Palindromes

A palindrome is a word, phrase, or a bit of doggerel, maybe even a complete (but usually nonsensical) sentence that contains letters that read the same frontward and backward. In other words, they are mirror-images of consecutive letters. Logophiles have been creating them for years and their results are both fun and oddly endearing. Peculiar too. I was first introduced to palindromes when I was given a small book of them called Lid Off a Daffodil. Get it? The only other one I remember is “If I Had A HiFi.” Here are ones I collected but I make no claim to coining them. I do not know who did so I claim no credit except for possessing the list on a legal pad that was buried in a box for decades.

Single word palindromes:

Pop

Mom

Wow

Eve

Eye

Pup

Gag

Dud

Pop

Nun

Sis

Kook

Peep

Poop

Toot

Deed

Noon

Level

Kayak

Stats

Civic

Madam

 

Double-word palindromes:

Tahiti hat

Star rats

Smart rams

Llama mall

Dump mud

Lion oil

Droll lord

Pull up

Drowsy sword

Yawn way

Yell alley

Taboo bat

Pull up

Go dog

Stack cats

Top spot

No son

Harass Sarah

See bees

Rissotto sir?

Elite tile

Dennis Sinned

Lonely Tylenol

Party Trap

Puff up

 

Doggerel and Phrases:

Go hang a salami I’m a lasagna hog

Egad alas a salad age

Pull up Bob pull up

A car a man a maraca

Sit on Otis

Won’t I panic in a pit now?

Was it a rat I saw?

Mr. Owl ate my metal worm

No sir a war is on

A tsar, a nun, a rasta

Stella won no wallets

Some men interpret nine memos

Too far a foot

Step on no pets

Was it a rat or a car I saw?

I am proud to supplement this list with the very witty work of an old friend named Howard Richman from Montreal. Each of these inventive palindromes is inspired by a verse from The Bible. Kudos to Howard!

Madam in Eden I’m Adam (Genesis 2 – The first man delivers the first pick-up line.)

Cain a monomanic? (Genesis 5 – Adam discovers that Cain has slain Abel in an early example of sibling rivalry.)

Was it Arart I saw? (Genesis 8 — On the 17th day of the 7th month of confinement with the odiferous beasts, Noah does a double take when the Ark comes upon the fabled Mount Ararat.)

Harass selfless Sarah? (Genesis 21 — Sarah gives Abraham an ultimatum: “It’s me or the handmaid.” Abraham chooses Sarah and extradites Hagar and Ishmael.)

Murder Ramses marred rum. (Exodus 7 – A livid Moses discovers that Pharaoh Ramses has tampered with his liquor supply and all he has left to drink is the less appealing kosher wine.)

Must I Moses omit sum? (Numbers 35 – Moses is told by his accountant that he can not deduct the cost of the tablets.)

Evil I did dwell lewd did I live. (Luke 7 – A contrite Mary Magdelene washes Jesus’ feet with her tears.)