Taxonomy of Wordplay

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  1. Nouns
    1. Unusual plurals
      1. ending, for each letter
      2. drop s to make a plural
      3. switching first two letters to make plural, example of
      4. add letters to beginning to make plural, example of
      5. no letters in common with plural, longest
      6. colliding plurals (words with homographic plurals), example of
      7. most
      8. internal
      9. pseudo-plural (singular noun that looks like the plural of another)
      10. plural that becomes singular by adding S
      11. double or false plural (classical plural taken as singular and pluralized again)
      12. lonely singular and lonely plural (noun with no plural form, or plural with no singular)
      13. mock irregular plural (regular nouns given irregular plurals by false analogy)
      14. doubled-initial abbreviation plural (abbreviation made plural by doubling its letters)
    2. Apparently related but unrelated
      1. ending with -ate and -ition
      2. pro-/con- pair (words differing only by pro- and con-)
      3. misnomer (name contradicting the thing named)
    3. collective noun or term of venery (name for a group: an exaltation of larks), incl. coined ones
      1. collective verb (coined verb for what a group does, usually punning on con-)
    4. demonym (name for the inhabitants of a place), irregular and humorous formations
    5. anatomonym (body-part noun also used as a verb)
    6. S-change word (adding S gives a word of unrelated meaning)

Nouns

Unusual plurals
ending, for each letter [3-169,198]
        see list Plural That Ends with Each Letter
drop s to make a plural [B63,3-195,4-8,4-80,14-145,218]
        a.  shortest
                common words: assess => asses (6-t)
                common words: caress => cares (6-t)
                uncommon words: cess => ces (4-t)
                uncommon words: dess => des (4-t)
                uncommon words: jess => jes (4-t)
                uncommon words: hess => hes (4-t)
                uncommon words: fess => fes (4-t)
                uncommon words: bess => bes (4-t)
                ... and 9 others
        b.  longest
                common words: adventuress => adventures (11)
                uncommon words: indistinguishableness => indistinguishablenes (21)
        c.  makes its own plural
                uncommon word: necropolis => necropoli
switching first two letters to make plural, example of
        uncommon word: falaj => aflaj
add letters to beginning to make plural, example of
        uncommon word: loti => maloti
        uncommon word: sente => lisente
        uncommon word: xhosa => amaxhosa
no letters in common with plural, longest [3-211]
        uncommon word: cow => kine (3/4)
colliding plurals (words with homographic plurals), example of [7-104]
        common word: axes : axe & axis
        common word: bases : base & basis
        common word: ellipses : ellipse & ellipsis
most
        a.  plurals [3-211,19-168,214]
        b.  singulars [5-28]
        c.  singulars plus plurals [5-28]
internal [3-195,15-85]


pseudo-plural (singular noun that looks like the plural of another) [44-142,44-173,44-226]


        common words: bend & bends
        common words: blue & blues



plural that becomes singular by adding S [14-145,41-94,306]


        common words: cares & caress
        uncommon words: cosines & cosiness



double or false plural (classical plural taken as singular and pluralized again) [4-176]


        e.g. cherubims, seraphims, insignias, apocryphas



lonely singular and lonely plural (noun with no plural form, or plural with no singular) [4-80]


        e.g. no singular: cattle, scissors, trousers; no plural: furniture



mock irregular plural (regular nouns given irregular plurals by false analogy) [20-107]


        e.g. foxen (fox, after ox / oxen)



doubled-initial abbreviation plural (abbreviation made plural by doubling its letters) [24-50]


        e.g. EEUU (Estados Unidos); pp. (pages); MSS (manuscripts)









ending with -ate and -ition


        common words: cognate & cognition (0-t)
        common words: sedate & sedition (0-t)
        common words: superstate & superstition (0-t)
        uncommon words: transate & transition (12-t)
        uncommon words: unate & unition (12-t)
        uncommon words: vernate & vernition (12-t)
        uncommon words: volate & volition (12-t)



pro-/con- pair (words differing only by pro- and con-) [40-178]


        common words: protract & contract
        common words: professor & confessor




        e.g. peanut (not a nut); Greenland (mostly ice); Canary Islands (named for dogs, not birds)



collective noun or term of venery (name for a group: an exaltation of larks), incl. coined ones [1-8,182,2-124,3-41,8-44,11-176,241,12-49,13-148,175,24-140]


        e.g. an exaltation of larks; a skulk of foxes; a pride of lions
        e.g. coined: a wince of dentists; an unction of undertakers



collective verb (coined verb for what a group does, usually punning on con-) [23-106]


        e.g. plumbers CONDUCT, poets CONVERSE, mountain climbers CONDESCEND



demonym (name for the inhabitants of a place), irregular and humorous formations [16-151,19-96,19-185,20-230,21-88]


        e.g. Annapolitan (Annapolis); Dallasite (Dallas); Houstonian (Houston)



anatomonym (body-part noun also used as a verb) [11-152]


        common words: elbow & stomach & shoulder



S-change word (adding S gives a word of unrelated meaning) [7-104,10-49]


        common words: as & ass
        common words: bras & brass
        common words: handles & handless
        





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