The Quirky Quote
Well, it’s also the day before Thanksgiving in the US, so I couldn’t resist this ditty which shows how the vagaries of English spelling make for odd rhymes:

Thanksgiving poem

May your stuffing be tasty; may your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious and your pies take the prize,
and may your Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs.
~ Author unknown

Quirky Word Game Example #1
What’s called a rebus in word play circles, I’ve long known by other names: Wuzzles, Word Winks, and frame games, to name just a few. Here is an example of what I grew up calling a rebus taken from Activity Connection’s November offerings:


Out-dove-pocket x-pens-ass (Out of pocket expenses)

But here are examples of what you will more commonly find if you Google rebuses:

You are full of baloney


Head for cover


Trail mix

Quirky Word Game Example #2
Ambigrams, that is, words that read the same from different angles such as both right side up and upside down, are word exercises that usually require calligraphic expertise, unless you are talking of “noon” or “swims.” Here is an example of Carpe diem (Seize the day) found at https://www.pinterest.com/shanethowell/ambigram/:


Quirky Word Game Example #3
How many words can you make from “Thanksgiving”?

The Clock Game derives its name from the idea of using a 12-letter word or phrase with each letter replacing the numbers on a clock face. People who create word puzzles in which the goal is to make as many words as possible from another word will frequently put the words in a circle, because that tends to expand creativity by taking away the visual limits of seeing the word in a line. You can, of course, use more or fewer letters.

Thanksgiving is a tricky word to use because it has no e’s (the most common vowel) and does have the relatively uncommon consonants K, V, and 2 G’s. But think of all the words to which you can add an S to make it plural or an ING. Look for rhymes, such as words that end in IN, AIN, ANG, and IGHT. There are at least 2 that end in ISH (knavish, vanish). When you are tired of thinking, you can cheat here: https://wordmaker.info/how-many/thanksgiving.html

The Shameless Request
Please share Wiser Now Wednesday with anyone you think might be interested, and if you represent an organization that would like a customized version, send me a note at Kathy@WiserNow.com.


The Question
What forms of word games do you especially like or excel at? Let me know at Kathy@WiserNow.com. Personally, I am lousy at crossword puzzles but discovered code words on a trip to England years ago. Code word puzzles look like a crossword puzzle but have no traditional clues. Instead, every letter box has a number from 1 – 26 in the upper left corner, and you are given usually 3 letter answers to begin, such as 1 = A, 2 = N and 3 = T. Fill in all the boxes with those numbers and then try to fill in all the other letters without looking up the answers. You can find lots of code word puzzles online, but I prefer those that let me take pen to paper. Amazon has dozens of code word books.


Featured Product

What’s Left? Is the name I have given to an exercise that is a sort of hidden picture with words. Cross off all the words in a grid according to the clues (e.g., “Cross off all the words that are fruits”) and you will be left with a funny or inspiring quote. In this book, all the puzzles are related to holidays. Order it here from Amazon or here as a downloadable file.