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.
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
>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!
> 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!
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 >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.
> 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.
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.
> > 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.
> 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.
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.
In article <4lploe$...@dfw-ixnews3.ix.netcom.com>, newar...@ix.netcom.com(ORA
ROYCE ) writes: > In <1996Apr25.191822@pomona> spu...@pomona.edu writes: >>I wonder... > Haven't you heard - the answer is "WHAT"
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.
<kpsm...@cookie.engr.sgi.com> wrote: > 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
Kevin, Don't you think you might have been a little vagry?
: > 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
: 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.
There. Nice and recursive. Does this work for anyone else?
Mike Patterson <m...@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!
: In article <4mang7$...@nonews.col.hp.com>, : Mike Patterson <m...@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 Patterson <m...@col.hp.com> wrote: >Tom Maciukenas <t...@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
>Is that pronounced Noo-gree, or Nuh-gree?
Noo-gree. Maybe it should be spelled "newgry", since it's basically a mangling of "newbie" anyway.
: In article <4mbhfo$...@nonews.col.hp.com>, : Mike Patterson <m...@col.hp.com> wrote: : >Tom Maciukenas <t...@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 : > : >Is that pronounced Noo-gree, or Nuh-gree?
: Noo-gree. Maybe it should be spelled "newgry", since it's basically a mangling : of "newbie" anyway.
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?
> Tom Maciukenas (t...@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 > : 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?
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.
In article <318A7D92.3...@mmm.com>, rdwe...@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.
-k- -------------------------------------- Karen Lingel, Physicist and Penguinist
In article <Dqu948....@txnews.amd.com>, t...@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.
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In article <1996May3.125719@pomona>, <spu...@pomona.edu> wrote: >In article <Dqu948....@txnews.amd.com>, t...@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. :^)
: In article <1996May3.125719@pomona>, <spu...@pomona.edu> wrote: : >In article <Dqu948....@txnews.amd.com>, t...@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. :^)
I've already used it at least three times.
Boy, do I love "alive" languages.... Try this, Latin!
