# A 50,000 word essay, without the letter "e". **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2004, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047 "2004-08-23T04:18:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/41 "2007-04-21T10:30:56Z")
I’m pretty sure he does say ‘promise’ at the end though. ---
**Author:** ![Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tyrrell_mcallister/32/16772_2.png) [@Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyrrell_McAllister)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/42 "2007-04-21T10:41:53Z")
I think he says, “so you can nod _from this_” (not “promise”). ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/43 "2007-04-21T12:46:51Z")
I don’t know how many thousands of words I could scroll without using that fifth form of pictograph. It would imply absurdity, if not downright fantastical. To simply think such a thing is mind boggling. Why, a scant thought of a composition annuling this uncial is thouroughly irrational. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/44 "2007-04-21T13:59:19Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] You could go with “That’s All, Folks!” [/QUOTE] Or a Francophonic ‘fin.’ ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/45 "2007-04-21T15:23:39Z")
[QUOTE=Tyrrell McAllister] I think he says, “so you can nod _from this_” (not “promise”). [/QUOTE] The Full Lyrics: > [@](#): > > Yo. Without a topic I rock it. You just can’t knock it or box it. I will not quit or stop and lock lips. This is a rap song in which no lyrics contain that fifth capital. Brains and wits magical. I strain to rip madrigals plain to bits. Any occasion, I flip scripts - birthdays and kids’ trips, violin gigs and first day shindigs and thursdays. I win big with wordplay. I’m on top of it always. With or without that non-consonant I still bring it. Fans or not, my mom’s strong fond of it. And you wouldn’t know, but I just brought this jazz to it’s limit - that’s right, your total ABCs without that fifth is in it. From here: [http://www.songstowearpantsto.com/index.php?x=lyrics](http://www.songstowearpantsto.com/index.php?x=lyrics) ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/46 "2007-04-21T16:04:56Z")
> [@](#): > > The Full Lyrics: Well, okay, I guess he beats me in word content. But my post makes more sense, dawg. Foshizzle. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/47 "2007-04-21T16:53:48Z")
[QUOTE=Tristan] I find that doing this is a bit difficult. But, in truth, I am turning into an addict. Finding words that fit without the taboo symbol is rough though. [/QUOTE] Almost as difficult as I am finding a reply to your post. It is proving hard to do without using the symbol which falls fifth in our listing of symbols, taking it from “A” to “Z”. I’m sick of struggling with this so I’ll go now, no doubt I shall again show my skills and post in forums apart from this. ---
**Author:** ![Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tyrrell_mcallister/32/16772_2.png) [@Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyrrell_McAllister)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/48 "2007-04-21T17:06:13Z")
[QUOTE=fighting ignorant] The Full Lyrics: From here: [http://www.songstowearpantsto.com/index.php?x=lyrics](http://www.songstowearpantsto.com/index.php?x=lyrics) [/QUOTE] Not quite the full lyrics. They don’t include the portion with the “from this”/“promise” line. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/49 "2007-04-21T17:47:50Z")
Just glancing at a dictionary shows just how many words contain that symbol. It occurs so much, it limits your ability to put across any kind of lucid communication. In fact, two postings (#34 and #47) in this topic could not avoid that symbol from slipping in. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/50 "2007-04-21T18:01:22Z")
#47 ::smack:: ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/51 "2007-04-22T04:51:47Z")
[QUOTE=tracer] Shouldn’t that be “assay”? 😉 I hear tell that Ernst Wright, while writing _Gadsby_, had the “E” key on his typewriter tied down so that he couldn’t accidentally strike it. [/QUOTE] How would that work? Wouldn’t it keep the arm swung up against the paper in the way of all the other letters. Now taping a thumb tack to it, that’s motivation. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/52 "2007-04-22T05:49:33Z")
**Jo\*y P** I thought it was a taut string which would stop that horizontal bar from moving in a _downward_ motion. Also, **Jo\*y P** , it looks as if you don’t want to maintain what is now an “unofficial” stipulation for posting to this topic. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/53 "2007-04-22T09:29:44Z")
Reminds me of a poster that used to be in NYC subways in the late 1970’s: “If u cn rd ths u cn gt a gd jb!” It was for a school that was teaching a new version of shorthand…(as if anyone even knows what shorthand is today). My current students would probably not see a single spelling error in the above quote. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/54 "2007-04-22T09:37:03Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] Reminds me of a poster that used to be in NYC subways in the late 1970’s: “If u cn rd ths u cn gt a gd jb!” [/QUOTE] Back when you couldn’t pick up _MAD_ or _National Lampoon_ that wasn’t _Chock full o’_ NY area brand names, ad campaigns, etc., I remember a version that ended, “bkm a sec & hv sx wth yr bss.” ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/55 "2007-04-22T20:16:18Z")
I thought **MAD** ’s policy was _always_ avoiding publishing any ads. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/56 "2007-04-22T20:52:51Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] I thought **MAD** ’s policy was _always_ avoiding publishing any ads. [/QUOTE] Sounds like it could be a spoof, although _MAD_ has carried advertising for the past five years or so. And of course, there’s always the _Simpsons_ episode in which Homer writes restaurant reviews on a typewriter that’s missing the “e” key. So instead of _Restaurant Review_, he names his column _Food Box- Go Or No Go?_ Now _that_ I’d read! ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/57 "2007-04-22T23:22:43Z")
Thanks **Mobo85** I didn’t know that MAD now contains ads. In my day, MAD was totally without ads but now (as you said) that’s not MAD’s policy. It’s astounding that a monthly publication could go so long without having to publish ads. ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/58 "2007-04-22T23:47:03Z")
[QUOTE=Muad’Dib] [I am not this clever.](http://www.spinelessbooks.com/gadsby/01.html) [/QUOTE] Don’t you mean you are not this smart? ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/59 "2007-04-23T01:27:35Z")
Wow, he is a good work… guy. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047/60 "2007-04-23T02:39:43Z")
[QUOTE=wolf in second hand clothing] Wow, he is a good work… guy. [/QUOTE] Not similar to Carl’s pal, you took fifth symbol. And if you don’t know many words, Writing without fifth symbol you go talking as Cro-Magnon. (Sorry, Omaha Wizard’s car-cash company mascots.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-50-000-word-essay-without-the-letter-e/261047.md?page=4)