# Is there a name for this language trick? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2002, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411 "2002-03-15T04:21:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Juniper200](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@Juniper200](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juniper200)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/1 "2002-03-15T04:21:31Z")
Is there a special term for a word or sentence that, when read backwards, is a totally different word or sentence? For example, “god” spelled backwards is “dog,” and the sentence “Go hang a salami” read backwards is “I’m a lasagna hog.” I know these aren’t palindromes, although “Go hang a salami; I’m a lasagne hog” **is** a palindrome. Is there a term that describes the type of word or sentence I’m talking about, or do I need to make one up myself? ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/2 "2002-03-15T04:28:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Juniper200 \* > \*\*Is there a special term for a word or sentence that, when read backwards, is a totally different word or sentence? For example, “god” spelled backwards is “dog,” and the sentence “Go hang a salami” read backwards is “I’m a lasagna hog.” > > I know these aren’t palindromes, although “Go hang a salami; I’m a lasagne hog” **is** a palindrome. Is there a term that describes the type of word or sentence I’m talking about, or do I need to make one up myself? \*\* The examples you gave ARE palindrome. A palindrome is a word or sentence that can be read backwards and forwards. The following are all examples of palindromes: [ul] [li]Bob[/li][li]Madam I’m Adam[/li][li]Go hang a salami I’m a lasagna hog[/li][/ul] Zev Steinhardt (which is NOT a palindrome). ---
**Author:** ![Juniper200](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@Juniper200](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juniper200)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/3 "2002-03-15T04:35:29Z")
Your examples are palindromes, but I’ve always understood the definition of a palindrome to be a word or sentence that reads **the same** forwards as it does backwards. I’m searching for the term (if there is one) for a word or sentence that forms a **different** word or sentence when read backwards. I have it in my head that there ought to be a different term for “Go hang a salami,” than there is for “Go hang a salami; I’m a lasagna hog.” The palindrome in the second sentence is created by “doubling” the first clause backwards. The first clause on its own is a separate trick. Or maybe I’m horribly mistaken and the definition of palindrome covers things that are simply _intelligible_ backwards as well as forwards. But honestly, what are the chances of my being wrong? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Soup\_du\_jour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Soup\_du\_jour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup_du_jour)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/4 "2002-03-15T04:36:35Z")
I always thought a palindrome was a phrase that read the same thing backwards and forewards, not something that is intelligible backwards and forewards. No, I: have no idea what “god/dog” would qualify as. Rise to vote, sir! Ruoj\_ud\_pous ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/5 "2002-03-15T04:39:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Juniper200 \* > \*\*Your examples are palindromes, but I’ve always understood the definition of a palindrome to be a word or sentence that reads **the same** forwards as it does backwards. I’m searching for the term (if there is one) for a word or sentence that forms a **different** word or sentence when read backwards. > > I have it in my head that there ought to be a different term for “Go hang a salami,” than there is for “Go hang a salami; I’m a lasagna hog.” The palindrome in the second sentence is created by “doubling” the first clause backwards. The first clause on its own is a separate trick. > > Or maybe I’m horribly mistaken and the definition of palindrome covers things that are simply _intelligible_ backwards as well as forwards. But honestly, what are the chances of my being wrong? 😛 \*\* Well, the [Merriam-Webster website](http://www.m-w.com) under “palindrome” lists the famous “Able was I ere I saw Elba” as a palindrome. Therefore the definition of palindrome does extend to the latter type of sentence. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/6 "2002-03-15T05:00:03Z")
There’s nothing about these palindromic pairs you describe. Surely some mathematician has figured out a method of generating > [@](#): > > Well, the Merriam-Webster website under “palindrome” lists the famous “Able was I ere I saw Elba” as a palindrome. Therefore the definition of palindrome does extend to the latter type of sentence. 😕 Huh ? “Able was I ere I saw Elba” backwards is “ablE was I ere I saw elbA” You aren’t counting case as being different are you ? Surely some mathematician has figured out a way to construct pairs of irrational numbers that behave like the phrases in the OP ? It’s not such an obscure structure that it should lack a name. ---
**Author:** ![CzechHistory411](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@CzechHistory411](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CzechHistory411)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/7 "2002-03-15T05:11:14Z")
From [the alt.anagrams FAQ](http://www.anagrammy.com/alt-anagrams6.html): A word that is spelled backward to become a new word, a word reversal, has been called an anadrome. This term combines “ana-” from anagram and “-drome” from palindrome. Lewis Carroll called this a semordnilap (palindrome spelled backwards). – CH ---
**Author:** ![galt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@galt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galt)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/8 "2002-03-15T07:42:17Z")
**zev** , the point’s whooshin’ right over you. He’s trying to figure out what you call a phrase like “Go hang a salami”. If you turn it around backwards, it says something _else_. ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/9 "2002-03-15T07:55:27Z")
Although several authors have called those constructions **seminordlap** s, it’s by no means the only, or even the most common, description. The question was tackled by SDSTAFF **Songbird** in [What do you call a word that spells a different word backwards?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/managram.html), but it wasn’t really answered. It was only ascertained that it’s definitely a subset of anagrams, but that’s not the end of it, as it is a pretty specific type of anagram. According to **dtilque** , who commented on that collumn in [Reversed words](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=103134), the most common description is indeed **reversal**. Unfortunatelly it’s not in either American Heritage, or Merriam-Webster - yet. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/10 "2002-03-15T13:26:11Z")
Possible UK urban legend, but I’m sure I remember reading some years back that “DOG” is a banned registration plate for cars (they censor many combinations, eg SOD, PIG etc, that might cause offence) because it reads “GOD” backwards. “GOD” is banned - AFAIK - because some people find it offensive to read the name of the deity on the back of a motor vehicle, or in written form at all. I also heard that “JAB” was banned because it’s the start of the name of the Masonic “god”. Probably another urban legend. If it is banned, it can’t be for its anandromic status, unless there’s a meaning for “BAJ” I’m not aware of… ---
**Author:** ![Palve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Palve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palve)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/11 "2002-03-15T13:36:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Soup\_du\_jour \* > **Rise to vote, sir!** No, we have palindromes, anagrams, pie, THEN voting! ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/12 "2002-03-16T18:18:20Z")
I have seen a few times in magazine puzzle columns the term for words like dog/god is “drow”. (Think about it.) A lot easier to remember than the others proposed. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/13 "2002-03-16T18:29:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Squink \* > \*\*Surely some mathematician has figured out a way to construct pairs of irrational numbers that behave like the phrases in the OP ? It’s not such an obscure structure that it should lack a name. \*\* Can’t be done with irrational numbers; the first digit of the first would have to be the last digit of the second, and irrational numbers don’t have last digits. Prime numbers which are not the same when read backwards, but are still prime (like 37) are called emirps by some authors, but I don’t know how widespread the terminology is. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2002, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/14 "2002-03-16T19:30:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ultrafilter \* > \*\* > > Can’t be done with irrational numbers; the first digit of the first would have to be the last digit of the second, and irrational numbers don’t have last digits. > \*\* Thanks ultrafilter. I sort of expected that something bad would happen when things went to infinity, but had no clue as to how to find out for sure. The possibility of there being an alogorithm to calculate a reversed form of of e or pi was mighty interesting while it lasted. [emirps](http://primes.utm.edu/glossary/page.php/emirp.html) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/15 "2002-03-18T02:18:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \* > \*\* > > The examples you gave ARE palindrome. A palindrome is a word or sentence that can be read backwards and forwards. The following are all examples of palindromes: > > [ul] > [li]Bob[/li][li]Madam I’m Adam[/li][li]Go hang a salami I’m a lasagna hog[/li][/ul] > > Zev Steinhardt (which is NOT a palindrome). \*\* no, they are not palindromes because they do not read the same backwards. ‘god’ does not read ‘god’ backwards. It reads ‘dog’ If their alternative was included with them ‘god dog’ then the new sentence would be a palindrome. but his original words were not palindromes because none of them read the same backwards. ---
**Author:** ![Pop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3be4f8/32.png) [@Pop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pop)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2002, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-this-language-trick/98411/16 "2002-03-18T03:30:18Z")
Demidromes? Semidrome? Hemidromes?