# Help a newbie.. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 8, 1999, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-newbie/3086 "1999-09-08T20:45:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JawaTrader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecccb3/32.png) [@JawaTrader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JawaTrader)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-newbie/3086/1 "1999-09-08T20:45:00Z")
In the straight dope books, I keep hearing refereneces to the “gry” question. Which makes me wonder… JUST WHAT THE #@^)_#^(_@ing @(^%\*#)^(8 IS THE “GRY” QUESTION? Erm. Anyway, also, in “The Triumph Of The Straight Dope”, one AOL user named ‘IMSMRTRTNU’ writes in, to which cecil starts his column by replying to it: URSMRTRNI(you are smarter than I)? DLUR(the hell you are), TRKE. What’s the TRKE mean? Turkey? * * * -Th’ JawaTrader ---
**Author:** ![StrTrkr777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@StrTrkr777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrTrkr777)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-newbie/3086/2 "1999-09-08T21:05:00Z")
The question is this: > [@](#): > > There are three English words that end with -gry. Two of them are “hungry” and “angry.” What’s the third? To find the answer go the the search the straight dope archives and type “gry” and select classic and up will come the answer. I would surmise that the TRKE would indeed be Turkey. Jeffery ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-newbie/3086/3 "1999-09-08T21:12:00Z")
The “gry” question is indeed infamous. From [http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/injokes.html](http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/injokes.html) : > [@](#): > > Gry – “There are three words in the English language that end with the letters -gry. The first two are hungry and angry. What’s the third?” Cecil actually did answer this, and if you ask it here, people will hate you forever and ever. [explained by Kyla Sedai] Also from [http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/poflames.adp](http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/poflames.adp) > [@](#): > > {{i was sent a brain teaser that said there are three words (in english ) that end in the letters “GRY” . one is hungry , one is angry , the third , i cant find . please help.}} > > I would advise you to do an archive search, right after you get a new screenname. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-newbie/3086/4 "1999-09-08T21:20:00Z")
\<\< What’s the TRKE mean? Turkey? \>\> Yes. Turkey. ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-newbie/3086/5 "1999-09-08T21:31:00Z")
I won a beer answering the “gry” question in a bar once. I did, of course, tell the guy that asked where I’d gotten the answer from. ---
**Author:** ![eggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@eggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eggo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-newbie/3086/6 "1999-09-08T21:49:00Z")
from the cecil answer: > [@](#): > > One last thing. Occasionally you’ll hear the question above framed this way: “There are three English words ending with -gry. Two of them are hungry and angry. The third word is very common; in fact you have just encountered it. What is the third word?” > > Naturally you are puzzled, because none of the words Cecil has just quoted is common. How do we explain this? > > Easy. You are the victim of a despicable trick. The desired answer is “three.” i don’t get it… eggo ---
**Author:** ![StrTrkr777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@StrTrkr777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrTrkr777)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-newbie/3086/7 "1999-09-08T21:56:00Z")
Hold on to your socks. > [@](#): > > “There are three English words ending with -gry. Two of them are hungry and angry. The third word is very common; in fact you have just encountered it. What is the third word?” If you start at “There” and count three words, you find the 3rd word is “three”. Because in fact this version asks the question what is the third word? The third word in this version is “three” Make sense? Jeffery ---
**Author:** ![eggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@eggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eggo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-a-newbie/3086/8 "1999-09-08T22:03:00Z")
groan…