Words & Stuff
                                      
B: Draws Cab (Reader Comments)

   (1 September 1997)
   
   Arthur supplies this switchback ladder:
   
   MIRED
   DENIM
   LINED
   DEVIL
   LIVER
   REVEL
   LEVEL
   LEVER
   BEVEL
   
   There are several other places you can go from LEVER, such as REBEL or
   RAVEL, but none of them seem to lead anywhere useful. I thought it
   would be really cool to mirror the ladder through the palindrome --
   that is, to go from LEVEL back to LEVER, back to REVIL and so on
   through reversals of the first several steps. Unfortunately, most of
   those reversals (like REVIL) aren't actually words. Anyone want to
   produce a palindromic switchback ladder of this sort?
   
   Dominus did a computerized search (using a program of his own
   devising) and came up with some very cool long switchback pairs,
   including three seven-letter ones:
   
   animate < -- > stamina
   diurnal < -- > languid
   nemesis < -- > sidemen
   
   Here are the six-letter switchbacks on his list (arbitrarily leaving
   out proper names (except Brazil, which I liked too much to drop) and
   words I've never heard of):
   
   bettor < -- > rotten
   biceps < -- > specie
   Brazil < -- > lizard
   crater < -- > retard < -- > grater
   debtor < -- > hotbed
   digram < -- > margin
   dollop < -- > polloi
   elicit < -- > tickle
   latter < -- > rental
   lessee < -- > vessel < -- > lessen
   neater < -- > retain
   neuter < -- > return
   nimbus < -- > submit
   oodles < -- > seldom
   pellet < -- > teller
   plover < -- > revolt
   proper < -- > report
   revile < -- > sliver
   rufous < -- > sulfur
   secret < -- > tercel
   signet < -- > tennis < -- > sonnet
   spirit < -- > thrips (I don't know what "thrips" are, but I like the
   word)
   surety < -- > uterus
   volley < -- > yellow
   
   Dominus' list inspired me to do some searching with my own program
   (which does work, but it slow and clunky and should not be used on a
   system with other users, since it hogs resources). With its help, I
   found two switchback loops (the second derived loosely from Arthur's
   ladder above):
   
   later < -- > fetal < -- > latex < -- > metal/petal < -- > later
   
   revel < -- > leper < -- > rebel < -- > lever < -- > bevel < -- > levee
   < -- > level < -- > revel
   
   The program also helped me find two long ladders, related to the
   loops. The first matches Arthur's nine-step ladder:
   
   sepal
   lapel
   legal
   lager
   renal
   later
   fetal
   latex
   metal
   
   The second extends Arthur's ladder to twelve steps:
   
   mired
   denim
   lined
   devil
   liver
   revel
   leper
   rebel
   lever
   bevel
   levee
   level
   
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     _________________________________________________________________
   
   
    [3]Jed Hartman <[4]logophilia@kith.org>

References

   1. http://kith.org/logos/words/upper/B.html
   2. http://kith.org/logos/words/words.html
   3. http://kith.org/logos/home.html
   4. mailto:logophilia@kith.org