Recent threads on picture algebra remind me that we haven’t played word arithmetic lately:Announcing the 2020 Word Arithmetic Contest. There will be a prize for the best submission.
Here’s an example:
TRUMP
+ PENCE
------
CONMEN
Replace the letters with digits so that the arithmetic is valid. To be a valid puzzle, there must be a unique solution. I prefer that submissions use base-10, but it’s OK to submit in another base if the words are particularly fitting. Perhaps this belongs in Game Room, but I want players to feel free to FUCK * TRUMP, or whatever. Submit anti-Biden puzzles if you wish, but I’m betting that none of the Haters, Liars and Racists here are smart enough to construct such word puzzles.
So that example would be, uh, O=0, 1=C, 2=R, 3=P, 4=M, 5=E, 6=U, 7=T, 8=N; and, since that’d cover it, we’d be left with a nein on 9?
Good show, Mr. Pepper! I always thought you were too smart to be a Trump-licker.
Want to try your hand at multiplication?
TRUMP
× MAGA
---------
GRAFTGAME
I think these subtractions work out very nicely:
TRUMP
- PENCE
-----
SCREW
PENCE
- TRUMP
-----
CREEP
Nobody wants to help out? It seems like fun!
Does anyone else find the equations SCREW + PENCE = TRUMP or TRUMP + CREEP = PENCE to be remarkable? These equations — with the constraint that the mapping to digits be unique — are not easy to come up with. CREEP is among the very very few words that will fit into TRUMP + XXXX = PENCE, yet there it is! Normally I’m not superstitious, but some of these fit so perfectly it surprises. What about TRUMP × MAGA = GRAFTGAME ?
I was ready to pass off the awesome appropriateness of Trump × Maga = Graft Game and Trump + Pence = Con Men as just uncanny coincidences, but then I started looking for a word to turn Trump into Idiot. Such words were hard to find … until I noticed that misspellings of Trump worked! This seemed awesomely appropriate: the oaf is semi-literate and had to write his own name in big gold letter to remember how it’s spelled!
TRUMP
+ TRUMR
-----
IDIOT
TRUMP
+ TRUUP
-----
IDIOT
Note that these two addition problems — seemingly VERY similar — have completely different solutions. As always these are valid puzzles: In each case only a single mapping from letters to digits will work.
No, not impressed with PENCE - CREEP = TRUMP (86916-13668=73248). If you take away the creepiness from Pence, you are left with Trump? Doesn’t make much sense, if your goal is to bash Trump. Or is that a reference to the “Creepy Joe Biden” nickname?
I always thought that, even with no numbers used, that
TRUMP
is not even worth two
PENCE.
(Edited and put in quote for all-caps.)
Yes!! We have a player! Both of Manlob’s submissions appear to be valid.
NANCY + PELOSI = COOLLY is a nice sum. Among the other valid sums of Nancy+Pelosi are Cosily, Lassie, Sallies, Social.
I need help here, folks! Are you going to make me hold off Manlob single-handed? I’ve got errands to run.
I’m afraid Manlob is in the lead with
BEWARE = BIDEN + WARREN
though I still think
TRUMP × MAGA = GRAFT GAME
is pretty good.
As a further point in its favor, BEWARE = BIDEN + WARREN reminds us to look for another V.P. running mate. Kamala?WE SAID = BIDEN + HARRIS
BIDEN + HARRIS = AID USA
DO LIKE = BIDEN + KAMALA
BIDEN + KAMALA = LIKE ME
or best of all
BIDEN + KAMALA = INDEED
Also interesting is what we’ll be left with if somebody really does drain the swamp:
DRAINS - SWAMP = TRUMP
Faced with the challenge, I’ve improved my search methods considerably. Here are some more equations describing TRUMP + PENCE:
TRUMP + PENCE = MORONS
TRUMP + PENCE = BUNKUM
CANCEL = TRUMP + PENCE
It also seems the BIDEN + WARREN combination may be more fruitful than Mr. Manlob implies:
ANOINT = BIDEN + WARREN
BIDEN + WARREN = ALLIES
Other words adding up to this sum include PRAISE, APPEAL, BRAINS, ENDEAR.