Forum newsfeeds 
|  | | Notices | You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post. Please note, all posts are moderated by our in-house language experts, so make sure your suggestions, help, and advice house the kind of information an international language teacher would offer. If not, and your posts do not contribute to the topic in a positive way, they will be subject to deletion. | 
05-Aug-2008, 16:14
| | |  palindromes
What word can be written forwards, backwards or upside down and can always be read correctly from left to right? |
05-Aug-2008, 16:43
|  | Key Member | | Join Date: Mar 2007 Country: USA
Posts: 2,246
Current Location: Pennsylvania, USA First Language: English (American) Member Type: Other Thanks: 6
Thanked 622 Times in 554 Posts
| | Re: palindromes
I |
05-Aug-2008, 19:17
|  | Moderator | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Country: UK
Posts: 16,781
Current Location: UK First Language: English Member Type: Other Thanks: 5
Thanked 3,906 Times in 3,669 Posts
| | Re: palindromes
|
05-Aug-2008, 19:29
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Nov 2007 Country: UK
Posts: 3,878
Current Location: UK First Language: English Member Type: Other Thanks: 3
Thanked 1,527 Times in 1,360 Posts
| | Re: palindromes
forwards, backwards or upside down
I think you mean ambigram |
06-Aug-2008, 00:56
|  | Junior Member | | Join Date: Apr 2008 Country: U.S.A.
Posts: 87
Current Location: Tai'an City,Shandong,China First Language: American Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 8
Thanked 19 Times in 19 Posts
| | Re: palindromes
The best palindrome I ever heard about was a newspaper headline (Hearst-?) describing the entrance of the U.S. in the digging of the Panama Canal:
A MAN, A PLAN, A CANAL; PANAMA! |
06-Aug-2008, 01:03
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Country: UK
Posts: 16,781
Current Location: UK First Language: English Member Type: Other Thanks: 5
Thanked 3,906 Times in 3,669 Posts
| | Re: palindromes
You can create ambigrams with many words - it is a graphical exercise. See here: ambigram.net - Ambigram Gallery |
06-Aug-2008, 04:57
|  | Key Member | | Join Date: Jun 2008 Country: Australia
Posts: 3,187
Current Location: Brisbane First Language: English Member Type: Academic Thanks: 46
Thanked 1,388 Times in 1,279 Posts
| | Re: palindromes
Quote:
Originally Posted by David L.  forwards, backwards or upside down
I think you mean ambigram | An ambigram, from my very brief research, requires you to rotate the word, rather than turn it upside down.
BOOB fits the OP's question. Ambigrams generally don't. |
06-Aug-2008, 10:56
| | Moderator | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Country: UK
Posts: 16,781
Current Location: UK First Language: English Member Type: Other Thanks: 5
Thanked 3,906 Times in 3,669 Posts
| | Re: palindromes
Quote:
Originally Posted by Raymott An ambigram, from my very brief research, requires you to rotate the word, rather than turn it upside down.
BOOB fits the OP's question. Ambigrams generally don't. | Not sure what you see as a difference between rotate and turn upside down. Dan Brown's first book "Angels and Demons" had an ambigram. You rotated the book so that it was reversed top to bottom in order to see it. |
06-Aug-2008, 11:55
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Jun 2008 Country: Australia
Posts: 3,187
Current Location: Brisbane First Language: English Member Type: Academic Thanks: 46
Thanked 1,388 Times in 1,279 Posts
| | Re: palindromes
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anglika Not sure what you see as a difference between rotate and turn upside down. Dan Brown's first book "Angels and Demons" had an ambigram. You rotated the book so that it was reversed top to bottom in order to see it. | If you rotate something (vertically), the right side ends up on the left.
If you turn something upside down (flip it) the right side remains on the right.
It's the difference between "rotate" and "flip" in many graphics programs.
The following letters remain the same when flipped upside down:
B, C, D, E, H, I, K, O, X. Hence BOXED, BOOB stay the same when flipped, but not rotated.
The following letters remain the same when rotated vertically 180 degrees.
H, I, O, S, X, Z . Hence SOS remains the same when rotated (but not necessarily when flipped)
The following letters remain the same when rotated horizontally 180 degrees:
A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, Y . So WOW, YAY, TOOT, (any palindrome with these letters) can be rotated horizontally, but not necessarily flipped or rotated vertically.
 | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
Posting Rules
| You may post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT. The time now is 06:29. | |
