157
SYNONYM SQUARES
TOM PULLIAM
Somerset, New Jersey
SANG links
research
.s fashion.
place-name.
sue.
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Synonym Squares is a solitaire variation of the well-known word
game of Guggenheim or Categories. From the Second or Third Edi­
tion of the Merriam- Webster New International Dictionary, select a
word fully spelled out in boldface type (nothing inferred) which shall
be known as the base-word. CoIled from the same dictionary all pos­
sible synonyms of the base-word that specify it in the definition, or
specific example s of the same clas s as the base- war d. From the se ac­
cumulated synonyms, extract those having the
same letter-length as the base-word. Arrange
spa C e
example s of your selection one above anothe r ,
fav 0 r
vertically, in such a manner that a II square ll is
for Urn
formed, with the base - word reading downwards
dai Ri
at some letter-position within that square (see
garT'h
example at the right) . (Note that this is not a
true word square. since the other II dow~words do not exist.) Try
to achieve this with the ,longe st pas sible bas e- words.
To show what can be done, he rear e the lange 13t base- words that I
have been able to find, . starqng with each lette r of the alphabet except
for JXYZ (can the reader find example s for these?)
I
ST­
marsh A 1
conce R t
prepa R e
,bespe A k
appoi Nt
enran G e
tailz E e
ca
al
do
ta
ch
da
Ffoy
Acha
B bie
R tan
I ntz
C ron
ho B bet
cr A dIe
wi S ket
bo Kark
clEave
pe Tara
gro Gram
swe A ter
sho R tie
rai Ment
pal Etot
bur Nous
bun T ing
resa
drom
curs
arte
schu
care
Ca
0 s
Us
Ry
S s
E r
Heavy
Acerb
Raspy
Stern
Husky
Darbyism
Optimism
Cynicism
Typology
Regalism
Ideology
Nibili sm
E nergism
I gneri
Nootka
Dakota
Isleta
Agawam
Navaho
embow E I
impou Nd.
embra C e
capsu Le
embos 0 m
compa: S s
embowE r
li Ke
fa I r
he Nd
moDe
158
L andsmal
A baneeme
Numidian
G alician
U igurian
Achinese
Germanic
E lamitic
e Mulsor
mAngler
sCalper
sHearer
d I bbler
eNcoder
bEllows
sou
rum
b{u
bla
bab
Nd
0 r
It
S t
EI
regid
baili
sheri
duumv
condu
alnag
feoda
0 r
Ff
Ff
I r
Ct
E r
Ry
ANAGRJ
Poppet,
Entity
Rascal
Sinner
o yst~r
Nitwit
MAXEY Btl
Sweeny, Te
sQuat
qUell
sIlky
pEace
sTill
tra
spe
mac
kib
tra
uti
cal
V
E
H
I
C
L
E
ois
der
i~e
tka
tor
ity
che
sho
bre
raf
s<;r
nay
rej
R ts
E ze
FIe
U ff
S ay
E ct
cor
tro
hop
fee
pal
cat
mat
S let
0 per
Lite
Dman
I kar
E ran
ROBS
didac
pasto
almag
lapid
geome
exerc
monum
Tic
Ral
Est
A ry
Try
I se
E pt
iss\Ue
mou T h
gra Te
she E r
sta Rk
In my n
One headin!
items. Hel
The WOl
back or ane
vented for t
phrase mad
second worl
meaning or
t W icer
bOoker
bRacer
sKiver
fEller
fRamer
Anagrar
betic writin
anagrams iJ
on the name
A greate r challenge is to place the base- word in all positions and
repeat no words in any of the synonym squares. Here is how it works
out for the base-word LANGUAGE. '
L andsmal
A baneeme
Numidian
G alician
Uigurian
A chinese
Germanic
E.lamitic
legaLese
lihy A nic
sebu Ndoy
phry G ian
talm U dic
mahr A tti
mala G asy
chey E nne
aLbanian
t A hitian
aN zanian
eGyptian
y Ukaghir
rAbbinic
u G aritic
vEnetian
de L aware
sl A vonic
an Namese
wo Gulian
sq U amish
shAmbala
Ii Gurian
se E chelt
cha Ldean
pol A bian
ono Ndaga
die G ueno
etr U scan
tarn A shek
mon G olic
sab E Uic
alaca Luf
subti Aba
custe Nau
galle G an
bhojp Uri
kanawA ri
portu G al
baHn Ese
gorkha L i
prussiAn
nechua Na
mandin G a
chemak Urn
chingp A w
pampanG 0
muskog E e
marshal L
haciendo A
kasubia N
caingan G
guaicur U
amahuac A
barolon G
ammonit E
A similar set of synonym squares aught to be poss~ble for INDIAN;
howeve r, I was unable to find one with the lette r s in the se cond posi­
tion. Can readers help?
lTTol
The other a
APJ:l
The earliesi
ham publish
records rna:
Words and]
An exarr
li shed in We
bo rate exarr
Rambo on t}
fear to trea,
is the bette r
is dangerou:
•
A partic
are revoluti
If the se
has what Mu
ANAGRAM:
and evil / vi
If the de