Word + Letter = Antonym (a word puzzle)

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:12 pm

So someone mentioned to me earlier that FASTING is a cool word because you can add one letter (E) and get a new word which (just about) means the opposite. At first I thought "pfft", and then tried to think of some myself to prove it's not all that remarkable, but got a bit stuck. So I thought I'd throw it open to you lot. Obviously anything where you're just doing an A prefix is cheating, but what can we come up with? Kudos goes to the supplier of the longest example (woof), as long as you don't cheat (you big cheaty cheatersons).

Edit: This challenge has now been modified to allow you to rearrange the letters to give the opposite word, since that seems a bit more doable.

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:17 pm

SYMMETRICAL -> ASYMMETRICAL

(maybe you should ban A- prefixes?

)

Kai Laddiman · Post by **Kai Laddiman** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:18 pm

Jon Corby wrote:SYMMETRICAL -> ASYMMETRICAL

(maybe you should ban A- prefixes? )

(Psst! He already has!)

Kai Laddiman · Post by **Kai Laddiman** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:19 pm

Thanks for this Raccoon Boy, it's a very interesting puzzle.

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:19 pm

Kai Laddiman wrote:(Psst! He already has!)

Aaw, I was waiting to see how long it would take him to notice

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:20 pm

Oh yeah.

Erm.

I'll come back and edit this with a good reason why I posted that without reading all the rules later, when I've thought of one.

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:20 pm

Kai Laddiman wrote:Thanks for this Raccoon Boy, it's a very interesting puzzle.

Raccoon Boy?

Kai Laddiman · Post by **Kai Laddiman** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:20 pm

Michael Wallace wrote:
Kai Laddiman wrote:(Psst! He already has!)
Aaw, I was waiting to see how long it would take him to notice

Sorry.

PS FASTERS -> FEASTERS

Joint top!

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:25 pm

I suppose CAN and CAN'T shouldn't count.

(also, any -INGs and -ERs and what have you only count as the stem, unless the ending is necessary for the thing to work, so FASTING and FASTERS are only 4

)

Although at the moment I'm still interested in *any* others, rather than being too obsessed by length.

Kai Laddiman · Post by **Kai Laddiman** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:31 pm

Michael Wallace wrote:any -INGs and -ERs and what have you only count as the stem, unless the ending is necessary for the thing to work, so FASTING and FASTERS are only 4

Grrr...

EDIT: That means I am still joint top on 4 -> 5!

Ben Wilson · Post by **Ben Wilson** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:31 pm

LAUGHTER -> SLAUGHTER? It works if you're a stand-up comedian, at any rate.

JimBentley · Post by **JimBentley** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:35 pm

RATIONED -> DERATIONS...actually, I'm not sure that really works. More thought required.

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:45 pm

jimbentley wrote:RATIONED -> DERATIONS...actually, I'm not sure that really works. More thought required.

Wait, are we allowed to rearrange the letters, or does the additional letter have to slot in somewhere neatly?

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:47 pm

Jon Corby wrote:
jimbentley wrote:RATIONED -> DERATIONS...actually, I'm not sure that really works. More thought required.
Wait, are we allowed to rearrange the letters, or does the additional letter have to slot in somewhere neatly?

Hmm, I hadn't really thought about it. Either is potentially interesting, but the former is obviously sexier. Perhaps we can have two separate challenges, one for slotting in, and one with rearranging (since that's presumably not so easy it's boring, and even if it is it'll get harder the longer it gets).

Steven Briers · Post by **Steven Briers** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:58 pm

How about POISON and T for POTIONS, or POISON and N for OPSONIN.

Kai Laddiman · Post by **Kai Laddiman** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:43 pm

Hows about AGONISE -> DIAGNOSE?

Kirk Bevins · Post by **Kirk Bevins** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 4:11 pm

Michael Wallace wrote: and even if it is it'll get harder the longer it gets).

Wayhey!

Gavin Chipper · Post by **Gavin Chipper** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 8:58 pm

HORSE (Leona Lewis looks like a horse) and HOARSE.

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:13 am

RAPETIME -> IMPETRATE

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:33 am

GOD + O = GOOD

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:25 am

Gavin Chipper · Post by **Gavin Chipper** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 4:34 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:GOD + O = GOOD

I like that one.

Gavin Chipper · Post by **Gavin Chipper** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 4:37 pm

HEATH (Ledger) and HEALTH

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 4:38 pm

TANNOY + M

Kirk Bevins · Post by **Kirk Bevins** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:01 pm

Jon Corby wrote:TANNOY + M

Haha I like this one better.

David O'Donnell · Post by **David O'Donnell** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:20 pm

Kirk Bevins wrote:Haha I like this one better.
Jon Corby wrote:TANNOY + M

Haha I like this one better.

Are you mad, man?

Jon Corby wrote:

This is by far the best!

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 5:41 pm

Jon Corby wrote:

I guess the letter added is Y.

Dinos Sfyris · Post by **Dinos Sfyris** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:46 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Jon Corby wrote:
I guess the letter added is Y.

No its D

GORGE -> DOGGER

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:17 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Jon Corby wrote:
I guess the letter added is Y.

Actually, you don't need to add any letters at all...

RACHEL RILEY -> LAIRY LECHER

Kirk Bevins · Post by **Kirk Bevins** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:33 am

Phil Reynolds wrote:
Charlie Reams wrote:
Jon Corby wrote:
I guess the letter added is Y.
Actually, you don't need to add any letters at all...

RACHEL RILEY -> LAIRY LECHER

Yeah you do:

RACHEL RILEY + A = CHARLIE LAYER.

Nice one mate.

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:47 am

Kirk Bevins wrote:
Jon Corby wrote:
RACHEL RILEY + A = CHARLIE LAYER.

Since the person on the right of the arrow is Charlie, that only works if Charlie is in the habit of laying himself. Oh, hang on...

Kirk Bevins · Post by **Kirk Bevins** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 5:46 pm

Kirk Bevins wrote:
RACHEL RILEY + A = CHARLIE LAYER.

Nice one mate.

Well, RACHEL RILEY + letter = the opposite, i.e. Charlie isn't laying her, he's laying....himself? Wow, Phil, I think you're onto something here...

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 6:36 pm

I think this joke may have been analysed enough now...

Kirk Bevins · Post by **Kirk Bevins** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 7:37 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:I think this joke may have been analysed enough now...

Ha, sorry mate. Love you really.

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 12:29 pm

PRACTICAL --> PIRATICAL

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 12:45 pm

Michael Wallace wrote:PRACTICAL --> PIRATICAL

That's a different game called Word + Letter - Letter, or did the pirates plunder the other C?

Michael Wallace · Post by **Michael Wallace** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 2:06 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:
Michael Wallace wrote:PRACTICAL --> PIRATICAL
That's a different game called Word + Letter - Letter, or did the pirates plunder the other C?

Actually I meant PIRACTICAL, my bad.

David Williams · Post by **David Williams** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:19 am

PHAETON + S = STANHOPE

A crossword compiler's favourite. Many might say that phaetons and stanhopes are pretty much the same thing, but I'm sure that to carriage cognoscenti there are differences so profound that they are complete opposites. A bit like Blair and Thatcher.

David

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:43 am

PARENT + R = PARTNER

Still not exactly antonyms, but closer than most that have been suggested so far.

Dinos Sfyris · Post by **Dinos Sfyris** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:37 am

One I just missed in Goatdown

UNFAIR -> FUNFAIR!

David O'Donnell · Post by **David O'Donnell** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:49 am

Dinos Sfyris wrote:One I just missed in Goatdown

UNFAIR -> FUNFAIR!

MONDIAL - UNIMODAL

I still think RACHEL - CHARLIE is the best so far.

Kai Laddiman · Post by **Kai Laddiman** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:24 pm

Hows about AGONISE -> DIAGNOSE?