Gramogram
A gramogram or grammagram or letteral word is a letter or group of letters which can be pronounced to form one or more words, as in "CU" for "See you".[1][2][3] They are a subset of rebuses,[4] and are commonly used as abbreviations.
They are commonly used as a component of cryptic crossword clues.[1]
A poem reportedly appeared in the Woman's Home Companion of July 1903 using many gramograms: it was preceded by the line "ICQ out so that I can CU have fun translating the sound FX of this poem".[2]
A restaurant scene where a customer initially asks "FUNEX" ("Have you any eggs") appears in a 1949 book Hail fellow well met by Seymour Hicks[5] and was performed in The Two Ronnies under the title Swedish made simple.[6]
The book How to Double the Meaning of Life devotes three pages to gramograms, to which the author, Anil, gives the name letteral words.[4]
As of December 2016 neither spelling of the word appears in the online Oxford English Dictionary.
Some are homophones because some can be used for multiple words.
Examples for words
- 2: to, too
- 22: tutu
- 4: for, fore
- 8: ate
- AT: 80
- B: be, bee
- B4: before
- B8: bait, bate
- BD: beady
- BUT: Beauty
- B&: band, banned
- C: see, sea
- CD: seedy
- CL: seal
- CT: city (forced)
- C&: canned
- D4M: deform (forced)
- D8: date
- DK: decay
- DL: deal
- DVS: devious
- D&E: dandy
- EU: eww (in context)
- EZ: easy
- F: have (forced, in context)
- F8: fate
- FND: effendi
- FNS: finesse
- FRE1: everyone (forced)
- FRE: every (forced)
- FX: effects, affects
- F&: fanned
- H8: hate
- H&: hand
- I: I, eye
- IC: icy, I see
- IV: ivy
- JL: jail
- JQZ1: jacuzzi
- K9: canine
- KL: kale
- KMN: Caiman, Cayman
- KND: candy (forced)
- L: well (forced)
- L8: late
- LI: ally
- L&: land
- M: am
- M8: mate
- M&: manned
- N: and, an
- NE1: anyone
- NE: any
- NME: enemy
- NML: animal
- NMNE: anemone
- NRG: energy
- NRK: Anarchy
- NTD/NTT: entity
- NV: envy
- NVS: envious
- O: oh, owe
- OBDNC: obediency
- ODS: odious
- OPM: opium
- OR: or, oar (forced)
- P: pea, pee
- PL: peel
- PT: pity
- P&: panned
- Q8: Kuwait
- Q8E: Qu'aiti
- QAT: also Qu'aiti
- Q: cue, queue
- QT: cutie
- R: are, ar
- R8: rate
- RA: array
- RKDN: arcadian
- RST: arrestee
- RT: arty
- S: is (forced, in context)
- SA: essay
- SKP: escapee
- T: tea, tee
- TDS: tedious
- T&: tanned
- U: you, ewe
- W8: wait, weight
- X: eggs, ex
- XL: excel
- XLNC: excellency
- XPDNC: expediency
- XS: excess, exes, Axis (forced)
- Y: why
- Z1T: ziti
1: "Zee"
Examples of names
- AV: Avie
- BT: Beatty
- CC: Cecie
- DDD1: Dedede (as in King Dedede)
- DN: Dean
- GG: Gigi
- JC: Jaycee
- KC: Casey, Kacie
- KT: Katie, Katy
- LC: Elsie
- LE: Ellie, Elly
- LN: Ellen
- LS: Ellis
- ME: Emmy
- MLE: Emily
- MNM: M & M, Eminem
- N: Anne (forced)
- ND: Andy
- NE: Annie
- RB: Arby
- RE: Ari
- RT: Artie
- ST: Esti (short for Esther)
- J: Jay
1: Only in North America
Examples of prefixes
- B- be-
- D- de-
Examples of suffixes
- L: -elle1
- N: -in’ 2, -ing (forced)
- T: -ty
1: Only used for names 2: Depends on your accent
Examples of sentences
- CQ: -Seek you
- FUNEX: -Have you any eggs
- IMOK: -I am okay
- IOU: -I owe you
- IXL: -I excel
- NUR: -And you are
- NUROK: -And you are ok
- OL: -Oh well
- RUCRES -Are you serious (forced)
- YRUBNAQT: -Why are you being a cutie?
- 1NONE: -One and only (forced)
References
- "Cryptic crossword reference lists > Gramograms". Highlight Press. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- "Grammagrams". Audrey Deal. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- "Grammagrams". Wordnik. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- Anil (2011). "Letteral Words". How to Double the Meaning of Life. Xlibris. pp. 237–239. ISBN 9781462871209. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- Hicks, Sir Seymour (1949). Hail Fellow Well Met. Staples Press. p. 183. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- Brennan, Ailis. "Ronnie Corbett dies: Here are his funniest seven sketches". GQ. Retrieved 31 December 2016.