# Wordplay **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 15, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752 "2006-06-15T00:59:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/1 "2006-06-15T00:59:28Z")
Haven’t given you a wordplay challenge recently, so here’s one: What do all these words have in common? ALLEY AMBIT AUNT ESTATE HOST LISTEN LOOM OLDEN RAINY RIDDLE ROUSE RUFF RUMBLE UTTER If you want to guess, put your answer in a spoiler box, so others who come in later can play along. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/2 "2006-06-15T01:03:01Z")
[spoiler]You can stick a “G” in front of them all, and get a new word. I attribute my getting of this to seeing “Ambit” and thinking “Gambit” straight away. X-Men geekery shows it’s usefulness![/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/3 "2006-06-15T01:07:34Z")
Dammit, I thought it was a little harder than that. I actually edited this down from the original list, which was about three times as long. ---
**Author:** ![A.I.Wintermute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@A.I.Wintermute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.I.Wintermute)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/4 "2006-06-15T01:55:29Z")
Without reading any responses… Add a G to the beginning of each and you form a new word. Only took me a few seconds to get it, I didn’t even read the whole list. “Ambit” is a dead giveaway. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/5 "2006-06-15T12:40:46Z")
And in addition… Each word can have its letters rearranged to create the name of a fish. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/6 "2006-06-15T12:43:09Z")
**Sal** : Alley? Loom? Utter? ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/7 "2006-06-15T12:44:12Z")
whoosh. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/8 "2006-06-15T12:53:47Z")
:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/9 "2006-06-15T13:01:14Z")
Ha, ha, made you look! I’ll be starting third grade in the fall. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/10 "2006-06-15T13:03:10Z")
> [@Sal Ammoniac](#): > > Ha, ha, made you look! > > I’ll be starting third grade in the fall. And you will excel! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/11 "2006-06-15T13:13:14Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > And you will excel! 😉 Gexcel? What? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/12 "2006-06-15T13:24:26Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > **Sal** : Alley? Loom? Utter? Gosh. You’ve never heard of the Yella, a timid freshwater fish found in China? Or the large but docile Lomo fish that lives in Peruvian highland waters? Surely you’ve eaten Trute almondine? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/13 "2006-06-15T15:00:16Z")
If you add a “G” at the beginning you get a new word? **G** alley **G** aunt **G** estate etc ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/14 "2006-06-15T15:02:46Z")
Oh crap! Will someone quickly report my post so a mod can fix coding? I forgot the spoiler box! Sorry sorry sorry! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/15 "2006-06-15T15:16:35Z")
If I add an “S” to the beginning of “wordplay” I get “Swordplay”, and I run you through for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wordplay/360752/16 "2006-06-15T16:04:28Z")
Since the correct answer has already been given in a non-spoiler, I’ll add an alternate answer: All those words are listed in the OP! I guess I’ll be sitting next to **Sal**.