The following puzzle first appeared in November 1999.
- What do all the nouns on this list have in common?
BAT, FORT, MISSION, MOTION, MUTATION, PACT, PASSION, PATRIOT, PETITION, PROMISE.
- Most polysyllabic words ending in –scope are physical devices involved in viewing and/or measuring (e.g., telescope and stethoscope).
- How many such –scope words can you list?
- What common –scope word, although a physical device, is not normally used for viewing or measuring?
- What common –scope word is not a physical device at all?
- In the digital age, we are regularly exposed to words ending in –bit, which indicate quantities of data: kilobit, megabit, gigabit, terabit, etc. List all the English words you can think of ending in –bit that do not refer to quantities of data.
Golomb's answers:
- Each becomes a new noun when prefixed by "com":
COMBAT, COMFORT, COMMISSION, COMMOTION, COMMUTATION, COMPACT, COMPASSION, COMPATRIOT, COMPETITION, COMPROMISE
2a. Typical –scope words include:
ICONOSCOPE, KALEIDOSCOPE, KINESCOPE, METEOROSCOPE, MICROSCOPE, OTOSCOPE, PERISCOPE, PROCTOSCOPE, RETINOSCOPE, RHEOSCOPE, SEISMOSCOPE, SKIASCOPE, STETHOSCOPE, TELESCOPE, THERMOSCOPE
b. GYROSCOPE
c. HOROSCOPE
- Some –bit words (not involving data –bits) are:
AMBIT, CUBIT, DEBIT, EXHIBIT, GAMBIT, HABIT, HOBBIT, INHABIT, INHIBIT, OBIT, ORBIT, PROHIBIT, RABBIT, RAREBIT, TIDBIT
Tagged golomb's gambits
