallen on the Reverse a Word offices as we are stunned to observe a new World Champion inexorably increasing her lead. CF(Cindy)Martin has added 1448 points with eleven five-worders, nineteen four-worders, and eighteen three-worders, and she has submitted additional entries we haven't reviewed yet! One of the five-worders: ol loo pool loops spools. Ol' is a contraction for old. Loo is a card game.

4/6/01: The score in the contest for first place, as of April 3: CFMartin - 16626, Tyra - 11571.

3/22/01: CFMartin has moved into the lead by 786 points! She did it with a new acceptable six-worder, seven four-worders, and seven three-worders. The six-worder: ca pac caps space recaps spacers. Ca or ca' is a variant spelling for calf according to the OED. A pac is a kind of moccasin. To recap is to replace a cap.

Tyra has added 157 points to her score with a five-worder, three four-worders, and thirteen three-worders.

All entries have now been scored. The Reverse a Word staff will now attempt to get a life before more entries come in.

3/17/01: Tyra regains the lead! Tyra has submitted a new six-worder, three new five-worders, two new four-worders, and 24 three-worders for a total of 1490 points. Her score is 8032. The six-worder: ab bar grab barge regrab bargers. An ab is an abdominal muscle.

The rankings reflect all entries submitted through March 14, 2001. Both Tyra and CFMartin have submitted additional entries which we have not yet checked and posted.

3/14/01: CFMartin ousts Tyra from first place! With six acceptable five-worders, eighteen acceptable four-worders, and 46 three-worders, for a total of 910 points, CF has moved into first place by a narrow margin: CF - 6647, Tyra - 6618. One of CF's five-worders: et tee leet steel sleets. Et is the past tense of eat (Dial.), a leet is a list. This is a historic day for Reverse a Word. Our heartiest congratulations, CF!

Meanwhile, Tyra has informed us by email that she has prepared a list of new entries and intends to regrab first place in short order! Pandemonium reigns.

3/13/01: 5737! That's CFMartin's new score with the addition of eleven new four-worders and 62 three-worders. CF is within striking distance of first place!

Kristina Iba with 23 points and Doug Winsley and Bill Wood, each with 22 points, all join the ranks of Key Klub members. Congratulations, Kristina, Doug, and Bill!

2/24/01: frandamady, our resident poet and humpback whale, shares childhood secrets and thoughts about time on the Best Original World Humor page.

2/17/01: Reverse a Word has a new rising star and Key Klub member, CFMartin! CF submitted an acceptable five-worder, seventeen acceptable four-worders, and 28 three-worders for a total of 326 points and has leaped into 12th place in the rankings. The five-worder: pa nap span knaps spanks. To knap is to break stone. One of the four-worders: aw was saws swash. To swash is to splash a liquid. Wonderfully done, CF!

2/12/01: Our 900th Top Player is...Baker.This player becomes a Key Klub member in the special awards category. Congratulations, Baker!

1/16/01: A flurry of activity this week - we had our highest ever one day visitor total. We're not sure which new site is linking to us, but we send a hearty welcome to all our new visitors.

Beckie Sharp has become a Key Klub member. She submitted an acceptable four-worder and four three-worders for a total of fifteen points. Her four-worder: ar ram mart tramp. Congratulations, Beckie!

1/9/01: Three new Key Klub members as Reverse a Word hop-scotches into the new millenium. New player, Rachael B., starts off in 17th place with 168 points. Her acceptable entries include a five-worder, five four-worders, and two three-worders. Rachael also sent us a marvelous quote, part of which we've used as this week's Find a Phrase puzzle. Her five-worder: am man name reman namers; one of her four-worders: en one enol loner. An enol is a kind of organic compound. Congratulations, Rachael B., and thanks for the quote!

Attikrat sent in three four-worders and eleven three-worders for a total of 44 points.. One of the four-worders: to not tons snots. Snots, as we know, are arrogant persons. See you at the Key Klub, Attikrat!

And JamyPooh submitted this acceptable four-worder: to pot tops spots. Well done, JamyPooh.

11/21/00: New poetry, as fresh as today's headlines, in the People Pond section of the Whale and Herring Poetry Page.

10/24/00: Reverse a Word is proud to present a major work by a startling new talent - Herring Pairing by Annette Herring, AKA JaneEsp. "It grabs you by the gills and doesn't let you go." --Mr. Johnson [a herring] Whale and Herring Poetry Page

9/14/00: We have our 800th Top Player - suhail medoukh! Enjoy your Key Klub membership, suhail.

7/2/00: New humor by Jarvin H. Pepsicord, former celebrity impersonator, broiler chef, and would-be astronaut. Go here for humor.

6/7/00: A transcript of Bronco's interview with Tyra may now be seen on Almost Live from the Key Klub.

6/2/00: Reverse a Word and Find a Phrase World Champion Grand Master, Tyra, has consented to an interview with Al "Bronco" LaGuardia! The interview will appear on Almost Live from the Key Klub. "Replete with game-winning clues and hints and a smattering of Cajun cooking secrets," says Bronco. Watch for it, folks!

5/24/00: Welcome to all the new visitors from Take Our Word for It. Melanie and Mike, co-authors of the site, gave us a mention. Thanks, M & M! If you're interested in entertaining explorations of word origins the Take Our Word for It zine is the place to go.

5/2/00: We have renamed the former Whale Poetry Page, The Whale and Herring Poetry Page. Our first Herring Poetry is by Mr. Johnson [a herring].

4/30/00: The Key Klub Membership Screening Committee has informed us that Reverse a Word's 30,000th viewer will not be selected for Klub membership in the Special Awards category. Direct quote from Screening Committee Chair: "How the [heck] are we supposed to know who the 30,000th viewer is?!"

Symposium News: Participants, so far, in Reverse a Word's First Annual Symposium - Humpback Whales: Gentle Giants or Common Predators? - will be:

Al "Bronco" LaGuardia, moderator; MadForKrill, darling of RaW's whale community; Frandamady, distinguished poet and humpback whale; Mr. Johnson, a herring; Janet, Key Klub night manager and refreshment server; Jarvin H. Pepsicord, former celebrity impersonator and would-be astronaut; Uncle Thorgrud, fish-catcher/philosopher from the frozen north; Moby Dick, a white whale, doubtful.

Venue and date to be announced.

More Information About Short Words Than You Probably Wanted To Know: The word les is an obsolete form of less or lease. The word se has several definitions in English. (1) An obsolete form of sea, and (2) The definite article the in old and middle English. The symbol or abbreviation se, for selenium, would not be acceptable for Reverse a Word if the word didn't have other definitions.

A reminder: Proper nouns are not acceptable for Reverse a Word. Example: The name "Don" is not acceptable, but the verb "don" is acceptable. The name "Ohio" is always a proper noun, so far as we know, so Ohio is not acceptable for the game - as much as we like the state and the river. We also like Nevada, New Zealand, and lemon meringue pie.

10/7/99: As a general rule, abbreviations and numerals, such as Roman numerals, are not acceptable for Reverse a Word.

10/4/99: New poems by Mal and Glenda (Maxsonjam) and Joan SONglaze on The Whale Poetry Page.

9/25/99: A new poem by frandamady on The Whale Poetry Page.

9/4/99: Need a respite from the frantic pace of playing Reverse a word? Have a look at some of the humor pages on this website: Best Original World Humor, Almost Live from the Key Klub, and The Whale Poetry Page.

Do you have something funny and original to say? Send it to us by email for possible publication on the Best Original World Humor page. We also always welcome new poetry for The Whale poetry Page. Got an idea for Almost Live from the Key Klub or any of our other pages? Let us know about it. You'll get full credit for any of your ideas or humorous material that we use.

6/27/99: You will find more than forty sample entries on the How to play page.

6/16/99: Incorrect entries will no longer be awarded .9 points.

3/27/99: The Frandamady Show on Almost Live from the Key Klub has won the November-December Short Humor contest of the Humor and Life, in Particular Website. Thanks, Margie. Thanks, judges. Al "Bronco" LaGuardia is ecstatic. Click HERE to see how it looks at the Humor and Life site.

Many thanks for all [1] RaW 1st Anniversary cards. The world press has chosen to ignore the occasion.

2/14/99: March 1, 1999 will be the first year anniversary of Reverse a Word. TA-DAA! World press and media take note.

1/27/99 ; Now in first place...Tyra! Four new four-worders and 19 three-worders put her over the top.

And more....lindsa with the four-worder er rev verb breve has made it into The Key Klub. "Er" is an obsolete form of the poetical word "ere". When not designing ingenious Reverse a Words, lindsa, or Lindsay, writes humorous essays and does other things.

12/14/98: Acadiana [Cajun] ISP site has named us a Hot Spot of the Week and also lists Reverse a Word in its Recreation:Games directory. Merci beaucoup, Acadiana, "Lassez les bon temps rouler!"

12/11/98: The Final Word, unless proven otherwise: In biology genuses are the proper names of plants and animals, and genuses are therefore capitalized. However, the genus or generic name sometimes becomes the common name, through wide usage. An example is Chrysanthemum and crysanthemum. If a genus finds its way into Reverse a Word it can be considered common enough to warrant its addition to the list of common nouns. We are almost certain that this construct will be acceptable to forward-thinking grammarians. Therefore:

A new six-worder by Roland McIntosh - am man name leman enamel lemanea. Combined with fifteen four-worders and seven three-worders Rolands's entries total 1283 points, and he is now in third place.

11/30/98: The Top 100,000 Players Page is now two pages. If you've sent in more than one correct entry, your name and score will be in Part 1. If you've sent in only one correct entry your name and score will be in Part 2. We had to go to two pages because the Top Players list was getting unwieldy, and slow to read and to revise.

11/4/98: Mr. Harrison talks about his new play! Gets mad at Al "Bronco" LaGuardia! Almost leaves in a huff! It's all happening at Almost Live from the Key Klub.

[Note: I'm sure that everybody has guessed, correctly, that Mr. Harrison is a real person. He teaches in Sparks, Nevada, and lives an extroadinarily interesting life. When I first broached the idea of doing an interview he was kind enough to go along with it in the spirit of good fun. Most of the information in the "Bronco" interview is from biographical notes he took the time to write-up and send to me. "Making fun" of Mr. Harrison is the furthest thing from my mind. Franky, I admire him tremendously. Thanks, Corbett. --Jerry Schatz]

10/19/98: We have added a DICTIONARY link to the Play the Game Page. Not sure if piny is a word? Look it up!

New on the Links and Credits Page - a search function slanted toward word games and humor.

10/13/98: Nigel Horrocks of New Zealand's NetGuide, a spiffy online and print publication, has named Reverse a Word one of the "Internet's most super-duper time-wasting Web sites." Wow! We are humbled by the honor. Thanks, Nigel. [To go there click HERE. Look under site #13 at the Killing Time feature.]

10/6/98: pi nip pins snipe repins snipers -- unbelievable! Yes, this is a bona fide six-worder. It was sent in by brian tivol, and it is worth 1,111 points. One thousand points for the six-worder, 100 for the embedded five-worder, ten for the embedded four-worder, and one point for the three-worder. Brian also submitted eight acceptable five-worders! One of them is: do ode redo coder redock. Brian has amassed a total of 1955 points. Congratulations, brian! We are awed by your accomplishment. Start enjoying all the benefits of your new Key Klub membership. Your distinctive and treasured, though smallish, RaW Key Klub Poster will be emailed to you soon.

9/4/98: Reverse-A-Word's six-month anniversary has gone unnoticed in the world press.

6/17/98: A bona fide five-worder will be worth 111 points.

5/22/98: The 'satin curtain' background image on The Key Klub Page is by Sweet Dreams Designers. I think it helps set the tone for what will be a really classy page, we hope. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

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