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Newsgroups: misc.misc,misc.writing From: jejensen@alfred.carleton.ca (John Jensen) Subject: Palindrome request: SUMMARY Message-ID: <jejensen.724396035@cunews> Keywords: palindromes Organization: Carleton University Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 05:07:15 GMT Lines: 480

Well, my request for palindromes has been answered! Here is a summary of all the ones that were posted to the net or sent to me via mail. Many thanks to all who responded.

-------------------------------------------------------------------- A dog, a plan, a canal: pagoda.

Rats live on no evil star.

Straw, no, to stupid a fad, I put soot on warts.

I roamed under it as a tired, nude Maori.

Dennis, Nell, Edna, Leon, Nedra, Anita, Rolf, Nora, Alice, Carol, Leo, Jane, Reed, Dena, Dale, Basil, Rae, Penny, Lana, Dave, Denny, Lena, Ida, Bernadette, Ben, Ray, Lila, Nina, Jo, Ira, Mara, Sara, Mario, Jan, Ina, Lily, Arne, Betty, Dan, Reba, Diane, Lynn, Ed, Eva, Dana, Lynne, Pearl, Isabel, Ada, Ned, Dee, Rena, Joel, Lora, Cecil, Aaron, Flora, Tina, Arden, Noel, and Ellen sinned.

A man, a plan, a canal; Panama?

A man, a plan, a cat, a canal; Panama?

A man, a plan, a cat, a ham, a yak, a yam, a hat, a canal--Panama! Go deliver a dare, vile dog.

Doc note, I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod.

PALINDROMIC POEM:

Mood's mode! Pallas, I won! (Diaper pane, sold entire.) Melt till ever sere, hide it. Drown a more vile note; (Tar of rennet.) Ah, trowel, baton, eras ago. The reward? A "nisi." Two nag.

Otary tastes putrid, yam was green. Odes up and on; stare we. Rats nod. Nap used one-erg saw. (May dirt upset satyr?)

A toga now; 'tis in a drawer, eh? Togas are notable. (Worth a tenner for Ate`.) Tone liver. O Man, word-tied I.

Here's revel! Little merit, Ned? Lose, Nap? Repaid now is all apedom's doom.

Tarzan raised a Desi Arnaz rat.

Able was I, ere I saw Elba!

If I had a hi-fi

A man, a plan, a canoe, pasta, hero's, rajahs, a coloratura, maps, snipe, percale, macaroni, a gag, a banana bag, a tan, a tag, a banana bag again, or: a camel, a crepe, pins, spam, a rut, a Rolo, cash, a jar, sore hats, a peon, a canal, Panama!

Here is some information about a few palindromes related to the one you mention. As far as I know, the first person to put a cat in the canal was Jim Saxe, in his 9 October 1983 plan file.

A man, a plan, a cat, a canal; Panama?

Guy Jacobson added several items later that year.

A man, a plan, a cat, a ham, a yak, a yam, a hat, a canal--Panama!

Guy's palindrome appears on page 127 of COMMON LISP, THE LANGUAGE (page 170 of the 2nd edition). The 2nd edition of COMMON LISP, THE LANGUAGE also contains the remarkable:

A man, a plan, a canoe, pasta, heros, rajahs, a coloratura, maps, snipe, percale, macaroni, a gag, a banana bag, a tan, a tag, a banana bag again (or a camel), a crepe, pins, Spam, a rut, a Rolo, cash, a jar, sore hats, a peon, a canal--Panama!

which is presumably the work of Guy Steele, the book's author.

I dredged up the problem in 1984, and discovered the following 540-word version with the help of a computer program that I wrote.

A man, a plan, a caret, a ban, a myriad, a sum, a lac, a liar, a hoop, a pint, a catalpa, a gas, an oil, a bird, a yell, a vat, a caw, a pax, a wag, a tax, a nay, a ram, a cap, a yam, a gay, a tsar, a wall, a car, a luger, a ward, a bin, a woman, a vassal, a wolf, a tuna, a nit, a pall, a fret, a watt, a bay, a daub, a tan, a cab, a datum, a gall, a hat, a fag, a zap, a say, a jaw, a lay, a wet, a gallop, a tug, a trot, a trap, a tram, a torr, a caper, a top, a tonk, a toll, a ball, a fair, a sax, a minim, a tenor, a bass, a passer, a capital, a rut, an amen, a ted, a cabal, a tang, a sun, an ass, a maw, a sag, a jam, a dam, a sub, a salt, an axon, a sail, an ad, a wadi, a radian, a room, a rood, a rip, a tad, a pariah, a revel, a reel, a reed, a pool, a plug, a pin, a peek, a parabola, a dog, a pat, a cud, a nu, a fan, a pal, a rum, a nod, an eta, a lag, an eel, a batik, a mug, a mot, a nap, a maxim, a mood, a leek, a grub, a gob, a gel, a drab, a citadel, a total, a cedar, a tap, a gag, a rat, a manor, a bar, a gal, a cola, a pap, a yaw, a tab, a raj, a gab, a nag, a pagan, a bag, a jar, a bat, a way, a papa, a local, a gar, a baron, a mat, a rag, a gap, a tar, a decal, a tot, a led, a tic, a bard, a leg, a bog, a burg, a keel, a doom, a mix, a map, an atom, a gum, a kit, a baleen, a gala, a ten, a don, a mural, a pan, a faun, a ducat, a pagoda, a lob, a rap, a keep, a nip, a gulp, a loop, a deer, a leer, a lever, a hair, a pad, a tapir, a door, a moor, an aid, a raid, a wad, an alias, an ox, an atlas, a bus, a madam, a jag, a saw, a mass, an anus, a gnat, a lab, a cadet, an em, a natural, a tip, a caress, a pass, a baronet, a minimax, a sari, a fall, a ballot, a knot, a pot, a rep, a carrot, a mart, a part, a tort, a gut, a poll, a gateway, a law, a jay, a sap, a zag, a fat, a hall, a gamut, a dab, a can, a tabu, a day, a batt, a waterfall, a patina, a nut, a flow, a lass, a van, a mow, a nib, a draw, a regular, a call, a war, a stay, a gam, a yap, a cam, a ray, an ax, a tag, a wax, a paw, a cat, a valley, a drib, a lion, a saga, a plat, a catnip, a pooh, a rail, a calamus, a dairyman, a bater, a canal--Panama.

This was done with the Unix spelling dictionary and a fairly simple-minded program. With a better word list and a smarter program I'm sure the palindrome could be ten times as long.

I am somewhat concerned that people have been redistributing these palindromes without attribution. Please don't do so. And if you get a copy of my palindrome without my name on it, I would appreciate it if you mention my objection to whoever sends it to you.

Dan Hoey Hoey@AIC.NRL.Navy.Mil

Rise to vote sir

Madam I'm Adam

A Toyota! Race fast, safe car. A Toyota

You can cage a swallow can't you but you can't swallow a cage can you?

Madam in Eden, I'm Adam.

Sit on a potato pan, Otis.

Top step's pup's pet spot.

A fine snore, rare Ronsen IFA.

A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!

Satan oscillate my metallic sonatas.

Cigar? Toss it in a can, it is so tragic.

Unremarkable was I ere I saw Elba Kramer, nu?

A man, a plan, a cat, a ham, a yak, a yam, a hat, a canal - Panama!

A man, a plan, a canoe, pasta, heros, rajahs, a coloratura, maps, snipe, percale, macaroni, a gag, a banana bag, a tan, a tag, a banana bag again (or a camel), a crepe, pins, Spam, a rut, a Rolo, cash, a jar, sore hats, a peon, a canal - Panama! Aha!

Oh, no! Don Ho!

Bonk! One Mac. Newton sees not wen came (no knob).

Lisa Bonet ate no basil.

Toni Tennille fell in net. I, not!

Vanna, wanna V?

Man, Oprah's sharp on A.M.

Damn! I, Agassi, miss again! Mad!

(... Yawn.) Madonna Fan? No damn way!

E. Borgnine drags Dad's gardening robe.

Neil A. sees alien!

The almanac can am laeth

I'm runnin'! - Nurmi

A man, a plan, a canal...Suez!

Is Don Adams mad? (A nod.) Si!

No, Mel Gibson is a casino's big lemon.

Alan Alda stops racecar, spots ad: "Lana-L.A."

Bush saw Sununu swash sub.

Cain: A maniac!

Depardieu, go razz a rogue I draped.

Ed, I saw Harpo Marx ram Oprah W. aside.

I, Rasputin, knit up Sari.

Let O'Hara gain an inn in a niagara hotel.

Noriega can idle, held in a cage...Iron!

O, geronimo, no minor ego!

Plan no damn Madonna LP.

Red lost case, Ma. Jesse James acts older.

Sis, ask Costner to not rent socks "As Is"!

So, G. Rivera's tots are virgos.

T. Eliot nixes sex in toilet!

To Idi Amin: I'm a idiot! A dog! A panic in a pagoda!

A slut nixes sex in Tulsa.

A tin mug for a jar of gum, Nita.

Ah, Satan sees Natasha.

Al lets Della call Ed Stella.

amaryllis sillyrama

Animal loots foliated detail of stool lamina.

Bird rib.

Bombard a drab mob.

But sad Eva saved a stub.

Camus sees sumac.

Cigar? Toss it in a can, it is so tragic.

Daedalus: nine, Peninsula: dead.

Dairy myriad.

Deirdre wets altar of St. Simons - no mists, for at last ewer dried.

Denim axes examined.

Dennis and Edna sinned.

Dior droid.

Drat Sadat, a dastard!

Drat Saddam, a mad dastard!

Draw, o coward!

Egad! No bondage!

Egad, an adage!

emu fat sap pasta fume

Enid and Edna dine: Eda Nomel's lemonade Bel Paese a pleb Parkay yak rap Feeble el beef Roti de pup editor Eel, urbane hen a brulee Self-furnace Pecan ruffles

Eros? Sidney, my end is sore.

Evil olive.

Flee to me, remote elf.

Flesh! Saw I Mimi wash self!

Gert, I saw Ron avoid a radio-van - or was it Reg?

Gnu dung.

Go hang a salami! I'm a lasagna hog!

God! A red nugget! A fat egg under a dog!

God, a slap! Paris, sir, appals a dog.

Goldenrod-adorned log

Golf? No sir, prefer prison-flog.

Gustav Klimt milk vats - ug!

I maim Miami.

I roamed under it as a tired, nude Maori.

I, zani Nazi.

Jar a tonga, nag not a raj.

Kay, a red nude, peeped under a yak.

Kayak salad - Alaska yak.

Lager, Sir, is regal.

Laminated E.T. animal.

Lay a wallaby baby ball away, Al.

Lepers repel.

"M" lab menial slain: embalm.

Ma is a nun, as I am.

Man, Eve let an irate tar in at eleven a.m.

May a moody baby doom a yam?

Mayhem, eh Yam?

"Miry rim! So many daffodils," Delia wailed, "slid off a dynamo's miry rim!"

Must sell at tallest sum.

Naomi, did I moan?

Ned, go gag Ogden.

Never odd or even.

No lemons, no melon.

Nog eroded Oregon.

Nosegay ages on.

Now Ned, I am a maiden nun: Ned, I am a maiden won.

O.E.D. or rodeo?

Pa's a sap.

Paganini: Din in A Gap.

Party boobytrap.

Poor Dan is in a droop.

Red Nevada vendor.

Reflog a golfer

Reno loner

"Reviled did I live," said I, "as evil I did deliver."

Rise, take lame female Kate, sir.

Rococo "R".

Rot-corpse Sumatran art amuses proctor.

Senile Felines

Sex at noon taxes.

Sex-aware era waxes.

Sh, Tom sees moths.

Sir, I soon saw Bob was no Osiris.

Sis, Sargasso Moss a grass is.

Sit on a potato pan, Otis.

Sniff'um muffins.

So, Ida, adios!

Solo gigolos.

Sore eye, Eros?

Sore was I ere I saw Eros.

Stab nail at ill Italian bats.

Star comedy by Democrats.

Stella won no wallets

Step on no pets!

Stop! Murder us not, tonsured rumpots!

Strategem: megatarts.

straw warts

T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad. "I'd assign it a name: gant dirt upset on drab pot toilet

Tarzan raised Desi Arnaz' rat.

Tense, I snap Sharon roses, or Norah's pansies net.

Too bad, I hid a boot.

Trafalgar rag: La Fart

Tuna nut

U.F.O. tofu.

Viva le te de Tel Aviv

Was raw tap ale not a reviver at one lap at Warsaw?

We seven, Eve, sew.

Yawn a more Roman way.

Yell upset a cider: predicates pulley.

Yo! Bottoms up, U.S. Motto, boy!

FOREIGN LANGUAGE PALINDROMES

(Latin) Subi dura a rudibus (endure rough treatement from uncultured brutes)

Sator Arepo tenet opera rotas (The sower Arepo works with the help of a wheel.)

(Finnish)

Saippuakauppias (soap dealer) (the longest one word palindrome in the world!)

suolatalous - salt economy

iso rikas sika sokosakissa kirosi - a fat rich pig cursed in a poker gang

isa, ala myy myymalaasi - father, don't sell your shop (two dots over those a's)

(Welsh) Llad dafad dall (kill a blind sheep)

(Swedish) Ni talar bra latin (you speak good Latin)

-- +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | John Jensen Department of Political Science | | jejensen@ccs.carleton.ca Carleton University | | CI$: 76104,2030 Ottawa, Canada | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+