# Beat this... Every other letter is an "A"! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 23, 2001, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903 "2001-11-23T16:33:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/21 "2001-11-24T03:01:02Z")
Aww, don’t feel so bad **Lectricity** , we all know you meant to say “DAB” instead of “BAD”. And hey, that’s still a word. Don’t fret! We’ll just forget this little incident… ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/22 "2001-11-24T03:57:30Z")
Aha! Ana eat a man (dad). A Canabal! (I’m taking some artistic license with spelling.) ---
**Author:** ![Cougarfang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c67d28/32.png) [@Cougarfang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cougarfang)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/23 "2001-11-24T04:31:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FireUnderpantsBoobs \* > \*\*Aha! Ana eat a man (dad). A Canabal! > > (I’m taking some artistic license with spelling.) \*\* _applause_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/24 "2001-11-24T06:01:29Z")
Alternating a’s. An acceptable, albeit alien, artistic accomplishment. Almost as attainable, afterwards, as allitteration. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/25 "2001-11-24T06:02:35Z")
Ahem. Absent alliteration, assonance. ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/26 "2001-11-24T14:02:32Z")
(takes deep breath) A big crow died ere Fawnsingtonbury Grove, hiking in jello knickers, loving most nose octopi picking Q-tip roses, stopping the Ultharian vase with xylophone yogurt, zirconium-flavoured. (collapses) ---
**Author:** ![Cougarfang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c67d28/32.png) [@Cougarfang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cougarfang)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/27 "2001-11-24T14:22:54Z")
Zoogirl (Your name here) Xizor Weirddave Violet UncleBeer TheLoadedDog SPOOFE Redukter Qwertyasdfg Purd Werfect Opalcat Nukeman Monkeypants Lectricity Kabbes Jarbabyj Iampunha Heresiarch Gazoo FireUnderpantsBoobs Eternal Daowajan Cougarfang Beagledave Astro _GASP_ Easy way to remember the alphabet backwards… 😃 note: these are RANDOM names… ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/28 "2001-11-24T18:06:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arwen \* > \*\*Can anyone say “boredom”? > That’s right…let’s all say it together now… > “boredom”! \*\* well “boredom” has every other letter being a vowel… ---
**Author:** ![ozonebaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/eb8c5e/32.png) [@ozonebaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ozonebaby)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/29 "2001-11-24T18:10:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DMAAN \* > \*\*No, every third leter is a D > > d \*\* no, a. ---
**Author:** ![DMAAN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/278dde/32.png) [@DMAAN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMAAN)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/30 "2001-11-24T18:54:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ozonebaby \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by DMAAN \* > > \*\*No, every third leter is a D > > > > d \*\* > > no, a. \*\* I admit that I can’t spell letter but every 3rd letter in BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD!!! ia a D. How do you get ‘a’? d (the d is not part of the response, just how I sign these things.) ---
**Author:** ![Lectricity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9d8465/32.png) [@Lectricity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lectricity)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/31 "2001-11-24T18:56:17Z")
Sure, rub it in. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/32 "2001-11-24T19:14:13Z")
He took a black house key and killed Kevin skiing . Every 6th letter is a ‘k’. Beat that. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/33 "2001-11-24T21:57:30Z")
Courtesy of John Updike: Affable, bibulous, corpulent, dull, Eager-to-find-a-seat, formidible, Garrulous, humorous, icy, jejune, Knockabout, laden-with-luggage (maroon), Mild-mannered, narrow-necked, oval-eyed, pert, Querrelous, rakish, seductive, tart, vert- iginous, willowy, xanthic (or yellow), young zebesque are my passengers fellow. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/34 "2001-11-24T23:41:53Z")
Alana saw an Alabama banana man at a Canada cabana. Russia! Number one! U.S.A.! Pt’hooey! And now, Nikolai Volkoff will sing the Russian national anthem… ---
**Author:** ![ozonebaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/eb8c5e/32.png) [@ozonebaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ozonebaby)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/35 "2001-11-24T23:46:51Z")
I hardly think that’s necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/36 "2001-11-25T00:01:44Z")
Just in case anyone is at all interested: I’ve been thinking of words you could use in constructing a sentence in which every other letter is an “a.” Here’s what I have so far: **Verbs (or words that double as nouns and verbs without needing non-“a” containing prepositions.)** saw was fan say pay pat tap wag lap ram nab sat wax rap sag \*\* Nouns that don’t double as verbs \*\* bar pal oat oar ear cabal cab alata (Yeah, I know it’s obscure. I have no idea how I’d use it.) ama (It’s a verb in Spanish, too.) ayah tar jam rat cat cap mag man data sap can par bay dab day way ray banana caw canal gam cam cad yam tapas zap **Adjectives** far fat gay **Interjections and other stuff** Aha! Ha, ha! Yay! as a at a nay a la a.k.a. **Abbreviations, acronyms, and assorted geeky things** PABA TATA AMA ADA para- 2-PAM RAM **Proper nouns and proper adjectives** Nana Nan Ana Tamara Marat Rama Sara (and Sarah) Tara Alana Panama 'Nam Da Gama Arab Alabama Rabat Ararat Ramat Gan May It’s truly amazing, the amount of time and effort I can spend procrastinating sometimes. Now I’ll get back to work. Ooh, wait-I forgot “sax” and…oh, never mind. I hope this post isn’t a threadkiller. I don’t know what’s wrong with me sometimes. I swear… ---
**Author:** ![Lectricity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9d8465/32.png) [@Lectricity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lectricity)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/37 "2001-11-25T00:23:04Z")
With much thanks to Dr\_Paprika and Scribble… Nana Rabat AKA Tamara saw an Alabama banana man at a Canada cabana. Yay!!! Now I would sure like to meet this Alabama banana man. He sure seems to get around. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/38 "2001-11-25T06:50:55Z")
I remember the time my Grandmother, Tamara Rabat, told me about how her friend Asa Smith, who was an tropical fruit expert vacationing on the Gulf Coast, became annoyed at their waitress Sara Jones, a Caribbean immigrant, who refused to reheat his appetizers in the microwave. In other words: Nana Rabat aka Tamara saw a Bahama Mama, Sara, zap a banana data man, Asa, nada tapas at an Alabama cabana bar. ---
**Author:** ![Lectricity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9d8465/32.png) [@Lectricity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lectricity)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/39 "2001-11-25T18:39:51Z")
Little Nimo, I’m speechless. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903/40 "2001-11-25T19:30:53Z")
Alana: Gah! Ava: Alana saw a fat rat? Sara: Alaska. (:D) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beat-this-every-other-letter-is-an-a/94903.md?page=3)