c4countdown

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.

SYMMETRICAL -> ASYMMETRICAL



(maybe you should ban A- prefixes? )

Jon Corby wrote:SYMMETRICAL -> ASYMMETRICAL



(maybe you should ban A- prefixes? )

(Psst! He already has!)

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

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

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

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.

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

Raccoon Boy?

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!

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.

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!

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

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

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?

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).

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

Hows about AGONISE -> DIAGNOSE?

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

Wayhey!

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

RAPETIME -> IMPETRATE

GOD + O = GOOD

Phil Reynolds wrote:GOD + O = GOOD

I like that one.

HEATH (Ledger) and HEALTH

TANNOY + M

Jon Corby wrote:TANNOY + M

Haha I like this one better.

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!

Jon Corby wrote:

I guess the letter added is Y.

Charlie Reams wrote:

Jon Corby wrote:

I guess the letter added is Y.

No its D

GORGE -> DOGGER

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

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.

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 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...

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

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

Ha, sorry mate. Love you really.

PRACTICAL --> PIRATICAL

Michael Wallace wrote:PRACTICAL --> PIRATICAL

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

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.

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

PARENT + R = PARTNER

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

One I just missed in Goatdown

UNFAIR -> FUNFAIR!

Dinos Sfyris wrote:One I just missed in Goatdown

UNFAIR -> FUNFAIR!

MONDIAL - UNIMODAL

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

Hows about AGONISE -> DIAGNOSE?