Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 11:07:09 -0400

From: Bryan Gick bryan.gick[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]YALE.EDU

Subject: a completely unangry response..



According to our handy departmental reverse dictionary, our only -gry word

besides 'angry' and 'hungry' is 'aggry'. An aggry bead (from the Edo, accord-

Larry



Ok. I feel inspired to (vainly attempt to) do away once and for all with

this annoying question - in a way appropriate to the kind of list we're

meeting on.



If the "riddle" answer of "WHAT" is truly the "intended" answer, then I

feel nothing but malice for its creator(s). The application, though, of

some creative morpholog(r?)y is a pretty satisfying way of supering it.

The way I've seen the question put is:



There are 3 words in the english language

that end with "GRY". One is HUNGRY and one of them is ANGRY.

What is the third word ?

If you have listened very closely I have already told you the 3rd word.



..in that case, the answer is "UNANGRY" (see header :) ) Also acceptable (if

less frequently used), therefore, is "UNHUNGRY."



Another handy affix is the "-y" ending, giving us "OGRY" (not to

be confused with "ogrish").

N.B.: This works only inasmuch as the "-y" ending is a

productive one in English (it certainly is for me..in the last week I've

heard: "This shake is very banana-y," and "This table is more desky than.."

Not to mention the subject heading of "Texan-y" on this very list the day

before yesterday). [A QUESTION: I have, though, noticed some dialecty

variation in the acceptabiliy of the -y suffix. Anybody know more??? BG]



The rest of the examples all use the many "-ry" endings. This is a pretty

productive ending in English, if kind of low profile. It can have lots of

meanings: (a) collective quality; (b) act, art or occupation; (c) place;

(d) aggregate; (e) occupation-specific equipment/materials; etc. From

these, we get such possibilities as (some work better than others):



(a) striplingry (childishness)

nidderingry (foolishness.. cf. foolery, etc.)

(b) glazingry (the craft, art, etc., of glass-making)

mortgagry

(c) glazingry (a glass factory)

sneeshingry (a snuffery)

wildingry (a fruit tree farm)

carriagry (a carriage manufacturer's)

(d) eveningry (cf. finery, plumery...)

(e) fowlingry (the stuff, knowledge, etc, used in/for birding)

plumbingry

fishingry

whalingry

huntingry

etc..



My apologies for adding to the heap.



Bryan



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