Conference thebay::joyoflex

	Hmm.  I get kIOsK for the first one, which doesn't seem too
	bad.

	We received as a wedding gift a covered clay container for keeping 
	vegetables crisp.  It was called, if I remember right, a ToPF.

	-Jim

I got "kIOsK" also for the first.  Best I could do for the second was
"TiPoFf", which may even be hyphenated.  So if "topf" is an English word,
then you win my hearty electronic handshake!

Ben

    Wow!  Hey I play that game, too.  I used to live in Middleboro and work
    in Cambridge, so spent lots of time on highways (the best place to play
    -- back roads only let you see one car at a time).  NOw I have a short
    commute, but I still play this almost compulsively.
    
    Can you think of a shorter word for LMW than lawnmower?
    
    -ellie

LMW => lampwick

Ben

	About the first one "KIB" - there is a word "kibe", but I would
	never have thought of that while driving, myself.  8-).
	Just a point of interest.

	Good game - glad you suggested it.

    I do this, too.  I argue (with myself) about the most "valid"
    word--the shortest word or the one that would come first in the
    dictionary.  
    
    Here in Arizona we have certain vehicles that have number-letter-letter
    combinations that look a lot like DEC cost centers, and if I'm not
    careful, I find myself trying to figure out whose vehicle it is...
    But only on my spacier days.
    
    ln 

    Re:.1, .2
    
    Sorry to disappoint, but TOPF is a German word meaning 'jar' or 'pot'.
    The thing is a R�hmer Topf, or Roman jar. Apparently it hasn't gone
    under with Caesar's Empire.
    
    Re:.0 Do the letters keep their sequence? or are you allowed (like in
    Scrabble) to shuffle them around to form the words? As you mentioned
    Scrabble, I'd think it would be allowed but so far noone has done so.
    
    
    ----
    
    German cars have license plates along the following line (for plates
    from former West Germany):
    
    <city/area code> - <alfas> <digits>
    
    <city code> is one to three letters, with large cities using one
    (B-Berlin, M-Munich), not-quite-so-large using two (BN-Bonn,
    HD-Heidelberg) and small towns and 'Kreise' (counties) using three.
    I haven't found a 'rule' for the <alfas> + <digits>, but in a large
    city you usually see A-BC 123(45) or D-EFG 567(8) while with a two-letter
    area code there's usually one alfa and three or four digits.
    Three letter codes come with two alfas, sometimes one, and two digits.
    Plates have 6 or 7 characters total, sometimes 8.
    Now there's a large amount of letters on most plates so quite a number
    of them already form words of their own (though not neccesarily in
    German!) or just miss one letter to form a word. Don't let your
    imagination wander too much while driving the Autobahn, or you'll end
    up as the front end of a ST-AU (pileup).

    Dutch license plates aren't half as much fun, but .0's game might work
    here as well. They currently follow the rule XX-99-XX, but they leave
    out the vowels. Shortly they'll be changing to XX-XX-99. 

                                                 - Rik -
    
    (Whose two week-old car bears the license ZT-47-SX. Anyone for a funny
    suggestion?)

    I play it, but competitively. A round starts when someone calls out
    a word of any length that uses the letters (usually 4 in GB) in the
    right order; other players find shorter and shorter words. Shorter,
    or funnier, or whatever takes your fancy.
    
    b

    Isn't that an old game show that they stil show on cable channels. 
    Maybe you show pay more attention to you driving, this habit could get
    you into a wreck!!
    
    Stephanie

.7 - I play that you have to keep the letters in the same order in which they
	appear on the license plate.  You can make up your own rules, if you
	wish!

.9 - Yes, I sometimes worry about not paying enough attention to the road.
	However, it is my feeling that doing word associations uses an entirely
	different portion of the brain than keeping track of cars on the road.
	But it overlaps with keeping track of which exit I'm supposed to take
	off the highway! (oops!)

Ben

   <<< Note 906.10 by TLE::SOULE "The elephant is wearing quiet clothes." >>>

<<				You can make up your own rules, if you
<<	wish!

    So I offer _my_ rules herewith:

	1. The goal is to accumulate points.
	2. If the triliteral already spells an English word, your new word 
cannot be a form of the original.  No plurals, no simple change of 
part-of-speech, etc.
	3. You may make as many words as you wish, until you forget the 
original triliteral.  Count 1 point for each word.
	4. If a new word uses only 2 new letters, score 1 bonus point.  If 
the new word uses only *1* new letter, score 2 bonus points.
	5. If the original is not split, i.e. the new letters are all 
before or after it, score 1 bonus point.
	6. If your set of new words uses 5 different vowels, score 1 bonus 
point.  If you use *6* vowels (counting Y) score 2 bonus points.
		Dave

	.11 might get a little tough in traffic, so here's my rules:

	o  Create a word having the letters on the license plate in
	   order
	o  First person to come up with something gets 1 point
	o  If there's a tie, smallest word wins

	Yes, good vision helps.  Yes, it is compulsive.  It's also great
	for your SCRABBLE game. 

		-- Cliff

    My "rules" are pretty lax.  The letters have to be used in the same
    order in which they appear; unless I can't think of a word -- then I
    rearrange them.  I consider it better if I can think of an unusual
    word, even if it's longer.  I don't think in terms of points or scores
    or anything, though -- I'm not very competitive and don't usually play
    games because I can never make myself care whether or not I win....

    Plate numbers were changed from letter-letter-digit-digit-digit-digit
    system to letter-letter-letter-digit-digit-digit sytem somewhen around
    the gulf war.
    
    Theoretically plates are issued in a sequence form AAA-001 to ZZZ-999
    but anybody may apply for plate numbe out of sequence for about a 80$
    extra fee supposing that it fits the system.
    The idea applying for DEC-001 to DEC-xxx was rejected (dropping the
    opportunity of almost cost-free, continous advertisement mooving along
    in the countra wherever we go to) by some fat backs. The reason was:
    DEC is supposed to be the first target for Saddan Hussein's terrorists
    right after the Pentagon... Imagine, SH's terrorists could locate DEC-HU
    only based on searching a parking lot full of plate numbers starting with
    "DEC"... (What about telephone directory? Hi!)
    Well, guess what characters do tha majority of our cars have at the
    plate?
    
    
    CIA-xxx
    
    GyJ