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2008 Edition of the
Online Guide to the Engima


Preface to the Guide
History of the NPL
Membership Information
Sharing the Puzzles
      Sharing the fun
      Combining Talents
Composing
Editorial Verses
Flats
      Acrostical Enigma
      Alternade
      Ambigram
      Anagram
      Antigram
      Apt. . .
      Backswitch
      Baltimore Deletion
      Baltimore Transdeletion
      Beheadment
      Bigram. . .
      Brookline Letter-Change
      Change of Heart
      Changeover
      Charade
      Combination Padlock
      Consonantcy
      Curtailment
      Deletion
      Diastichal Enigma
      Double-Cross
      Dropout
      Enigma
      Enigmatic Rebus
      False derivative
      FWNFR
      Group flat
      Head-to-Tail Shift
      Heart Transplant
      Heteronym
      Homoantonym
      Homoconcominym
      Homonym
      Homosynonym
      Interlock
      Letter Bank
      Letter Change
      Letter Shift
      Linkade
      Literatim
      Metathesis
      Mutation
      Mynoreteh
      Order Takeout
      Overloaded. . .
      Padlock
      Palindrome
      Phonetic. . .
      Phrase Shift
      Picture. . .
      Progressive. . .
      Rebade
      Rebus
      Redro takeout
      Repeated-Letter Change
      Repeated-Letter Deletion
      Reversal
      Reversed. . .
      Riddle
      Sound Change
      Sound Shift
      Spoonergram
      Subade
      Suber
      Switchback
      Telestichal Enigma
      Terminal Deletion
      Transaddition
      Transade
      Trans-Cross
      Transdeletion
      Transpogram
      Transposal
      Trigram. . .
      Welded. . .
      Word Deletion
      Word Substitution
      Solving the Rebus
      Browse the Flat Pages
Introduction to Forms
      From A to O
      From P to Z
      Form Modifiers
Cryptograms
      Constructing Medium Crypts
      Solving Cryptograms
      Other Solving Approaches
Extras
      Solving Cryptics
      Composing Cryptics
      Observations
Reference Books
Constitution
      Bylaws
Glossary
Supplements
      Non-Guide Flats
      Non-Guide Forms
      Non-Guide Extras
      Where to Find It
      Form Notation
      Italian Picture Puzzles
      Abbreviated Guide to Flats
      Mobile Guide to Flats
      Submissions
Errata


© Copyright 2013 by
the National Puzzlers' League
 HETERONYM

Two words or phrases with the same spelling are used with different pronunciations and meanings. Examples: ONE = tarry (“to linger”), TWO = tarry (“covered with tar”); FIRST = Mount St. Helens, SECOND = mounts the lens. Unlike most flats, heteronyms need not have bases that are dictionary entries -- in fact, long, contrived phrases are welcome as long as they are well clued in the verse.

HETERONYM (8, 4 4)
You say she pulled your ONE out by
The roots? That TWO, I’ll bet. If I
Were you, and had your wife-as craven
As this might sound-I’d stay clean shaven.
=Uncanny

The solution: ONE = mustache, TWO = must ache.

Heteronymic” also refers to changes in word breaks, even if pronunciation doesn’t change: cargo/car go. Examples may be found in cryptic clueing, picture puzzles, and the heteronymy of a rebus’s reading and answer. A base in which sounds, letters, and spacing remain unchanged, as in bear (carry), bear (ursine), and Bear (CA river), is called an identity homonym, and should be avoided.

 HOMONYM

Two or more unrelated words or phrases are pronounced the same but spelled differently. Example: ONE = hair, TWO = hare. Unlike most flats, homonyms need not have bases that are dictionary entries. For example: ONE = we pause, TWO = wee paws.

HOMONYM (9, 4 3, 4 4)
Madame Boronskaya, her NINE lifted, eyes
Poor Cio-Cio-San there-so FOUR THREE so portly.
She scans her libretto but puts it down shortly;
Does Madame fancy opera FOUR? “FOUR!” she replies.
=Mangie

The solution: lorgnette; lorn yet; lore? “Nyet.

 REVERSAL

A word or phrase becomes another when reversed. For example: ONE = desserts, TWO = stressed.

REVERSAL (2 4, 6) (TWO = NI3+ usage)
“But Ham, Daddy told us to place in the Ark
A unicorn, minotaur, griffon, and snark.”
“Those critters are ONE, and they cannot be TWO.
There’s too many now, Shem-we’re taking the shrew,
Giraffe, monkey, elephant, lion, and lamb.”
If you mourn for the loss of the dragon-blame Ham.
=Dumbo, A.

The solution: ONE = de trop, TWO = ported.

In the bigram reversal, two-letter chunks are reversed instead of single letters. There aren’t many of these; one example is ONE = se-ra-ph, TWO = ph-ra-se.

If one or both parts are not dictionary entries, the puzzle is not a reversal but a mynoreteh.

 MYNORETEH

A reversed heteronym. A word or phrase becomes another when reversed. For example: ONE = won ton, TWO = not now; or ONE = barcarole’s summer -- aha!, TWO = a harem, mussel, or a crab.

MYNORETEH (NOW = 6; THEN = *1 3 2)
My wife is now a Buddhist (Zen),
And meditates for hours, so THEN
She tries to reach a state of NOW.
Illumination lures my frau;
Yours truly, though, will just decay
While she “enlightens,” day by day.
=Ulk

The solution: NOW = satori, THEN = I rot as.

Unlike most flat types, a mynoreteh needn’t have only dictionary entries; indeed, at least one part must be non-MW -- otherwise the puzzle would be called a reversal instead.

The mynoreteh was introduced by Ulk in 1990.

 PALINDROME

A sentence or phrase is spelled the same forward as backward; for example, Draw pupil’s lip upward. An accompanying verse provides clues.

PALINDROME (4 4 7!)
Quiche Lorraine?
Oh, not again!
=Tut

The solution: Drat such custard!