One of the anagrams of the word ?examination? is ?a neat mini ox?? an apt description for a much-hated word, wouldn?t you say? Little wonder that those who love to play with words swear by the wisdom of anagrams.

For the uninitiated, an anagram is a word or phrase that can be used to create other words or phrases. For example, the word ?dormitory? can also become ?dirty room.? To take a fun example, did you know that rearranging the letters of the American President?s name ?George Bush? can give you ?He bugs Gore!?

Welcome to the world of anagrams. This week?s website is dedicated to this ancient form of word play that has been used over the ages to send secret messages and codes or just for fun. The Anagram Generator at www.wordsmith.org can keep you occupied for hours.

The site lists all the classic anagrams, like ?astronomers? which is an anagram for ?moon starers? or a ?school master? which is one for ?the classroom?.

But the fun begins when you type your name in the anagram generator. When I keyed in my name it generated, among others, ?A hyena by id?. The association with this awful creature did not amuse me at all! I hope it throws up something interesting when you key in your name.

Just a word of caution ? you might have to wade through a long list of junk words to find the ?gem.?

Now, I?ll leave you with an interesting quote from Anu Garg, the creator of the site, who believes, ?All of life?s wisdom can be found in anagrams. They never lie.? Want to check that out?

Abhinay Dey

abhinay@abpmail.com