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#1 2013-09-19 18:11:18

phrontister
Real Member
From: The Land of Tomorrow
Registered: 2009-07-12
Posts: 4,810

Wordmorphy

Hi all!

Here's a word-morphing game in which the object is to transform a starting word into a target word via a series of changes by using any of the following, any number of times: synonym, homophone and homograph.

Definitions:
synonym: A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in certain contexts.
I understand synonym to apply to a word that can be substituted for another word (eg, in a sentence) without changing the context - either at all or hardly - so that what is expressed can be understood exactly or nearly exactly the same way irrespective of the word (synonym) choice.
homophone: A word that has the same sound as another but differing from it in meaning.
homograph: A word that has the same spelling as another but differing from it in meaning.
Some dictionaries group homophone and homograph under homonym.

Game example:
     GREAT -> INTERROGATE

     GREAT
     GRATE
     GRILL
     INTERROGATE

Explanation:
     GREAT to GRATE = homophone
     GRATE to GRILL = synonym
     GRILL to INTERROGATE = homograph on GRILL first, then synonym

If you're the first to solve a new puzzle please post one of your own to keep the show on the road...but only one to which you already have a solution.

The huge scope offered by the rules will mean that there could be many solutions to each puzzle, so even after a puzzle is solved you may like to explore further solution options - eg: shorter, cleverer or more interesting - and post them.

This game can be quite difficult and challenging, so it's probably best, at least initially, to post puzzles with a shortish solution chain (say, no more than 7 words, including the start and target words).

I'll start...

CANYON -> REPAIR

smile

Last edited by phrontister (2013-10-02 17:35:35)


"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson

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#2 2013-09-19 23:00:44

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,711

Re: Wordmorphy

Canyon
Gorge
Bolt (eat fast)
Fix
Repair

(probably not a good answer though)


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#3 2013-09-20 01:03:46

phrontister
Real Member
From: The Land of Tomorrow
Registered: 2009-07-12
Posts: 4,810

Re: Wordmorphy

Hi MIF,

All good, I reckon...I like it! up

To 'bolt' is to 'eat very fast' (ie, to 'gorge') and also to 'fasten securely' (ie, to 'fix' in place), and so 'bolt' works well in both directions. The others are good too.

I had:
CANYON
GORGE
JAM (to cram or stuff food in...given on Thesaurus.com as a synonym for 'gorge')
FIX (ie, 'being in a fix', as in 'being in trouble' or 'in a jam')
REPAIR

Have you got a puzzle for us?

Last edited by phrontister (2013-09-24 15:01:44)


"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson

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#4 2013-09-20 16:46:09

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,711

Re: Wordmorphy

Thanks!

Preserve -> Support

(Uses a word from above)


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#5 2013-09-20 21:56:39

anonimnystefy
Real Member
From: Harlan's World
Registered: 2011-05-23
Posts: 16,049

Re: Wordmorphy

Might be a bit of a stretch, but:

Preserve
Keep
Prevent
Help
Support


“Here lies the reader who will never open this book. He is forever dead.
“Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
The knowledge of some things as a function of age is a delta function.

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#6 2013-09-21 09:54:42

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,711

Re: Wordmorphy

Good try ... but prevent->help is a large jump isn't it?


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#7 2013-09-21 12:07:43

anonimnystefy
Real Member
From: Harlan's World
Registered: 2011-05-23
Posts: 16,049

Re: Wordmorphy

"I can't help it" is somewhat similar to "I can't prevent it".


“Here lies the reader who will never open this book. He is forever dead.
“Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
The knowledge of some things as a function of age is a delta function.

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#8 2013-09-21 22:55:03

MathsIsFun
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Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,711

Re: Wordmorphy

OK! Your turn.


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#9 2013-09-22 13:41:57

phrontister
Real Member
From: The Land of Tomorrow
Registered: 2009-07-12
Posts: 4,810

Re: Wordmorphy

I found a shorter option (I think):

PRESERVE
CONSERVE
MAINTAIN
SUPPORT

smile

MathsIsFun wrote:

(Uses a word from above)

I wanted to use jam in PRESERVE->JAM->JAMB->SUPPORT but changed my mind because I thought that, in the sense of 'preserved food' (which is the only sense I could think of to tie these two words together), jam and preserve probably weren't alike enough:

- in jam, the fruit comes in the form of fruit pulp or crushed fruit;
- in preserves, the fruit comes in the form of chunks in a syrup or a jam.
(from http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question84.htm)

And so I guess you'd be more likely to refer to 'jams and preserves' instead of using the words interchangeably (more or less)...not that I really know what I'm talking about, because I've only ever eaten my mum's preserves and jams, and not made them!

But maybe that's all being too picky, or maybe there's some other sense I've missed...

I understand synonym to apply to a word that can be substituted for another word (eg, in a sentence) without changing the context - either at all or hardly - so that what is expressed can be understood exactly or nearly exactly the same way irrespective of the word (synonym) choice...all of which is just another way of saying what I said in post #1, I suppose. dizzy

Last edited by phrontister (2013-09-22 21:47:14)


"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson

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#10 2013-09-23 09:50:43

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,711

Re: Wordmorphy

Your solution is excellent!

Yes ... jam was the key, and preserve is an OK synonym for me.


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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#11 2013-09-23 11:13:42

phrontister
Real Member
From: The Land of Tomorrow
Registered: 2009-07-12
Posts: 4,810

Re: Wordmorphy

Thanks! There's lots of scope for multiple answers in this game...and also regarding what is or isn't considered to be a synonym. I very nearly used PRESERVE->JAM.

I'd hoped for a puzzle from stefy - which he could always post at any time because we don't have to limit ourselves to just one open puzzle at a time - but here's one that has an interesting twist to it...which I'll explain after an answer is found.

DUE->FIX


"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson

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#12 2013-09-25 01:19:37

auyeungyat
Member
Registered: 2013-09-23
Posts: 22

Re: Wordmorphy

Very...Brain-strechting...
DUE
TIME
CLOCK
FIX

Last edited by auyeungyat (2013-09-25 03:01:11)

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#13 2013-09-25 01:58:38

phrontister
Real Member
From: The Land of Tomorrow
Registered: 2009-07-12
Posts: 4,810

Re: Wordmorphy

Hi auyeungyat,

I'd say that CLOCK->CLOCK-REPAIRMAN and CLOCK-REPAIRMAN->FIX are both too big a stretch for the rules, but if you'd omitted CLOCK-REPAIRMAN I reckon you'd have a solution!

That would change the ending to CLOCK->FIX. Do you see how that would work? smile


"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson

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#14 2013-09-25 02:08:57

Agnishom
Real Member
From: Riemann Sphere
Registered: 2011-01-29
Posts: 24,974
Website

Re: Wordmorphy

I do not


'And fun? If maths is fun, then getting a tooth extraction is fun. A viral infection is fun. Rabies shots are fun.'
'God exists because Mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists because we cannot prove it'
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.

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#15 2013-09-25 02:51:34

phrontister
Real Member
From: The Land of Tomorrow
Registered: 2009-07-12
Posts: 4,810

Re: Wordmorphy

Hi Agnishom,

There are a couple of fairly well-known (in certain unsavoury quarters) slang expressions that go something like 'I'm really gonna clock him one' and "I'm gonna fix him good". They're very similar, both threatening to make mincemeat of someone on the receiving end.

So in that sense of assaulting someone, 'clock' and 'fix' are synonymous.

Last edited by phrontister (2013-09-25 02:58:24)


"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson

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#16 2013-09-25 03:07:25

phrontister
Real Member
From: The Land of Tomorrow
Registered: 2009-07-12
Posts: 4,810

Re: Wordmorphy

Hi auyeungyat,

I had...

DUE
RIGHT (in the sense of 'expected reward', something that is your 'due' is your 'right')
FIX ('fix' something to make it 'right')

phrontister wrote:

but here's one that has an interesting twist to it...which I'll explain after an answer is found

I was referring there to the different pronunciation of 'due': British/Aussie English = "dew"; American English = "do" (see howjsay.com).

So from 'due' you could have:
Br/Aus.E. = DUE->DEW->etc
A.E. = DUE->DO->etc

Got a puzzle for us? smile

Last edited by phrontister (2013-09-25 04:33:41)


"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson

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#17 2013-09-26 21:28:32

phrontister
Real Member
From: The Land of Tomorrow
Registered: 2009-07-12
Posts: 4,810

Re: Wordmorphy

Here's one:

EXECUTE -> VIEWED


"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson

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#18 2013-10-02 00:08:31

auyeungyat
Member
Registered: 2013-09-23
Posts: 22

Re: Wordmorphy

EXECUTE
DO(to execute=to do)
RESEARCH(Do something need to research)
VIEW(view documents=research something)
VIEWED(past tense of view)

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#19 2013-10-02 01:18:25

barbie19022002
Member
Registered: 2013-05-24
Posts: 1,314

Re: Wordmorphy

I didn't  understand the puzzle...
how to do it..?


Jake is Alice's father, Jake is the ________ of Alice's father?
Why is T called island letter?
think, think, think and don't get up with a solution...

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#20 2013-10-02 13:54:26

phrontister
Real Member
From: The Land of Tomorrow
Registered: 2009-07-12
Posts: 4,810

Re: Wordmorphy

Hi barbie19022002,

In my first post I set out the rules for the game and gave an example of how to play it. If there's something there that you don't understand just let me know and I'll try to help you with it.

An excellent source for finding synonyms is thesaurus.com.

Homophone.com is possibly the best source for homophones. It has an a - z search function, but some of their lists don't align well and may be a little confusing at first. Clicking on a word will take you to its definition at Merriam-Webster.com.

Any comprehensive dictionary is a good source for homographs.

I don't want to make this sound too daunting for anyone, but Wordmorphy is language-specific and can be trickier for people whose first language isn't the one the game is played in. That could also make it a good learning tool for that language, though. smile

Last edited by phrontister (2013-10-03 22:35:40)


"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson

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#21 2013-10-02 18:25:22

phrontister
Real Member
From: The Land of Tomorrow
Registered: 2009-07-12
Posts: 4,810

Re: Wordmorphy

Hi auyeungyat,

Good try! smile I can't give it to you, though (sorry). sad

EXECUTE->DO is fine (synonyms).

However, I think the others stretch the rules too much. No pairs are homophones or homographs, so the question is only about whether or not they are synonyms.

DO->RESEARCH (Do something need to research)

The meanings of these two words are too different for them to be synonymous. Yes, they both involve doing something, but, compared to DO, RESEARCH has too specific a meaning - eg, to search into (a matter or subject); to investigate or study closely.

DO, particularly in the sense of RESEARCH, needs an object (ie, to do something), whereas RESEARCH doesn't necessarily. eg, you might 'do a research paper' or 'do some research'.

I doubt that we could find a context in which the meaning of both words are the same, or nearly the same.

RESEARCH->VIEW (view documents=research something)

I can't see them as synonyms, for the same kind of reasoning as with the previous pairing.

VIEW->VIEWED (past tense of view)

VIEWED is only an inflection of the base word (it is not another word as such), and therefore is not a synonym of VIEW. The change of tense kills it as a synonym too.

Last edited by phrontister (2013-10-05 12:34:21)


"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson

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