Permutations of United States capitals.This article was prompted by Darryl Francis's article "Transposing the State Capitals" in the November 2001 Word Ways. My apologies to Darryl for treading on his tail, but he lit upon a real challenge. I simply report what I found, but where Darryl has found other permutations (transpositions), I note those so that readers have one combined source. (He used sources other than those quoted below.) In addition, I include a number of plurals unearthed by Susan Thorpe. It is interesting to note that some capital placenames exist in the UK, and others permute per·mute tr.v. per·mut·ed, per·mut·ing, per·mutes 1. To change the order of. 2. Mathematics To subject to permutation. into other placenames in North America. I particularly liked the permutation One possible combination of items out of a larger set of items. For example, with the set of numbers 1, 2 and 3, there are six possible permutations: 12, 21, 13, 31, 23 and 32. (mathematics) permutation - 1. of Washington. There are more permutations for Austin (27) than for Darryl's champion, Salem, but Salem below now has 31 so retains its laurels. Where the form of a word is not obvious (initial cap, etc.) I put that form first after the bracket. Where no word follows the OED label, the solution word is a headword head·word n. 1. A word, phrase, or name, usually set in boldface or other distinctive type, that serves as the heading for an entry in a dictionary, encyclopedia, or similar reference work. Also called entry word. 2. . Where a word follows OED, it is the headword of which the solution word is a variant or precursor, except where a solution follows, when the solution word is to be found in the quote. Words often appear in several quotations, but only one is cited. Labels I use are Ch (Chambers), CGNA (Columbia Gazetteer gazetteer (găz'ĭtēr`), dictionary or encyclopedia listing alphabetically the names of places, political divisions, and physical features of the earth and giving some information about each. of North America), DF (Darryl Francis), OED (Oxford English Dictionary Oxford English Dictionary (OED) great multi-volume historical dictionary of English. [Br. Hist.: Caught in the Web of Words] See : Lexicography ), OSPD (Official Scrabble Players Dictionary The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary or OSPD is a dictionary developed for use in the game Scrabble, by speakers of United States English. History Creation The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary was first published in 1987 ), ST (Susan Thorpe), TEA (The Electronic Alveary), TIG (Times Index-Gazetteer), and Web2 (Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition) A personal name is labeled pname, and a quotation is labeled q. ALBANY New York (also Tyne and Wear Tyne and Wear, former metropolitan county, NE England. Created in the 1974 local government reorganization, the county embraced the Newcastle upon Tyne conurbation and comprised five metropolitan districts: Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, ): ANLABY (in Humberside, also Hull and Anlaby Road in OED founderous 1767q), BALAYN (OED baleen) ANNAPOLIS Maryland ANOSPINAL (Web2), LAPONIANS (OED Lapponian) AUSTIN Texas AIUNTS (pl of Latin aiunt, OED meeting (1548q), ANTI-US (OED antiae), AUINTS (pl of auint, OED afind 1200q), AUNTIS (OED rubric 1440q), IAUNTS (OED jaunt 1558q), IN'SAUT (OED), INSUTA (OED straw 1641q), ITANUS (historiographer, OED niggot), ITUNAS (pl of Ituna, SW Saskatchewan), IUTANS (pl of iutan, OED J), IUTNAS (pl of iuntna, OED kin 1000q), NASUTI (pl of OED nasutus), NATIUS (OED dun 1000q), STAUIN (OED great 1300q), SUIANT (OED suant, TAINUS (OED sac 1086q), TANUIS (OED swift 1590q pname), TIUNAS (pl of Old Frisian tiuna, OED teen), TUAIN (pl of Scot two, OED), TUINAS (DF: pl of Tuina in Ch), TUSIAN (OED touse), UATSIN (Ch, Nahuatl for hoatzin hoatzin (wätsēn`) [Aztec], common name for a peculiar marsh bird, Opisthocomus hoatzin. The hoatzin is a slender bird with a brownish plumage spotted with white above and reddish-yellow to rust below. It may reach up to 25 in. bird), UINTAS (DF: pl of Uinta in Web3), UNAITS (pl of unait, vf of unnait, OED adj), UNIATS (Ch, Maronite sect) UNITAS (Ch, Unitas Fratrum, under Moravian), UTIANS (pl of Old Eng utian, OED out). BISMARCK North Dakota Bismarck in OED is jelly or jelly-filled doughnut BOISE Idaho BIOSE (OED), BISEO (OED cell 1305q), BOEIS (pl of boei, Dutch precursor of buoy, OED buoy), BOIES (OED bole), BOSIE Noun 1. bosie - a cricket ball bowled as if to break one way that actually breaks in the opposite way bosie ball, googly, wrong 'un bowling - (cricket) the act of delivering a cricket ball to the batsman (OED), I-BEOS (pl of I-beo, past part of be, OED), IBOES (pl of iboe, OED water 1918q), IOBES (proper noun, OED Saturn 888q), OBEIS (OED obey), OBIES (OED US Theatre awards), SEIBO (Santa Cruz del Seibo Santa Cruz de El Seibo is a city in the El Seibo province of the Dominican Republic. = El Seibo, East Dominican Republic CGNA) [c] Rex Gooch 2002 BOSTON Massachusetts BONOTS (pl of Bonot, Governor of Orkney, OED appoint 1759q), BOTONS (OED button 1525q), NO-BOTS (pl of no-bot, OED hollow 13xxq) CHARLESTON West Virginia CHARLETONS (OED stealth 1668q Charleton's), ENTROCHALS (pl of entrochal, OED adj), HORN-CASTLE (Lincolnshire), NORTHSCALE (North Scale, Cumbria), RANCHOTELS (pl of ranchotel, OED unit 1953q) DENVER Colorado DERVEN (OED derve), DREVEN (OED drive), ENERV'D (OED enerve), NERVED (OED nerve), REVEND ("sell again", or Rev'end for Reverend, both OED), VENDER (OED), VENDRE (OED quominus 1642q, or modern French "to sell"), VERDEN (Grady Co, Oklahoma CGNA or Hanover, Germany TIG 1922 or OED after 1205q), VNDERE (OED under), VNERED (OED uneared 1440q), VNREDE (OED unred), VREEND (OED friend), VRENDE (OED friend) DES MOINES Iowa DEMONISES (OSPD, OED demonize 1821q), DESMOSINE (medical), DIMESONES (pl of dimesone, Stedman), MESIODENS (Stedman), MODINESSE (OED moodiness 1175q). DOVER Delaware DERVO (OED tree), DEVOR (OED devoir DEVOIR. Duty. It is used in the statute of 2 Ric. II., c. 3, in the sense of duties or customs. ), DREVO (OED tree), DROVE (many!), OVER'D (OED over 1825q), ROVDE (OED rove 1579q), ROVED (many), VEDOR (OED veedor), VEDRO (OED), VODER (OSPD, or Voder in OED random 1939q), VORDE (OED worth), VORED (TEA), VREDO (OED burning 1552q) HARTFORD Connecticut (also Cheshire): RADFORTH (Radforth OED physiognomic 1971q) HELENA Montana ANHELE (OED), ENHALE ENHALE Environmental Health Advocacy League (OED), HAELEN (OED heal), HAENEL (medical), HAENLE (Haenle, person, OED puteanic 1834q), HANELE (OED anneal To take the brittleness out of metal, plastic or certain carbon composites. Performed in the preparation of new products or in their restoration, annealing is accomplished via a heat treating process. ), HEALEN (OED heal), HEELAN (Heelan OED teedle 1800q), HENLEA (unpreferred genus name for Thryallis, a dicotyledon), HLAENE (OED lean), LEHANE (J Lehane Basketball Fund, OED man 1981q) JACKSON Mississippi (also Jackson Bridge, West Yorkshire): JANOCKS (OED jannock 1655q) LANSING Michigan ANGLINS (pl of Anglin, author of ref works, OED toe 1976q), GLANINS (pl of glanin, OED magged 1903q), LANINGS (ST: pl of OED laning), LANSIGN (= language sign, OED language 1946q), LINGANS (OED roset 1774q), LINSANG linsang: see civet. (many), NINGALS (pl of ningal, Bloomsbury Thesaurus), SLINGAN (OED sling) MADISON Wisconsin ADONISM (Bloomsbury Thesaurus), AMIDONS (pl of amidon, Web2), ASMONDI (Asmondi, a demon, OED father 1916q), DAIMONS (OSPD), D-AMINOS (pl of damino, OED peptidoglycan peptidoglycan /pep·ti·do·gly·can/ (pep?ti-do-gli´kan) a glycan (polysaccharide) attached to short cross-linked peptides; found in bacterial cell walls. pep·ti·do·gly·can n. 1975q), DAMIONS (Damion's [or plural] OED round-house 1958q), DAMONIS (Damonis = of Damon, OED Latian 1879q), DAMOSIN (OED damson dam·son n. In both senses also called bullace, damson plum. 1. A Eurasian plum tree (Prunus insititia) cultivated since ancient times for its edible fruit. 2. ), DIAMONS (= diamonds, OED pointed 1575q), DIMONAS (pl of Dimona, author OED yacht 1974q), DOMAINS (Mathematical Glossary of Exciting, Enervating en·er·vate tr.v. en·er·vat·ed, en·er·vat·ing, en·er·vates 1. To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: "the luxury which enervates and destroys nations" , Scintillating scin·til·late v. scin·til·lat·ed, scin·til·lat·ing, scin·til·lates v.intr. 1. To throw off sparks; flash. 2. To sparkle or shine. See Synonyms at flash. 3. , and Vibrant Terms [privately published], and many other sources), DOMINAS (pl domina), MAIDONS (OED head 1400q), MANDIOS (pl of mandio, OED manioc manioc: see cassava. ), MANIDOS (ST: pl of OED manido = Manitou), MONDIAS (pl of m ondia, a genus of dicotyledon), MONIDAS (pl of Monida, town on Montana-Idaho border), ODISMAN (OED oddsman) MONTGOMERY Alabama (also Powys): GNOMOMETRY (OED) MONTPELIER Vermont (also Avon): PILOREMENT (OED pilor) NASHVILLE Tennessee ILL-SHAVEN (OED nail 1973q) OLYMPIA Washington (also a prime exhibition center in London): POLYMIA (Polymia OED favourable 1374q) PIERRE South Dakota PEIRER (OED pairer 1400q), PEIRRE (OED grison, grison stone = peirre de grison), PERIER (OED perer), PERIRE (OED after 1663q), PERRIE (OED), PREIER (OED), PREIRE (OED), PRERIE (OED prairie 1682q), PRIERE (OED prayer), REPEIR (OED repair 1330q), REPIER (OED), REPRIE (OED), RIPERE (OED reaper) RALEIGH North Carolina (also Devon): HALIGRE (OED nought 825q), HEILAGR (OED holy), HERIGAL (Herigal OED death 1205q), HRAEGIL (OED thrile 1000q), LAIGHER (TEA) SACRAMENTO California CARTONEMAS (pl of cartonema, generic name of a bladderwort bladderwort (blăd`ərwûrt', –wôrt'), any plant of the genus Utricularia, insectivorous or carnivorous aquatic plants, many native to North America. ), ESTRAMACON (French fencing cut estramagon OED estrama-zone) SALEM Oregon AELMS (pl of Danish aelm, OED elm), ALEMS (ST: pl of OED alem), ALMES (OED), AMELS (DF: pl of OED amel), AMSEL (OED), ELAMS (OED helm 1862q), ELMAS (Elmas, Sardinia OED overfly o·ver·fly tr.v. o·ver·flew , o·ver·flown , o·ver·fly·ing, o·ver·flies 1. To fly over (a particular area or territory) in an aircraft or spacecraft. 2. 1946q), ESMAL (OED amal), LAEMS (pl of laem, OED loam), LAMES (to lame), LEAMS (plural OED), LEMAS (ST: pl of OED lema), LEMSA (Lemsa, village near Tangier, OED fonduk 1891q), MAELS (ST: pl of OED mael), MALES, MASEL (OED), MASLE (OED male), MEALS, MELAS MELAS Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy with Lactic Acidosis & Stroke-like episodes Neurology A childhood condition, associated with intermittent vomiting, proximal limb weakness, and recurrent cerebral insults resulting in hemiparesis, hemianopia or cortical (Melas, Turkish rug, Web2), MELSA (Melsa OED rood 1396q), MESAL (OED), SALME (OED), SAMEL (OED), SAMLE (OED sam), SEALM (OED psalm), SELAM (OED), SELMA (Selma, Alabama CGNA), SEMAL (OED), SMAEL (OED small), SMALE (Smale, Monroe Co, Arkansas CGNA, or OED small), SMEAL (OED small). SALT LAKE CITY Utah DF suggested the neologism A new word or new meaning for an existing word. The high-tech field routinely creates neologisms, especially new meanings. Years ago, there was no doubt that a "mouse" referred only to a furry, little rodent. CATALYST-LIKE SANTA FE New Mexico AEFTANS (pl of aeftan, OED aft), FAESTAN (OED fast), FAESTNA (OED trim 840q), FANTASE (OED fantasy), FEASANT (OED pheasant), NAFATES (pl of nafate, medical) SPRINGFIELD Illinois DF noted the unsourced phrase FRINGED LIPS from Dmitri Borgmann's Language on Vacation. ST PAUL Minnesota PAULTS (OED pault verb), PLATUS (OED plate 1290q), PLAUTS (medical or plural of Plaut, author of Steuben Glass OED Steuben 1948q), PULTAS (OED), SPATUL (OED), SPAULT (OED), STAPUL (OED), STUPLA (OED stubble) TAPULS (OED tapul noun), TUPALS (pl of tupal, Web1) TOPEKA Kansas KAPOTE (Pulliam, Complete Word Game Dictionary), OPTAKE (OED uptake 1297q), TEPOKA (Tepoka Indians OED sand 1901q) TRENTON New Jersey ONTRENT (OED namaqa 1668q) The nation's capital, WASHINGTON, yields NOWANIGHTS (Pulliam, Complete Word Game Dictionary), which is hyphenated in OED. As a bonus, I suggest a few permutations for capitals of US dependent territories: HAGATNA Guam AGNATHA (Agnatha Web2) and ATAGHAN at·a·ghan n. Variant of yataghan. (OED) KOLONIA Federated States of Micronesia ILOKANO (Web2), OOLIKAN (OED oolakan 1953q) SAIPAN North Marianas A-PAINS (pl of a-pain, OED adv), APIANS (pl of apian, of bees), APINAS (pl of apina, Web2), ASPIAN (Aspian wild goat, OED wild 1688q), PAIANS (pl of paian, OED paean), PAISAN (OED peasant), PANAIS (OED parsnip Parsnip, river, Canada Parsnip, river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, rising in central British Columbia, Canada, and flowing northwest to join the Finlay River at Williston Lake and form the Peace River. ), PANIAS (pl of pania, OED Pawnee 1806q), SPANIA (Spania OED Spainol). How about Pago Pago, Charlotte Amalie and San Juan? The Text Deletes Selected Letters As the above sentence illustrates, Eunoia (beautiful thinking) is written under various linguistic constraints. In the first chapter each word contains one or more of the letter A (and no other vowels), the second features E, and so on. Christian Bok, a Canadian poet, listed beforehand all admissible words in the dictionary, and then proceeded to write this essay using some 98 per cent of them. Like palindromes, such stories make local sense but of necessity bewilderingly shift from one topic to the next; the effect is disorienting (even dizzying), but nonetheless captivating. He even makes a point of introducing several common themes in each chapter. When it comes to undressing the fair sex, A clasp snaps apart, and a scant shawl falls She sheds her velvet dress, lets repellent men pet her tender flesh Slim girls might strip, jiggling tits, wiggling hips Hot blonds who doff cotton frocks show off soft bosoms Ubu untucks Ruth's muumuu,' thus Ruth must untruss Ubu's tux Bok, who admits to inspiration from the French OuLiPo, "required seven years of daily perseverance for its consummation". This slim (105 pages) paperback is available from Coach House Books for $16.95 (ISBN 1-55245-092-9). Rex Gooch Letchwoth, Herts, England rexgooch@ntlworld.com |
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