Anagrams entice me: the same letters rearranged to yield a different word, such as begin/being. The words encapsulate the chicken and egg dilemma; that is, when does the being begin? This anagram sits at the heart of the debate on life and reproduction. Small words, big implications. Indeed, Mr. Anu Garg of https://wordsmith.org opines, “All life’s wisdom can be found in anagrams. Anagrams never lie.”
Judging by the extensive categories for anagrams online, plenty of folks find them as appealing as I do. The more letters in a word or phrase, the more anagrams are possible. But I don’t get involved in complex anagrams that involve phrases, sentences, or entire poems. Rather, I seek simple words in which two or three rearranged letters yield some cool insight or connection. Consider the relationship between silent and listen. Or scared and sacred. Shift the letters and the sense almost reverses, as in casual and causal. The meaning can gain nuance, as from ma’am to mama. Or consider the plausible progression from wired to weird.
Sometimes anagrams occur as accidents, victims of my hasty fingers at the computer, or the fault of the infamous spellcheck and AI completions that later alter our typing in texts and emails.
Anagrams offer a word game that I can play on my own, hoping to stumble into some rich relationship. Consider A, P, R, and T, which yield rapt, part, prat, trap, and tarp. But which pair of these words reveals some inner wisdom? Part seems humdrum, while tarp is utilitarian, and prat suggests a fumble. On the other hand, rapt evokes mysterious connections that might lead one to, or help one avoid, a trap.
Some words, like comma, have no good anagram, just silly two-word phrases, such as “mac om.” That makes comma special, like a prime number.
In My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle proclaims how sick she is of hearing words, words, words. Why is the prevailing wisdom that actions speak louder than words? Anu Garg celebrates the magic of words. To those who advocate for deeds, not words, I say words are deeds. Great words can outlive kings, monuments, and empires. Words cut across continents and centuries. May your words become your sword.
