Getting AnGRY
spu...@pomona.edu
I wonder...
It would seem that we have exceeded our quota for -GRY postings this
month, but what strikes me as truly strange is the overwhelming similarity of
phrasing in each of the posts. Three or four posts have all given the puzzle
as:
There are three words in the English language that end in GRY. One
is 'angry,' the second is 'hungry.' The third is a word that everyone uses
every day, everyone knows what it stands for and, if you've been paying
attention, you know that I've already told you what it is. What is it?
...or something very similar. Perhaps it's just me, but this seems
both too odd a phrasing and too simultaneous to be coincidence. Does anyone
know of a contest, game or event that would put forth this kind of puzzle?
Alternately, do any of the posters want to fess up as to where this came from?
The one I talked to was evasive about it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
spu...@pomona.edu | Random House's Crossword thing? Probably not.
Sco4tt "Foolgry" Purdy | Sirius' "Treasure Quest"? Possibly...
Karen L Lingel
In article <1996Apr25.191822@pomona>, spu...@pomona.edu writes:
> It would seem that we have exceeded our quota for -GRY postings this
> month, but what strikes me as truly strange is the overwhelming similarity of
> phrasing in each of the posts. [...]
> Perhaps it's just me, but this seems
> both too odd a phrasing and too simultaneous to be coincidence. Does anyone
> know of a contest, game or event that would put forth this kind of puzzle?
> Alternately, do any of the posters want to fess up as to where this came from?
> The one I talked to was evasive about it.
I think it is a small group of perverse anarchists who are trying to
drive the brilliant people of the world stark raving crazy.
Trouble is: in my case, ITS WORKING! We may have to counter-attack
with the Monty Hall puzzle. That should melt their puny little brains!
-k-
--------------------------------------
Karen Lingel, Physicist and Penguinist
Tom Maciukenas
Kevin P. Smith
Karen L Lingel wrote:
>
> I think it is a small group of perverse anarchists who are trying to
> drive the brilliant people of the world stark raving crazy.
> Trouble is: in my case, ITS WORKING! We may have to counter-attack
> with the Monty Hall puzzle. That should melt their puny little brains!
It seems to me that clearly part of the problem is that they don't
seem to get that there might be no good answer. Perhaps we aught
to fix this: Clearly we need to define a new word for the English
language!
Every time we post a news letter from now on, we need to try to
introduce and integry a new word into our text. It just might
catch and spread across the net like a conflagry! And if we all
agry to do this then in no time all of those dangry idiotigry postings
will go away and vanishagry!
Yours Trugry,
Kevin
ORA ROYCE
In <1996Apr25.191822@pomona> spu...@pomona.edu writes:
>
>I wonder...
>
> It would seem that we have exceeded our quota for -GRY postings
this
>month, but what strikes me as truly strange is the overwhelming
similarity of
puzzle
>as:
>
> There are three words in the English language that end in GRY.
One
>is 'angry,' the second is 'hungry.' The third is a word that everyone
uses
>every day, everyone knows what it stands for and, if you've been
paying
>attention, you know that I've already told you what it is. What is
it?
>
seems
>both too odd a phrasing and too simultaneous to be coincidence. Does
anyone
>know of a contest, game or event that would put forth this kind of
puzzle?
>Alternately, do any of the posters want to fess up as to where this
came from?
>The one I talked to was evasive about it.
>
---------
>spu...@pomona.edu | Random House's Crossword thing? Probably
not.
>Sco4tt "Foolgry" Purdy | Sirius' "Treasure Quest"? Possibly...
Haven't you heard - the answer is "WHAT"
Chris Cole
spu...@pomona.edu wrote:
>
> I wonder...
>
> It would seem that we have exceeded our quota for -GRY postings this
> month, but what strikes me as truly strange is the overwhelming similarity of
> phrasing in each of the posts. Three or four posts have all given the puzzle
> as:
>
> There are three words in the English language that end in GRY. One
> is 'angry,' the second is 'hungry.' The third is a word that everyone uses
> every day, everyone knows what it stands for and, if you've been paying
> attention, you know that I've already told you what it is. What is it?
>
> ...or something very similar. Perhaps it's just me, but this seems
> both too odd a phrasing and too simultaneous to be coincidence. Does anyone
> know of a contest, game or event that would put forth this kind of puzzle?
> Alternately, do any of the posters want to fess up as to where this came from?
> The one I talked to was evasive about it.
>
> spu...@pomona.edu | Random House's Crossword thing? Probably not.
> Sco4tt "Foolgry" Purdy | Sirius' "Treasure Quest"? Possibly...
Doing a little research on DejaNews, I find that the first occurrence of this new
mutation on this newsgroup was in an article posted on March 28th. In this
article, the poster states that he heard the question on a recent radio program. I
have written to this poster asking for more details about this radio program.
Chris Cole
I have now heard back from the original poster, and he supplies the following
information:
****
The station was "Z-100" (WHTZ-FM, New York City).
The show was "The Elvis Duran Afternoon Show" on that date [Thursday March 28],
between about
3-6 pm.
The person asking the question was a caller whose name I made no point to
remember, who worked in a beauty salon at a mall somewhere in NJ.
No answer was given ... 24h later a moratorium was placed on further
discusson because it was getting too distracting.
****
If anyone else heard this show and remembers this event or the subsequent
discussion, please email me.
I note that a number of readers of this newsgroup think that this particular
phrasing of the classic "-gry" puzzle is a trick question to which the intended
answer is the word "what." If this is indeed the case, then I can only wish that
the caller had waited four days before calling in the question. It makes a much
better April Fool's joke than it does a trick question.
Chris
spu...@pomona.edu
In article <4lploe$p...@dfw-ixnews3.ix.netcom.com>, newa...@ix.netcom.com(ORA
Yeah, that was my first response to this as well, as stupid as that is,
but that doesn't really answer the question that I posed. I was interested as
to why we have suddenly received so many similar phrasings of the same lame
question. I understand that Chris Cole is looking into a radio show that may
have posed this question in this way. Though he says the initial post was on
March 28th, and presumably the poster had had it for a few days before they
posted it, I still suspect that, if 'What' is the intended answer, it was posed
as an April Fool's joke.
Incidentally, I thought I might mention to Jonathan Haas that I think
this puzzle deserves a more prominent place in the FAQ doc. It just sits in
the middle of the "General Puzzle Types" section, where even I almost missed
it. However, I like the comparatively recent addition of the lipogram puzzle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
spu...@pomona.edu | Commenting on rec.puzzles bureaucracy is more exciting
Sco4tt "Fool" Purdy | than the Con Law paper due at 5 today. Now that's sad.
Rob Coleman
In article <31814B...@cookie.engr.sgi.com>, "Kevin P. Smith"
Kevin,
Don't you think you might have been a little vagry?
Mike Patterson
Rob Coleman (off...@concentric.net) wrote:
: In article <31814B...@cookie.engr.sgi.com>, "Kevin P. Smith"
Exalogry: Ehx-ahlo-gry (n) Someone who doesn't know the third word ending in
-gry.
There. Nice and recursive. Does this work for anyone else?
--Mike
Tom Maciukenas
In article <4mang7$l...@nonews.col.hp.com>,
Mike Patterson <mi...@col.hp.com> wrote:
>: Kevin,
>: Don't you think you might have been a little vagry?
>
>Exalogry: Ehx-ahlo-gry (n) Someone who doesn't know the third word ending in
> -gry.
Well it sounds more like a career than a type of person. How about this:
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosisgry: The condition of being
unaware of the third word ending in -gry, and also having a rare lung
disease caused by inhaling volcanoes.
As in "Poor Joe has pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosisgry. You
should really send him some flowers."
This is a bonus because it's a new longest word in the english language!
It's also great for doctors because you can cure the condition by simply
telling the patient what disease he has! (Well except for that lung
thing).
What, you don't like it? Then how about this:
nugry: (n) Someone who is clueless to the point that they are probably
unaware that there are only two common words ending in -gry.
Example: "What a nugry!"
It can also be used as an adjective, as in "What a nugry dork!"
This is good because we can now have endless arguments about the "paradox"
of nugry. You see, if the word "nugry" is in common usage (and we will make
sure of that :^), then its definition is false!
-TOmm
Mike Patterson
Tom Maciukenas (to...@dvorak.amd.com) wrote:
: In article <4mang7$l...@nonews.col.hp.com>,
: Mike Patterson <mi...@col.hp.com> wrote:
: >: Kevin,
: >: Don't you think you might have been a little vagry?
: >
: >Exalogry: Ehx-ahlo-gry (n) Someone who doesn't know the third word ending in
: > -gry.
: Well it sounds more like a career than a type of person. How about this:
: pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosisgry: The condition of being
: unaware of the third word ending in -gry, and also having a rare lung
: disease caused by inhaling volcanoes.
: As in "Poor Joe has pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosisgry. You
: should really send him some flowers."
: This is a bonus because it's a new longest word in the english language!
: It's also great for doctors because you can cure the condition by simply
: telling the patient what disease he has! (Well except for that lung
: thing).
: What, you don't like it? Then how about this:
Actually, I think it's not too bad, but it's hardly something that someone
who doesn't already know the word pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
would remember.
: nugry: (n) Someone who is clueless to the point that they are probably
: unaware that there are only two common words ending in -gry.
: Example: "What a nugry!"
: It can also be used as an adjective, as in "What a nugry dork!"
: This is good because we can now have endless arguments about the "paradox"
: of nugry. You see, if the word "nugry" is in common usage (and we will make
: sure of that :^), then its definition is false!
Is that pronounced Noo-gree, or Nuh-gree?
Hmm... That's a good point... But once the word starts fading into obscurity,
it'll be needed once again. Hmmm. Any other votes/ideas?
--Mike
Tom Maciukenas
In article <4mbhfo$3...@nonews.col.hp.com>,
Mike Patterson <mi...@col.hp.com> wrote:
>Tom Maciukenas <to...@dvorak.amd.com> wrote:
>: nugry: (n) Someone who is clueless to the point that they are probably
>: unaware that there are only two common words ending in -gry.
>
>: Example: "What a nugry!"
>: It can also be used as an adjective, as in "What a nugry dork!"
>
>: This is good because we can now have endless arguments about the "paradox"
>: of nugry. You see, if the word "nugry" is in common usage (and we will make
>
Noo-gree. Maybe it should be spelled "newgry", since it's basically a mangling
of "newbie" anyway.
-tOmm
Mike Patterson
Tom Maciukenas (to...@dvorak.amd.com) wrote:
: In article <4mbhfo$3...@nonews.col.hp.com>,
Hmm. Well, for a while, I'll be using both words when resonding to -gry posts,
until I've got a good enough feel of both of them to decide which I like
better. The only reason I like mine better is because it sounds a bit more
obscure.
Nugry... Exalogry...
I do like how "Nugry" sounds like "Newbie", but in real life it wouldn't
matter too much.
---Mike
P.S. I wonder how many radio shows/whatever who asked this question are going
to get answers of "nugry" and "exalogry" on the phone lines?
Richard Wells
Mike Patterson wrote:
>
> Tom Maciukenas (to...@dvorak.amd.com) wrote:
> : nugry: (n) Someone who is clueless to the point that they are probably
> : unaware that there are only two common words ending in -gry.
>
> : Example: "What a nugry!"
> : It can also be used as an adjective, as in "What a nugry dork!"
>
> : This is good because we can now have endless arguments about the "paradox"
> : of nugry. You see, if the word "nugry" is in common usage (and we will make
>
>
> it'll be needed once again. Hmmm. Any other votes/ideas?
I like "nugry". I don't much care how its pronounced, though my personal
preference would be noo-gree.
It should be added to the FAQ so that when people post this question
we can simply say "The word is nugry; see the FAQ for details.", at
which point the nugry will no longer be a nugry. (A sort of
enlightenment.)
And, of course, the definition changes the first time someone posts
"what is the fourth word ending in -gry?". I propose that when this
occurs, we declare "nugry" to be the fourth word, and leave the third
-gry word undefined....
Rich "I don't even know what that means" Wells
Opinions expressed herein are my own and may not represent those of my employer.
Karen L Lingel
In article <318A7D...@mmm.com>, rdw...@mmm.com (Richard Wells) writes:
>I like "nugry". I don't much care how its pronounced, though my personal
>preference would be noo-gree.
>It should be added to the FAQ so that when people post this question
>we can simply say "The word is nugry; see the FAQ for details.", at
>which point the nugry will no longer be a nugry. (A sort of
>enlightenment.)
Heh, heh, this would be great. As soon as the "gry" question hits
the newsgroup, the nugry sap will be inundated with matter-of-fact
"nugry" responses. And s/he will think "Everyone really does know this
word; everyone really does uses it everyday, but I am so clueless that I
have never heard it." Then hopefully s/he *will* read the FAQ.
spu...@pomona.edu
In article <Dqu94...@txnews.amd.com>, to...@dvorak.amd.com (Tom Maciukenas)
writes:
> Noo-gree. Maybe it should be spelled "newgry", since it's basically a
> mangling of "newbie" anyway.
No, I think I like 'nugry' better. It isn't quite as obvious what it
is intended to imply. I this sense, we can get additional pointless posts
where the nugry asks what we are calling them. If we put the word in the FAQ
doc, we can then further make fun of them for their nugrish behavior.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
spu...@pomona.edu | rec.puzzles:
Sco4tt "Fool" Purdy | Pretentious fun for the whole family!
Tom Maciukenas
In article <1996May3.125719@pomona>, <spu...@pomona.edu> wrote:
>In article <Dqu94...@txnews.amd.com>, to...@dvorak.amd.com (Tom Maciukenas)
>writes:
>> Noo-gree. Maybe it should be spelled "newgry", since it's basically a
>> mangling of "newbie" anyway.
>
> No, I think I like 'nugry' better. It isn't quite as obvious what it
>is intended to imply. I this sense, we can get additional pointless posts
>where the nugry asks what we are calling them. If we put the word in the FAQ
>doc, we can then further make fun of them for their nugrish behavior.
"Nugry" it is, then! (I can't wait for my first chance to use it. :^)
-tOmm
Mike Patterson
Tom Maciukenas (to...@dvorak.amd.com) wrote:
I've already used it at least three times.
Boy, do I love "alive" languages.... Try this, Latin!
--Mike