1 3,15,4,5 from Lizzy11

Dear Word Spy,

My code goes like this.

A1 B2 C3 D4 E5 F6 G7 H8 I9 J10 K11 L12 M13 N14 O15 P16 Q17
R18 S19 T20 U21 V22 W23 X24 Y25 Z26

That's my new code. Oh, and my spy club is really fun. We played "I spy" and found a tree to sit. That's were you find the good and the hard "I spys".


Your friend
Lizzy11

Dear Lizzy11,

Thanks for sending that handy code - it would be fun to write on a birthday card to really give someone a surprise!

Great to hear about the club - that is smart thinking to get up that tree. A top position for spies of all kinds, including Word Spies. Actually I think I might go and climb a tree myself, right now ...

Have a 7,18,5,1,20 4,1,25 !

from your friend and colleague,

The Word Spy

Dear Word Spy,

You have been to my school before! (in the aspect that you are Ursula which I think you are) My school is Wilkins Public School in Marrickville, NSW Aus'.

Sam

Dear Sam,

Aha! I think you could be right - I did go to your school disguised as Ursula - with my friend Tohby. How IS everything at Wilkins?

yours, incognito,

The Word Spy

A new way to dig from Lizzy

Dear Word Spy,

Thank you for telling me what to it about the spy club. It really helped.

I came up with a way to dig with out a shovel. I tied a small rock to a good thick stick and I tied it with fishing line and it really worked too.

Oh and I made a new code me and my friends write with. A1 B2 C3 etc.

Your friend

Lizzy11

Dear Lizzy,

Glad to hear the spy club hints were useful!

And that is a very handy way to dig a hole - I will definitely remember that one next time I am stuck without a shovel.

Why don't you write me a message using that code of yours?

Wishing you lots of happy times with good friends in your club,

your pal

The Word Spy

A very very long word from Sam

Dear Word Spy,

Do you know this word?

It is...wait for it ...

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis!

Isn't that a long word? That word has 19 syllables, 46 letters which consist of 26 consonants and 20 vowels. Meaning is here:http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

Sam

Dear Sam,

Wow - imagine if you had to carve that word on a gravestone with a chisel - your hand would fall off!

Thanks for sending me that - I wonder if any other spies out there know some long words?

Yours (in brief)

The Word Spy

Shorthand mystery from Sam

Dear Word Spy,

Firstly:

I've finally bought a copy of your first book The Word Spy (Hooray!)

Secondly (and my main point):

I've got a hold of another copy of the first book from my local library. The shorthand on the 2 books are different on page 18. Is my bought one a newer edition? Please answer!

Yours till the end of space and time,

Sam

Dear Sam,

You are a SERIOUSLY observant Word Spy - I think you should be awarded a special Word Spy Medal for Supreme Word Spying. You are the first reader to have pointed this out!

I'll tell you what happened - the first time "The Word Spy" was printed, somehow by accident the shorthand on page 18 was put in upsidedown. So when it was time to print the book again, when all the copies had been sold, we made sure it was put in the right way up for the next lot of books. So the one in the library must be from the first printing, and the one you've got is from a later printing.

I am TRULY IMPRESSED, Sam. And I'm SO glad you have your own (corrected!) copy of the book.

yours in awe, also till the end of space and time ...

The Word Spy

Starting a Spy Club from Lizzy

Dear Word Spy,

How do you start a spy club? All I need are steps,warm ups , and what to work on because I'm very very lost.


Your friend
Lizzy 11

P.S. please write back

Dear Lizzy,

I'm VERY excited about the idea of your spy club! Let's see. Hmm. Well, first you need to have a meeting - you can ask anyone you know who wants to be a member of your club.

Maybe club members could have a card which says "I am a member of the Word Spy Club" on it and their name. You could make these out of cardboard. Maybe you could draw a picture on the card of a magnifying glass or an eye or something that you use to spy with. The card should be small, big enough to fit in your bus pass holder or wallet.

Then you could think of some things to do as a club. Maybe you could go on a walk and play games like "I spy" or make it that you can only speak to each other in Pig Latin, or talk in sentences that go backward, like "backward go that sentences in talk" (!)

How's that to begin with? Let me know what you think. I'm sure we can come up with some other ideas ...

Like I said, I am REALLY excited! I can't wait to hear what happens.

Happy spy clubbing!!!!

from your spyful pal,

The Word Spy

Tgo it! from a loyal codebreaker

Dear Word Spy,

I know your code!
It is: "Codes like this can drive you crazy!"

Each word has a different rule, but it's pretty hard to say what rule! :-(

Your loyal codebreaker,
Sam

Dear Loyal Codebreaker Sam,

Well done again! that was quick. You are absolutely right. You have worked it out by instinct - but the actual rule is that you take the third letter of the word and put it at the front of the word. (Of course this does not work so well for two letter words...)

I will have to come up with a more fiendish code to test you now. Off I go to think about it!

yours in admiration,

The Word Spy

X'vw wyrkwd xt yzt! from Sam

Dear Word Spy,

I know the answer to Sarah's code.The answer is:

Can you work it out?????? from your fan,Sarah.

You were right Word Spy, All of the vowels are replaced with a different letter.

Sam

Dear Sam,

Wwll dynw!

For those spies and snoops out there who don't remember Sarah's code, here it is:


"Cvn yyz wyrk xt yzt??????

frym yyzr fvn, Sarah"

As Sam says, the way this code works is the vowels in the sentence are replaced with other letters. That means instead of A E I O U, you put V W X Y Z.

Okay, Sam, seeing your brain is so sharp, here's another one to try:

Dcoes klie iths nca idrve uyo acrzy!

See if you can work out what this one says, and what the rule of the code is. Then you can write very STRANGE messages to your friends using it ...

Or maybe you have a code of your own to test the Word Spy with?

Tick-tick-tick (that's the sound of my brain ticking) from your friend,

The Word Spy

Old maids with not much pop left from Stephanie

Dear Word Snoop(I like Spy better),

I was reading a comment from August 2009 about a word for unpopped popcorn. In the US, or maybe just in South Dakota -(I don't know. The US is wacky not being remotely unified in some aspects. Being individualized sometimes is overrated) - we call them "Old Maids". I'm not quite sure if Aussies or Europeans have that word. It might have slipped your mind.

Anyways, I have never heard of your site until today in my 2nd hour class in school from my Sociology teacher. I love it :) I will buy your books next time I'm near my computer :) Sweet site :)

From Stephanie

Dear Stephanie,

No, I have never heard of unpopped popcorn being called "old maids" - it is just delightful to discover this! I wonder if anyone out there knows any other nicknames for unpopped popcorn?

Thanks so much for taking the time to write and tell me - and I'm really glad you like my blog. (Big thank you to your Sociology teacher too!) I hope you will send me some more messages about interesting words or expressions that you come across.

lots of good reading wishes from

the Word Snoop (or Spy in Australia - AND South Dakota...)

A he or a she? from anon

Is the word snoop a boy or a girl?


Dear Anon,

Thank you for this very to-the-point question!

It's hard to tell sometimes, because we only ever see the Word Snoop as a shadow, but take it from me, she's a her. I mean she's a she. In other words, a GIRL.

But she may have a twin brother...

from Herself
(The Word Snoop)

What Or Where!!!! from Anon

Dangerous
emus
are
running

with
other
running
dogs

so
preposterous
yes

crikey
amusement
never

yellow
or
unhappy

souls
encourage
emus

mostly
yellow kind

mouses
endanger
special
species
again
grumpily
either

frogs
run
or
mouses

arevior


Donkey
Ear
Adelaide
Riot

Antelope,

Indecisive

Treasure
Houdini
Imitation
Never
Known

Idle

Creation
Anticipated
Next!!

Flew
Rather
Oval
Merry

Yearning
Outrage
Underneath
Reliable

Penny
Antiquated
Leaping

Thingummy
Heroic
Eels

Winking
Orchid
Realistically
Dreamy

Sharpener
Pencil
Yoyo.

I figured it out from Anon

Hey Word Spy!

I figured out your riddle about mairzy doats etc. It's:
Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy. A kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you?

Hey Anon!

Yore sew ride! Now eyed laughter here using it!!

from your friend and mine,

The Word Spy

Dear Word Spy

I got the book "The Word Spy" for Christmas and I love it.

Alex 8

PS put this on your blog

Dear Alex,

Hey - that is antastic-fay!

Thank you for writing to tell me.

And a (late) happy Christmas from your pal,

The Word Spy

PS Write again, any time you like!

A word to share from WSITM ...

Dear Word Spy,

I have come to share a word...

floccinaucinihilipilification:

Estimation that something is valueless. Proper pronunciation based on Latin roots: flockə-nowsə-nəkələ-pələ-fək-ation

yours truly,

Word Spy in the making,
A. (13)


Dear A (Word Spy in the making),

Now that is some word. Thanks for providing the pronunciation guide - with those interesting letters from the phonetic alphabet (ah, let's talk about that in another post...)

That word, though, as you say, is made up from four Latin words:

floccum - a wisp of wool

naucum - something trivial

nihil - nothing

pilus - a hair


So in a way it's valuing something as a wisp of wool, trivial, nothing AND a hair. (Now that's specific.)

If you want to find out a bit more about this VERY strange and VERY long and VERY hard to pronounce word, look here:

http://www.spectator.co.uk/wit-and-wisdom/mind-your-language/7009938/mind-your-language.thtml

Thanks for sending me the word, which I value much higher than a hair!

yours, full of words,

The Word Spy

From Word Spy in the making

Hi Ursula a.k.a the Word Spy,

I am a big fan of your two books about the Word Spy. My oh my, has it taught me much, as I love English but I'm terrible at grammar and punctuation - always the reason why I lose marks on my assignments.

It has me taught me what I have never known of, and makes me want to know more. Truly entertaining and inspiring. I hope you continue your series of the Word Spy. (Wish there was a Maths Spy)(I'm terrible at maths).

Hope to be as great a Word Spy as you someday.

-Word spy in the making, Age 13

Dear Word Spy in the making,

Now that is a great message! I'm sure you will be a great Word Spy one day, if you love English so much, and you are so curious and enthusiastic. Those are all the qualities that make a truly wonderful Word Spy.

BTW I think your grammar is fine, but you will notice that I have fixed up your punctuation! I hope you don't mind. Punctuation is a pesky thing, but it does help people read what you have to say, so I guess it's a strange mixture of pesky and helpful.

Keep on spying! I look forward to your next message,

your pal,

the Word Spy

Who eats what? from Halley

Dear Word Spy,

Do you know this word? Graminiverous. It means someone who eats grass.

lots of lollipops

from Halley

Dear Halley,

Do you know someone who eats grass? I do!

yours moo-fully,

The Word Spy

PS thanks for the lollipops!

Jaded from Jade

Dear Word Spy,

Hi, my name is Jade. Jade is a precious stone. So why do people say something is "jaded" when they mean it's old-fashioned or something?

Please write back to me!

from your fan Jade


Dear Jade,

I am glad you wrote and asked me this because I have often wondered myself. So I've done a bit of word spying... and found out that "jade" used to mean a tired old horse that you couldn't ride or send out to work any more. So if something was jaded it mean it was just plain worn out (poor old horse.)

As for the lovely green stone, jade, that you were named for - well, it comes from an old Latin word for the stomach area. That's because the precious stone jade was thought to help cure pain around there! So you might say, ow, I've got a pain in my jade!

In the end, your sort of "jade" and "jaded" have nothing to do with each other except that they sound the same. Hmm, I wonder if you can think of some other words like this?

your friend, not jaded yet!

The Word Spy

Peas please from Curtis

Dear Word Spy,

You may not want to know this but my favourite vegetable is peas.It has been my favourite ever since Year 1.

Cyl

Curtis

Dear Curtis,

I am very glad to know that you like peas. I quite like them myself!

Actually there's something very interesting about the word pea. It comes from a Latin word (the language the ancient Romans used to speak) "pisum" meaning "pea". This turned into an English word, "pease". But because of the "s", people thought it meant more than one pea, so they took the "s" off for one pea, and then added an "s" back again for two peas. But really it should have been two "peases".

THAT WAS COMPLICATED. (Are you sure peas are still your favourite vegetable?)

yours, round and green forever,

The Word Spy

Easy as ABC from WIll

Dear Word Spy,

We are doing alphabet stories in my class. Here is mine:

A blue cat dropped every fourth golden hopping icicle.

Then I stopped. What do you think?


Will



Dear Will,


Truly unbelievably very wonderful! (at the other end of the alphabet...)

It's hard to do, isn't it? I'm impressed. Let me know how it continues.


your pal, from A to Z,

All ears from Cyna

Dear Word Spy,

This is for your blog. I think the word eerie sounds like it means a person with lots of ears. Except usually people only have two ears which isn't very eary.

Cyna


Dear Cyna,

Or maybe it could be like "nosy" which means someone who is very curious - then "eary" could mean someone who listens too much to other people's conversations. (?)

Eerie is a nice spooky word, isn't it? It used to mean someone who was full of fear, but somehow it slowly turned into meaning something that makes you full of fear (or at least a little bit full!)

yours uncannily,

The Word Spy

A fruity question from Harge

Dear Word Spy,

Are there any fruits that begin with the letter "L"? (I am doing a puzzle.)

Lol Harge

Dear Harge,

Well there's loganberry and loquat. And lemon and lime of course! Oh, and lychees too. All delicious (in their own way.)

A lovely fruity question - thank you. Hope this helps.

yours deep in dates and durians,

The Word Spy

Watt do ewe think? from Eric

Deer Word Spy,

I am righting this letter in a funny weigh.

Watt do ewe think?

Eric

Dear Eric,

I love the weigh ewe right! I think yore very clever.

Yours homophonically,

The Whirred Spy

I'm back! from Sarah

Dear Word Spy,

Remember me? I'm the one that made up the code. Now I made up a new one.

Cvn yyz wyrk xt yzt??????

frym yyzr fvn,

Sarah


Dear Sarah,

Now this one is really tricky. I wonder if any of the word spies out there can crack Sarah's code?

I may be wrong, but I think it might have something to do with the letters A E I O U.

Vm X rxght?????

from the very impressed Word Spy

Sneaky snakes from Moz

Dear Word Spy,

Do you like snakes? I have three pet snakes. I used to have four but I gave one to my friend.

from Moz


Dear Moz,

What a friendly gift - a nice snake! The word snake actually comes from an Old English word meaning to creep and crawl. That's also where we get the word "sneak".

To answer your question, I do like snakes, at least, I like all the different words for snakes - serpents, vipers, adders, asps ...

Yours, sneaking away now,

The Word Ssssspy

Clock and watch from Jacques

Dear Word Spy,

If I was making a language, I would call a clock a "big watch" or a watch a "little clock". That would be easier for some people.

Jacques


Dear Jacques,

Well, I guess you could start calling a clock a "big watch" and see if it catches on!

The word clock was first used for something that told the time with bells, because it comes from an old Celtic word for bell. I like clocks with bells that chime, although there aren't many left...

Watch comes about from when guards and people like that had to keep watching for a certain amount of time. The amount of time became known as a "watch" and then something that kept the time for you also became known as a "watch".

Oh! look at the time! Must go.

Yours ticking and tocking,

The Word Spy

What rhymes with pigeon? from Ariel

Dear Word Spy,

Did you know there is a word that rhymes with pigeon? It's smidgin.

You could use this in a poem if you want.

thanks WS! your fan, Ariel

Dear Ariel,

What a great tip! Hmm, let's think.


"After the party there was scarcely a smidgeon
Of birthday cake left for the poor little pigeon."

What a sad poem! Can you write some more lines to make the pigeon cheer up?

yours in rhyme (well, this time)

The Word Spy

Bow-wow from Mel

Dear Word Spy,

Here are words for what dogs say:

bark, woof, yap, whine, howl, bow-wow, grrr, yelp.

That's all I've got today.

your fan, Mel


Dear Mel,

Wow, that's a noisy dog all right - a one-dog Old Macdonald's Farm, if you ask me!

I wonder what you might have tomorrow?

yours purringly,

The Word Spy

How do oats grow? from Andrew

Dear Word Spy,

My mum told me the first thing she remembers learning at school is a song that she can still sing. It goes:

Oats and beans and barley grow
Oats and beans and barley grow
Do you or I or anyone know
How oats and beans and barley grow?

PS she says she never found out, not even at university.

I'm one of your biggest fans and so is my friend Liam.

from Andrew


Dear Andrew,

Hey, tell your Mum I know that song too! That's the thing about school, isn't it, that you learn lots and lots of questions, but not so many answers....

I made me think of another funny song about oats that goes:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wooden shoe?

If you're wondering what THAT'S about, have a look here for some enlightenment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dny_JDlwGFM

Hint: you have to listen to the whole song to find out the answer!

Say hi to Liam (and your mum) for me, and thanks for the message, it made me smile.

Still singing! from the Word Spy

A fishy message from Marlow

Dear Word Spy,

Tuna is a hard word to say.

This is a message from Marlow


Dear Marlow,

I hadn't thought about it, but I think you're right. It comes from a Latin word, thunnus, which is even harder to say if you ask me.

They are very big fish. How strange it must be to be a fish! But not for them, I guess ...

Thanks for your message,

from your dry-land-friend,

The Word Spy

Too many apples from Keren

Dear Word Spy,

What can you tell me about the word apple, please?

Thank you, friendly spy, your friend Keren

Dear Keren,

That's the friendliest message I've every received!

Now, apple. It's a great sounding word, I really like it. In the beginning, in Old English (what people used to speak about 1000 years ago), the word "apple" was used for any old fruit. So that meant other fruits were thought of as kinds of apple. Have a look:

apple of paradise - banana
love apple - tomato
Persian apple - peach
finger apple - date
apple of the earth - potato
Kydonian apple - quince

and of course the Word Spy's favourite fruit, the Pine-apple!

Have you ever heard of the Big Apple? I'll give you a hint, you can't eat it... Let me know if you find out.

As for the expression, "she'll be apples" - we'll leave that for another post!

from your very friendly neighbourhood spy,

The Word Spy

Is is a secret? from Lachlan

Dear Word Spy,

Are you in the secret service? If you are, you better not tell me, because it's a secret.


your not so secret fan,

Lachlan

Dear Lachlan,

All this talk of secrets made me think of the word "secretary." Did you know that a few hundred years ago, this word meant someone who kept a lot of secrets?

Shhh! Don't tell anyone...

yours very quietly,

The Word Spy

Wintry twins from Molly

Dear Word Spy,

I am a twin and I was looking up the word "twin" on the internet and I found this word. Twinter. It means an animal that has lived through two winters.

Me and my twin have lived through 11 winters!

from Molly

Dear Molly,

I love this word! I never knew it before. It's great making discoveries like that, isn't it? That's the best thing about being a Word Spy.

I think I will try to use this word this week. Maybe I can ask someone, is your dog a twinter? and see what reaction I get...

Thanks again Molly. I hope you enjoy being a twin.

from the one and lonely Word Spy

Crack that code! from Sarah

Dear Word Spy,

I made up a code. Here it is:

Wjhjyj djijdj tjhjej fjljyj cjrjyj?
Bjejcjajujsjej tjhjej mjojzjzjijej tjojojkj hjejrj cjojzjzjijej.

Get it?

lol from Sarah

Dear Sjajrjajhj,

I think I get it!

your pal,

tjhjej Wjojrjdj Sjpjy ....

Twiddling from Enda

Dear Word Spy,

I was wondering - can you twiddle with anything else except your thumbs?

Enda


Dear Enda,

Well, long ago I suppose you could have twiddled the television knob, but with the invention of remote controls, there's no more twiddling there. So maybe it's all up to the thumbs!

Good word, though, don't you think?

Twiddling on, your friend, The Word Spy

Dogies and dogs from Rebeccah

Dear WS,

I just found out something interesting. When I was in Year 4 we learnt a cowboy song for a cowboy concert, and the chorus went, "Ride around, little dogies, ride around real slow" and I always thought it meant little dogs. But I just found out that "dogie" means a baby cow that doesn't have a mother. So like a human orphan. I suppose.

signing out,

Rebeccah


Dear Rebeccah,

How very interesting! I don't know the song, but if I had ever heard it I would have thought the same as you. Poor little calves! Let's hope the other mother cows look after them ...

From WS (aka The Word Spy)

Um from Deek

Dear Word Spy,

What do people in other languages say instead of "um"?

Deek the donut

Dear Deek the donut,

That's a clever question (and the first I've ever had from a donut.) All languages have funny little words that people use while they're thinking of what they're going to say next. It's a way of saying to the person listening to you - wait, I'm still thinking, don't give up on me!

I know that in French people say "euh" and in Hebrew I've heard people say "em" and in Spanish I've heard people say "vale" (pronounced bah-lay). I wonder if you know some others? You could ask your friends who speak other languages. If you find out, write and tell me.

Um, er, it's goodbye for now, from

The Word Spy

Breakfast time from Migs

Dear Word Spy,

Do you want to know something? For breakfast I had a cowl of bornflakes and stropped chawberries.

He he.

Migs

Dear Migs,

Well, I hope they were deally relicious. Did you eat them with a spoon(erism)?

He he right back at ya!

from the silly Spord Wy.

Lots of Sultanas from Li

Dear Word Spy,

Did you know that the wife of a Sultan is called a Sultana? I read it in "The Arabian Nights".

your friendly fan

Li

Dear Li

Thank you for that. And I did some spying and I found out that it's not only the Sultan's wife who's called a Sultana, but also his mother, his sister, his daughter, his auntie...wow, that's a heap of sultanas!

I love "The Arabian Nights". I wonder which story you liked best?

from your pal by day and night,

The Word Spy

Twist up your tongue with this from Harper

Dear Word Spy,

We made up tongue twisters at school. This is mine:

Mossy moths' mothers.

Thanks for reading this.

from Harper

Dear Harper,

Aaagh - you've twisted my tongue! What a tremendous tongue twister.

Hey, I wonder what the mother of a mossy moth looks like?

speechlessly yours,

The Word Spy

He's really spoiled from Ali

Dear Word Spy,

Here's a word that you can use if you know someone who's really spoiled - mammothrept. My dad told me about it. He says it comes from Greek words that mean someone who's been brought up by their grandmother. He knows the word because he is one (a mammothrept I mean.)


Ali

Dear Ali,

Does your granny spoil you????

Thanks for another great word.

yours in admiration, the Word Spy

That's ridiculous! from Imafan

Dear Word Spy,

Do you like ridiculous words? I know a really ridiculous word - are you ready? It's "tittle". It means the dot over the letter "i."

from Imafan

Dear Youreafan, (ha!)

I love ridiculous words, and let's face it, "tittle" just takes the cake. (Hmm, that's a funny expression - must go and do some word spying...)

Thanks for letting me know about it. I think I might say it tomorrow, if I can work out how to put it in a sentence!

yours ridiculously, the Word Spy

A brief and cryptic message from Anon...

Dear Word Spy,

u r a top secret



From the Word Spy

Shhhhhh! You're right, I am!

Another hint please!!

Dear Word Spy,

Can you give me another hint for Chapter 4 please?


Dear Puzzled Pal,

Always happy to hand out a few hints, my friend.

If you mean Chapter 4 from "The Word Spy" my hint is this. In a lipogram, there is a letter left out. In this lipogram the letter left out is either "B", "M" or "D". Add in one of these letters and see if it makes sense. Can you work it out now?

If you mean Chapter 4 from "The Return of the Word Spy", the hint is this. What fluffy animal eats carrots and rhymes with the word "habit"?

Hope this helps!!!

Happy codebreaking, from The Word Spy

A few questions from Grace

Hi!

My name is Grace and I'm 9 years old. I read some books and I think you know what I'm going to talk about. It's "The Word Snoop".

I think it's really entertaining and it's really fun. I do have few questions about it. What made you interested to be a writer?? When did you write your first book?


Thanks so much....

your #1 fan Grace

Dear Grace,

This is a great message - and it certainly goes straight to the heart of things.

What made me interested to be a writer? Well, I think it was as soon as I realised there WAS such a thing as a writer, which is when I learned to read. I found out that it was PEOPLE who wrote books, and I thought - well, I'm a person, I like books, so I think I will be a writer! After that, there was no turning back...

My first book was all about a giant guinea pig. It's called "Maisie and the Pinny Gig." I love guinea pigs. Do you?

Thank you for writing to me, Grace, and I'm so glad you enjoyed "The Word Snoop".

your friendly writing pal,

The Word Snoop

Help! from anonymous

Hi Word Spy, I have the same problem as Kosta but I still don't get the:

secret <-
secret
secret
secret
secret
secret

Got any more clues?
p.s. I've gotten all the other codes cracked so far

Dear Anonymous,

That's great that you've worked out all the other codes - well done!

Now let's see how I can help with this one, without give TOO much away.

There's an expression that spies use when they want to say something is very very very secret. Look at all those "secrets" in the column, with the arrow pointing to the one right on ---- oops, I nearly gave it away! Can you work it out now? Let me know.

from your sneaky friend,

The Word Spy

How old are you? from Jessamine

To Ursula,

I'm glad that you are making another book.

You did a fantastic job writing the Word Spy books.I am going to see
at the library if I can find your book called 'Goose Game' ( I think
that's the name)

When I was 4 I also read one of your books called 'the Terrible Plop'
I love your books.

Jessamine

p.s. How old are you? I'm 10


Dear Jessamine,

Another marvellous message! thanks for writing to me again. I'm glad you're going to look for my book "The Game of the Goose" - I think maybe it's my best book. (I wonder what you will think?)

And I'm also VERY glad to hear you read "The Terrible Plop"!

You are a great reader.

best wishes, from your everlasting friend,

The Word Spy

P.S. How old am I? I'll give you a hint. I'm nearly five times as old as you... (Got it?)

How about a Maths Snoop? from Assady-Kay

Dear Word Snoop,

I'm guessing that all your fan mail starts with the sentence, "I'm such a big fan of your books!", well I would have started out that way, if I didn't want to get your attention.

I am reading you’re "The Word Snoop" book, and I love it! It has helped with my grammar, and my point of view of the English language, for my writing!

My mother was enthralled with the book, and how much I was learning (She has gotten a lot out of your book as well, *wink, wink*), before now she didn't know about "Rhyming Slang", "Lipogram's" (My spell check is saying that word doesn't exist! Ha!), or I don't even think she heard of "Euphemism".

My question is this: Would you mind writing a "Math Snoop", of all subjects, that is my weakness!


Sincerely,

Assady-Kay!

Dear Assady-Kay,

Thank you so much for your message - I'm sorry it took me a little while to answer - I've been away in a wonderful country called Spain! which has been very interesting, especially for a Word Snoop...

I couldn't possibly be happier than to hear how much you (and your mother) have been enjoying my book. This is the best news a Word Snoop could have.

Now, about the Maths Snoop, what a fantastic idea. Hmm, I wonder. I'm certainly working on a Word Snoop Activity Book at the moment. Maybe after that? There are so many wonderful things in the world of maths for snooping about.

thanks again for writing,

happy wishes from your pal, the Ord-way Noop-say

Any more Word Spy books? from Jessamine

Dear Word Spy,

Sorry I spelt your last name incorrectly:-)\

Are there any more Word Spy books (apart from "Word Spy" or "Return of Word Spy")?

from Jessamine

p.s I am at school now so I rushed



Dear Jessamine,

Just a quick reply (it must be a day for rushing!) There is going to be another Word Spy book - it's going to be a Word Spy Activity Book - but I'm afraid it won't be out till next year. I have finished writing it, almost, but turning it into a book takes a LONG time.

I hope you can wait ...

thanks for writing, warm wishes, The Word Spy

PS Don't worry if you misspelled by name - I didn't notice!

Join the Club! from Tomori

Dear Word Snoop,

I received your book 1 year ago for my 9th Birthday. I just turned 10. I am really fascinated by it. It is a really interesting book - I really did not know there were such things as comma punctuations.

I am in Europe right now, however, I may visit Africa again before I return to the US. I saw there was another book called the "Word Spy". Where can I get it? I do not see it here and as we are traveling , I do not have one address until we return to the US.

I wish there was a Word Snoop club.

Thank you!

Tomori

Dear Tomori,

I wish there was a Word Snoop club too, what a great idea! Mmm, I wonder, maybe we could start one?

But first to answer your message - I am really happy to hear how much you've enjoyed "The Word Snoop". That other book you've seen, "The Word Spy", is actually the same book with a different name - that's it's title in Australia. This sometimes happens with books, they get new titles depending where they're sold. But there is actually another book which is a sequel to "The Word Snoop/Spy" and it's called "The Return of the Word Spy." It's published in Australia -you could get a copy through the internet, but probably not in the bookshops where you are now, so you might have to wait till you get back to the US and can have it sent to you. I hope you manage to read it somehow - if you enjoyed "The Word Snoop", I can bet you will enjoy this one.

You are an amazing traveller for such a young person - you must get up to a lot of snooping on words in all those different countries!

Thanks again for writing, lots of happy reading and spying and snooping and everything else, from

The Word Snoop

Serendipitous from Jessamine

Dear Word Spy,

My name is Jessamine and I live in Turramurra,Sydney. I turned 10 years old last month.

I love your story "The Word Spy". I am reading "The Return of The Word Spy" at the moment.

In Chapter 10 of "The Return of the Word Spy", you know how you wrote about the word serendipity? My nickname is Serendipity.;-)

yours sincerely,

Jessamine

P.S. I like the secret codes.

Dear Jessamine,

This is a most serendipitous message! I am VERY glad to hear you have been enjoying my books, and especially interested to hear about your lovely nickname. Better than mine, which is "Urk". (Erk!)

I hope you have a wonderful word-filled January.

lots of happy-go-lucky wishes from

The Word Spy

P.S. I like cecret sodes too!!

Spy or Snoop? from an eleven-year-old reader

Dear Word Spy,

If this looks like I am commenting on someone else's question, I am quite sorry for my ludicrous actions, but I do not know how I am supposed to comment.

I am eleven years old, and I love your book "The Word Spy". I only have one question: what is the difference between The Word Snoop and The Word Spy? Because, it has a different title, and it is different at the back. Also, is "The Return of the Word Spy" any different?

Thank you, and I hope you answer my questions (no matter how silly they are).

P.S. Have you read "L Is Forr Lollygag"?

Dear Fellow Word Spy,

Your questions are not at all silly (and isn't ludicrous a great word?)

"The Word Snoop" is almost exactly the same as "The Word Spy" - it's just what the book is called in North America. And there are a few little changes inside - like instead of the song "Click Go the Shears" as a text message they've put "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" - because if you are American it's not very likely that you would know the first song. So the changes are just things like that.

"The Return of the Word Spy" is different too - much more different! It's full of new information and ideas and drawings and activities - and there's even a page in Braille! There are also chapters about English grammar - with a definite emphasis on fun. (That may be hard to believe, but have a look and see what you think.)

I haven't read "L Is For Lollygag" but I've just looked it up and I think it's EXACTLY the kind of book that I and all the word spies out there would really enjoy - thanks for telling me about it.

lots of happy word spying and snooping to you,

from The Word Spy

PS It is absolutely fine to put a new question in a comment - or you can just send me an email at the address in the sidebar on the right-hand side of the blog page.

Will she ever return? from Lisa

Hello!! I am currently reading your book "The Word Snoop", and loving it. Have been trying to find your second book "The Return of the Word Spy" in the United States, with no luck. Will it be published in the States? If so, do you know when?

Thank you
Lisa

Dear Lisa,

Good question! I for one hope very much the Word Snoop will return to the United States. I will start investigating...

warm wishes,

The Word Snoop

Who ever thought? from Ava

Dear Word Spy,

I absolutely adore your books - who ever thought English could be so fun?! I've been identifying the language techniques I use in my stories to my teacher and she's barely heard of any of them. I think I remember seeing you at the Bookfeast. . .

Your biggest fan,

Ava

Dear Ava,

This is a great message to receive! I'm very happy to hear that you're using what you've read in "The Word Spy" in your stories (mm, maybe you should lend your teacher a copy?)

I WAS indeed at the Bookfeast - but was I in disguise?

yours mysteriously,

The Word Spy

I bet you don't know what it means from Sophie

Hello Word Spy,

I love your books, I have top marks in English thanks to them, (but I was already top my a long way, now I'm EVEN better). I bet you don't know what the word pulmentarious means, hint:it's a word to describe food.

Thank-you,

from, Sophie M (your faithful assistant spy)

Dear Sophie,

Hail! faithful assistant spy!

You are absolutely right, I have no idea what pulmentarious means. PLEASE tell me!!

I am so glad you like my books and even gladder that you are super-top in English.

Yours, desperate to find out,

The Word Spy

Do you remember me? from Anonymous

HELLO WORD SPY!

I don't know if you remember me (I'm the one who sent you the question 'what word would you say for the rest of your life')

Anyways, I was just wondering if there was going to be a THIRD Word Spy book because I enjoyed the first two so much!

PS: What does ellipsis mean?


Dear Anonymous,

How could I forget you? or should that be - how could I forget you ...

Guess what? I think there WILL be a third Word Spy book, but shhh, it's a bit of a secret. But we Word Spies know how to keep a secret, don't we?

As for ellipsis, it means those three little dots that are frequently found in the writings of the Word Spy (amongst others.) An ellipsis can mean the writer has left something out, can't quite finish the thought or is trying to suggest something... (but what?)

Or, to quote wikipedia "When placed at the end of a sentence, the ellipsis can also inspire a feeling of melancholy longing."

Gosh...


yours, melancholically, The Word Spy

One word for the rest of your life, from Anonymous

HELLO Word Spy!

I LOVED your book "Return of the Word Spy", because even though it's a non-fiction...it's very funny! Oh, and I've got a question for you...if you could only say ONE word for the rest of your life...what would it be?

from Anonymous


Dear Anonymous,

I am VERY glad that you liked my book and that it made you laugh. I laughed a lot writing it too.

Mm...one word for the rest of my life...there's something about your message that inspires me...I think that one word might be - ELLIPSIS!

...

from...The Elliptical Word Spy...

What do u really look like??? from Zoe

Dear Word Spy,

What do u really look like?????
I wonder and wonder!
Can oyu tell me?

from Zoe

Dear Zoe,

Ah, it's true, I am a mysterious creature. I am always in shadow, have you noticed? If you want to know what I REALLY look like, someone will have to turn on the lights. Then I can look in the mirror and find out what I really look like myself!

yours, incognito-ly,

The Word Spy

Please, I beg you, from Kalana

Dear Word Spy,

I'm from Melbourne, Victoria!

Hi, I need help with the anagram on page 196 before Chapter 8 in the the book 'The Return of The Word Spy.' Your help would be kindly appreciated. Please, I beg you. All I know is that it is an animal.

From a Big Fan,

Kalana

PS. I am getting great scores at school thanks to your great books!


Dear Kalana,

Great to hear from you and REALLY great to hear about your great scores - in fact GREATNESS all around!!

As to that pesky animal, I'll give you a hint. Do you know this poem by Lewis Carroll?

"`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe"

See if you can find it, and keep on reading ALL WILL BE REVEALED ... (but don't tell anyone!)

your nonsensical and very appreciative pal, The Word Spy

Hard to skip from Anon

Dear Word Spy,

Do you know why a big heavy metal rubbish bin is called a 'skip'? It seems pretty far away from the idea of skipping to me...

Thanks!

Dear Friend-in-Words,

What a great question - I have never thought about it before, but as soon as I read your message I thought, like you, what a strange word it is.

My spying has uncovered a few things. You know those lovely old-fashioned pictures of beehives that you see in books- the ones that look like upside-down baskets? Well, the name for that is a "skep". It came to English from Old Norse (the language the Vikings spoke)- "skeppa". Skep was used not just for bee baskets but lots of different sorts of baskets, including containers in coal mines. And after a while, a skep wasn't so much a basket as a big metal container, like the sort of thing we find on our streets. Then, in one of those mysterious changes of sounds that happen over time, in the 20th century "skep" became the modern "skip".

So it's got nothing to do with the lovely act of skipping after all! (Or Skippy the Bush Kangaroo...)

from the friendly Word Spy

She's back! from Clare

Dear Word Spy,

I got your new book. I like the page with the braille on it. And I like the picture of the dog with the fly on its nose.

That's all for now.

Clare

Dear Clare,

This is good news - you have my new book "The Return of the Word Spy"! You must be one of the first people to read this book, because it has only just come out. I'm very glad you like it. Thank you for telling me!

from your friend, (who's back!)

The Word Spy

Sprinkling away, from Hilary

Dear Word Snoop,

Here are three words I like the best (today.) Sprinkle, sparkle and speckle.

How are you doing?

from a reader called Hilary


Dear Hilary,

I am doing pretty well, thank you! And I like those three words too, very much. I was looking at them and I thought, hey, you can have a sprinkler to water your garden, and you can wave a sparkler in the air at night time - but how come there's no such think as a speckler?

Hmm. Or is there? What could a speckler be?

Thanks for writing to me,

your speckled (or do I mean freckled?) friend,

the Word Snoop

Look, are you a snoop or a spy? from Ulia-jay

Dear Word Spy/Snoop,

I really like your book and I've read it twice.

I live in Australia and a friend of mine had ordered "The Word Snoop" through the internet because they thought it was a sequel to "The Word Spy" and when they found out it was the same they gave it to me!

I saw that there are a few differences from the Australian one. Of course the title and American spelling are different.I think the Mona Lisa rebus is different too.

It's a really good book. Thanks for writing it!

from
ulia-jay :)

Dear Ulia-jay,

Aha! yes, I'm afraid it's true, the Spy and the Snoop are one and the SAME person, and "The Word Spy" and "The Word Snoop" are the one and the same book. I'm the Snoop in north America and the Spy everywhere else (especially Australia.)

I'm sorry you're friend was confused - but the good news is there IS a sequel which will be out very soon, in May, and it's called, wait for it, "The Return of the Word Spy." It's got even more things about words in it and a very nice green cover and green pages inside. (Green is my favourite colour. What's yours, I wonder?)

It's interesting, isn't it, to compare the USA and the Australian books. They made quite a few changes, although you have to have an eagle-eye like yours to spot them! You're quite right about the Mona Lisa rebus - it was changed because apparently in the USA they don't use the slang word "mo" for a moustache, like we do. And have you looked at the section on Mnemonics?

Anks-thay or-fay iting-wray o-tay e-may!

your pal

The Spord Wy

Goodbye or goodby? from anonymous

Hello,
I have been wondering for a while which is correct 'goodbye' or 'goodby'. I always thought it was the first until I read 'The Catcher in the Rye' and now I'm unsure. Please help me?

from Anonymous

Dear friend Anonymous,

I'm with you - I always thought it had to be "goodbye" or "good-bye". I can't remember seeing "goodby" before, but a bit of spying and snooping has led me to discover that in some dictionaries it's listed as an "alternative spelling" which just means that some people use it. Perhaps J.D. Salinger, the writer of "The Catcher in the Rye" was one of those people!

The word itself is pretty old, going back at least 500 years. It's a short way of saying "God be with ye", which is a nice friendly way to say, um, goodbye.

Did you enjoy "The Catcher in the Rye"?

your pal,

The Word Spy

Is there a word? from Raphael

Hi
Is there a word that means 'children teaching adults/grandparents how to use the Internet, smartphones, etc'?
As a grandparent with computerate grandchildren, I would be very interested to know.
Thanks

Raphael

Dear Raphael,

Well, I hope there is a word - there sure needs to be! (I'm not even a grandparent and I don't know how to turn on my television anymore without help from someone younger.) I have not heard of or read such a word though. Hmm, maybe it's time for a neologism, or a new-born word. I will have to try and think of something - or I wonder if anyone out there knows such a word or could invent one for us?

Sorry not to be of more help at the moment!

all good wishes, and thanks for the message,

The Word Spy

Heyyy do you know any Latin words? from Isabel

Heyyy

Do you know any latin words?

from Isabel

Dear Isabel,

Yes I do know some Latin words - and some of them are English!

Latin is the language the ancient Romans spoke. If you want to learn it today, you have to learn it from books, at school or university.

There are lots of Latin words in English - like PLUS or HORROR or TRIVIA. Here is a good list of some of them http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/3277/ There are even more English words that are based on Latin - like MOVE or FLEXIBLE or CREATIVE. You can find lots and lots here http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/List_of_Latin_words_with_English_derivatives

English has so much Latin in it for a few reasons. One is the Romans ruled Britain for a while, after Julius Caesar conquered it in 54 B.C., and so a lot of things were written in Latin as well as people speaking it. And even long after all the Romans were dead, Latin was used for centuries in schools and universities, and so lots of Latinish words entered the English language that way. And don't forget France conquered Britain as well, (back in 1066 AD) so French was the official language in Britain for a few hundred years. French is full of Latin words - it's got so much Roman in it it's actually called a ROMANce language! Anyway, more Latin-based words came to English through French.

Phew! After all that, anyway, I have to say I love Latin! I recommend it to anyone.

tua amica (your friend, in Latin) The Word Spy

Pls Help Word Spy! from Kosta

Dear Word Spy,

I'm having trouble with the codes for Chapter 6 and 7! Even some adults that I asked did not KNOW!!

So far without any help, I have managed to get NOW THAT YOU HAVE FINALLY MANAGED TO CRACK THESE RATHER DREADED CODES I'M VERY HAPPY TO SAY THAT

after this I'M STUCK!! For chapter six the rebus I think it might be YOU ARE A SECRET LEFT (I'm not sure) and Chapter 7 FULLY QUALIFIED? My sentence however, then does not make sense!! Pls Help Word Spy!

Your Fan,

Kosta

Dear Kosta,

Well you're doing pretty well with those codes! You've just hit one little snag at the rebus part. I'll give you a hint. If you look where the arrow is pointing, at that list of the word "secret" on page 134, you're right, it's on the left hand side. But forget about left or right, just think about where it is. It's not on the bottom, it's on the ***.

I'm sure you've got it now! Let me now how you go. I'm really glad you wrote to me.

your secretive friend,

The Word Spy

PS Don't forget the "and" at the end of "fully qualified"
PPS And don't forget "and dastardly" on page 100!!

But what is Leet? from Camilla

Dear Word Snoop,

I was given your wonderful book for Christmas and couldn't put it down until I had finished it. I am a retired mathematics teacher and have always loved words (and I believe that all teachers are English teachers regardless of what other subject they may be professing.)

But, I do have a question. I know what LOL means, but what is Leet?

Gratefully,
Camilla

Dear Camilla,

Thank you so much for this lovely letter!

Now as for Leet... It's a way of writing electronic messages with lots of numbers and keyboard symbols instead of letters. It began at least as far back as the 1980s with early internet users and computer gamers who used it almost as a secret code. As time passed it spread about so is not so secret any more! and many children (and adults), especially gamers, are familiar with bits and pieces of Leet. In fact, lots of things you find in electronic messaging started with Leet - like having numbers in place of sounds ("I 8" for "I ate"), leaving out vowels (hppy brthdy) and those deliberate misspellings ("teh" for "the".)

The word Leet is short for "elite" which means special, or above others. In Leet it's written 1337 or sometimes L33T. The numbers stand for letters that look similar - so an "1" looks like a "l" and a "3" is like a backwards "E" and a "7" is like a "T".

Well, anyway, that's a little bit about Leet. But it's always changing and becoming new, because the kind of people who use it love change!

Thanks again for this very nice letter,

all warm wishes, The Word Snoop

From Madison the pianist

Dear Word Spy,

I am learning the piano. I want to know why I have to learn all these Italian words. I mean, if they want me to play it fast, why don't they just write "Fast" above the notes instead of "Allegro"? I think it's quite annoying.

yours sincerely,

Madison


Dear Madison.

Good question! now as for the answer...

All those Italian words that tell you how to play something (fast, slow, sad, relaxed etc) go back about four hundred years. At that time there were so many wonderful Italian musicians and composers, and there were also a lot of Italian publishers who printed music and sold it all over Europe. So somehow the Italian way of saying musical things just took over, and we still use these words today.

It's not just the written music. Many musical instruments themselves are Italian words, like piano, cello and piccolo. Also the names of types of singing voices, like soprano and alto.

I say bravo, bravissimo to Italy! (even if it is quite annoying sometimes.)

Hey, you might like this crossword - http://www.teachingandlearningresources.co.uk/xwmusicalwords.shtml - the answers to the clues are all Italian musical words.

Arrivaderci, The Word Spy

XYZ from Xavier

Dear Word Snoop,

Want to hear something funny? I am the only person in my whole school who has got a name beginning with the letter X and I sit next to someone who is the only person in the whole school who has got a name beginning with the letter Z. Her name is Zelda.

That's all folks.

Xavier.


Dear Xavier,

That is pretty amazing! Now you need someone whose name starts with a Y to sit in between you. Hmm, what about Yvette? or Yolanda? or Yoshi?

X is a very interesting letter. It can mean so many things. Like an unknown quantity (in maths). Or a kiss (at the end of a letter). And then there's always Merry Xmas! I think you are lucky having a name beginning with X.

from your impressed friend, The Word Snoop

Al again

Dear Word Snoop,

It's me again. Al. Just checking in. How are you doing?

Al


Dear Al, my pal,

I'm doing fine
(I think)

Yours in word and deed, the Word Snoop

Why why why? from Mia

Hi Snoop,

Why is frosting on a cake called frosting when it's not cold? Why? Why?

PS I like frosting better than the cake

PS this is from Mia


Dear Mia,

Well, I think it's called frosting because of how it looks - a bit like a layer of frosty ice or soft snow on the roof of your car after a very cold night.

Actually in Australia (where I come from) we don't call it frosting - we call it "icing". For the same reason I guess.

And I know what you mean - sometimes I just lick all the icing (I mean frosting) off the top of the cake and then leave the rest on the plate...

Feeling hungry now, from your friend, The Word Snoop

Run run as fast as you can from Elinor

Dear Word Snoop,

Do you know the story of the little gingerbread man? This is what happens. A little old woman and a little old man cook this little boy out of gingerbread, but when he's cooked he jumps out of the oven and runs away. He says, "run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man."

My auntie told me this story. She knows lots of crazy stories.

goodbye from Elinor


Dear Elinor,

I do know that story - and I really like it, it's one of my favourites. Although the ending is a bit sad... Still, he had fun while it lasted I guess!

If anyone reading this doesn't know the story, you can read it here http://www.enchantedlearning.com/stories/folktale/gingerbreadman/story/

Thanks for writing to me Elinor, and say hi to your crazy auntie for me!

your friend, the Word Snoop

Wish swish from Andres

Dear Word Snoop,

These are my favourite words. Wish and swish. But not fish. I don't like fish. I am allergic.


good to get you know you from Andres


Dear Andres

These are all great words (even fish, but then again I am not allergic.)

Talking of wishes, I'll tell you something funny about the word "wishbone". You know, that little bone in a roast chicken, that you hold one end of it and someone else holds the other end, and you snap it and make a wish? Well, in the olden days (like a couple of hundred years ago) this wasn't called a wishbone, it was called a "merrythought" !

yours merrily and with good wishes, The Word Snoop

Wormy thoughts from Kerny

Dear Word Snoop,

I was just reading what Dian said about worms. This is what I want to know right now. Why are worms called worms?

I can't wait till you answer my question. All my family says I am really pushy. Sorry.

lol Kerny

Dear Kerny,

Gee, I hope this answer is quick enough!

The word worm is from an Old English word (that's the sort of English people spoke in England over a thousand years ago.) In those days worm meant a giant snake or a dragon. Somehow over time the idea of a worm grew smaller and smaller.

Still, it's something to think about next time someone tells you they've got a worm farm at home...

from the super-serpentine Word Snoop

A new friend from Al

Dear Word Snoop,

Do you have any friends called Al?

Now you do.

from Al

Dear Al,

Hey, great to meet you Al! I hope you will write to me again.

from your ever-friendly friend,

The Word Snoop

A Quiet Worm from Dian

Dear Word Snoop,

Do you ever get sick of words?

I have a pet earthworm. I just got him today. Worms are very quiet.

Thank you from Dian


Dear Dian,

Sometimes I get sick of words, if I have spent a day talking, talking, talking. Then I just like to sit very still and not say or read or write anything.

Thanks for telling me about your pet worm! That's one pet I've never had, although I've kept silkworms from time to time. They were pretty quiet too...

yours softly, The Word Snoop

Fully sick, from A Worried Fan

Dear Word Snoop,

Where are you? Are you sick, ill, unwell, indisposed? Just you haven't answered any questions lately,

from a worried Fan


Dear Worried Fan,

Sorry! I haven't been sick, ill, unwell or indisposed, just on holiday in California! But now I am back bent over my desk, ready to answer questions.

Talking of the word "sick", it's certainly changed over the years. It started off meaning not feeling very well, which of course is still the main meaning of it. But then it came to mean in bad taste or even nasty, like "a sick joke." And now it also means something really fantastic, like, "I love that song - it's fully sick"!!

I wonder what it will mean next?

yours, in the best of health, the Word Snoop

Are umpires vampires? from Gordon

Dear Word Snoop,

Has umpire got anything to do with vampire?

from Gordon

PS I hope not

Dear Gordon,

Hmm. Let's take vampires first. (Eeek!) The word vampire is thought to come from a Hungarian word - which is more or less where vampires were meant to have come from - originally meaning "witch" or some similar sort of bad spirit.

Now as for umpire, you can relax (phew). It's from an Old French word "nonper" meaning an odd number. It came to be used for the third person (or odd person) that you might bring into an argument between two others, to decide who was right.

The word travelled across into English as "a noumpere", and then after a while people started saying "an oumpere" and then finally "an umpire".

That's a relief! You can play tennis in safety now. Thanks for a very interesting question, Gordon.

best wishes from The Word Snoop

What was that word again? from Lost Memory

Dear Word Snoop,
I had forgotten, what was 'kick the bucket' an example of? All I remember, unfortunately, was that whatever the example was of, it had to do with not directly saying it (in this case-died/dying).
Thanks,
LostMemory

Dear Lost Memory,

Well it's an example of a euphemism - a way of saying something without saying it, if you know what I mean. Like I guess if you couldn't remember something, you might say that you had a "senior moment" - although that only works if you are a senior in the first place!!

Hope that helps

happy word spying, from the Word Snoop

Ouch from Zoe

Dear Word Snoop,

I read something very interesting in the dictionary. It's about ouch. Did you know that an ouch means a kind of brooch? Not just what you say when something hurts.

I think this is very interesting. I am going to read the dictionary again.

Do you ever read the dictionary?

Zoe


Dear Zoe,

That is VERY interesting. I had never heard of an ouch before - but I've just gone to the dictionary and I see what you mean! Isn't that strange?

So now if someone says they are going to give you an ouch for your birthday, you will know they are not planning on kicking you in the shins...

I love to read the dictionary. You never get bored!

Thanks for telling me about this Zoe.

your pal, The Word Snoop

Rain, hail or snow from Gerald

Dear Word Snoop,

Which word do you like better - hail, snow, sleet or rain? I like them all. But maybe snow the best.

yours sincerely, Gerald



Dear Gerald,

You have picked some great words! I think I like hail. But then, that's because I like words with "h" in them...

Talking of snow - you know how we say "it snowed" - well did you know back six or seven hundred years ago people said: "it snew"? A poet from those times called Robert Mannynge wrote this in his poem "Chronicle": (remember spelling was different then too)

"Also thikke as snow that snew,
Or also hail that stormes blew."

Thick as snow that snew, what a great line!

from your sincere pal, The Word Snoop

From Evana the scrabble freak

Hi Word Snoop,

Do you like playing scrabble? It seems like it would be the sort of thing you would like.

From a scrabble freak, Evana

Dear Evana,

Yes! I love to play scrabble. Only I never win because I spend too much time thinking about all the wonderful words I could make, and am not very good at the little tiny words that you get lots of points for. But it's one of my big favourites.

I know people who play scrabble on Facebook. Have you ever played on line?

And have you heard of a way of playing scrabble called "squabble"? You have to snatch up the letters to make words very quickly - a bit too exciting for me...

from your scribbling scrabbling pal, The Word Snoop

Wilting from Bram

Dear Word Snoop,

I like the word wilt. Whenever I hear the word wilt I want to laugh.

I guess it's not so funny if you are the one wilting.

Goodbye for now,

Bram

Dear Bram,

Well thanks for that, my friend.

Of course if you were wilting I could pour water all over you!

yours, The Word Snoop

What is the answer? from Anthony

Dear Word Spy,

What are the secret messages for the book "The Word Spy"?
Please write back soon.

From Anthony, one of your readers

Dear Anthony,

Well this could be a long answer! Have you looked at the end of the book? From page 243, it gives you a key to help you crack each code for each chapter. Maybe if you tell me first what sort of answers you've managed to get, then I can tell you if you're on the right track...

It's a SECRET code after all (tee hee). But I'll give you a hint - it's all about being a good spy.

your secretive pal, the Word Spy

Talking chickens from Bree

Dear Word Snoop,

I have two pet chickens. Their names are Okey and Dokey. They are both girls. They make a lot of noise. Can I teach them to talk like a parrot? Then they could tell me what they are thinking.

It's over to you Snoop.

lots of lollipops from Bree

Dear Bree,

Wow. What an amazing question. Talking chickens...I've had chickens myself (a boy and a girl, called Lovely and Gorgeous) and I agree, they are very very noisy. I talked to them a lot but I never thought of teaching them to say anything. I tried to work out what they were thinking by staring into their beady little eyes, but they didn't give much away.

I think probably you can't teach chickens to speak. And I guess you know that when you teach a parrot or a budgie to speak, they don't really start talking like you and me. They usually just repeat words, and it's kind of hard to tell if they know what you mean the words to mean. But, hey, you could give it a try.

Let me know what happens. After all, this could be the beginning of an amazing conversation....

lots of lollipops to you too, from the The Word Snoop

Three Questions from A.Non

Dear The Word Snoop,

Is "The" your first name? So is "Word" your middle name? And is "Snoop" your surname?

These are my questions. What are the answers?

yours sincerely,

A. Non

Dear A,

These questions are VERY mysterious. I don't quite know how to answer. Um. Thinking thinking.

In the meantime, you can call me "The" if you like (But not hte, please!)


your pal, The

(Word Snoop)

Unpopped popcorn from Hannah

Dear Snooper of Words,

In that book you wrote it says in the section on palindromes that popcorn goes POP when it pops. (Which is a palindrome.) But sometimes popcorn doesn't pop. What is the word for popcorn that doesn't pop? Is it a palindrome too?

I am waiting for your answer.

Hannah

Dear Hannah,

(Aha! I know why you liked the section on palindromes H A N N A H)

Unpopped popcorn is such a sad thing. It needs a sad word. I don't know if there is a word already for it, but we could make one up.

How about - UNPOPNU.

What do you think?

from your snoopy old friend, The Word you-know-what

More on jigsaws from Eid

Dear Word Snoop,

This is not about words, it's about jigsaw puzzles. Did you know that I had a jigsaw puzzle of a shark and one of the pieces went missing? I think my little brother ate it. But I don't really know. But it is the sort of thing he does. He is only two.

My sister has your book and she showed me your blog.

CU when I CU
Eid

Dear Eid,

Wow. I hope you put the rest of the puzzle in a safe place. You never know when someone might feel like a snack between meals...

Thanks for writing! (Say hi to your sister.)

from your pal, The Word Snoop

Puzzled from Maylee

Hello to the Word Snoop,

Today I am doing a jigsaw puzzle. It is a picture of a very big black cat. There are one hundred pieces.

Do you like doing jigsaws where you live?

Thank you for the funny book. I wonder, why are jigsaw puzzles called jigsaw puzzles? Maybe you know.

Goodbye. Maylee


Dear Maylee,

I love doing jigsaw puzzles. I love the way the picture grows so slowly, sort of the opposite of turning on the tv. (Unless your tv doesn't work very well of course.)

A jigsaw is actually a special kind of saw. It's good for cutting curves, not just straight lines. When jigsaw puzzles were first invented over 200 years ago in Britain, the wooden pieces were cut with a jigsaw. So that's why they began to be called jigsaw puzzles.

Nowadays most jigsaw puzzles are made with machines in factories. Sometimes they are cut by lasers. So maybe they should be called "laser puzzles"....

I bet you like doing jigsaw puzzles on the computer. It's easier, because you can't lose any pieces, or accidentally tip the table over and have all the pieces fall on the floor.

Still, sometimes nothing beats a good old-fashioned wooden or cardboard jigsaw puzzle! Good luck with your big black cat.

from your puzzled pal, The Word Snoop

Why is there a double L? from Lucas

Dear Word Snoop,

I was wondering why the word "llama" has a double L?

Yours in fandom, Lucas (with one L)


Dear Lucas (with one L),

Well, (oops, there's a double L!) the thing is,llamas come originally from Peru, so that's where the word comes from too.And in Spanish, which is the language now spoken in Peru, double L actually makes a different sound when you say it. So "llama" is pronounced "Yama". Although if you're a Spanish-speaker from Argentina or Uruguay you pronounce it like a "sh" sound. So "llama" becomes "shama".

Hmm. If you DID have a double L at the start of your name, you could be "Yucas" or "Shucas." (!)


Thanks for being my fan, your friend, The Word Shnoop

Spy or Snoop from Diban

Dear Word person,

This is what I don't understand. Y R U sometimes the Word Snoop and sometimes the Word Spy? R U one person or two people?

from Diban.



Dear Diban,

I'm sorry to be so confusing. People usually only have one name I guess - but in my case, I have a different name depending which country I am in. So when I am in Australia, I am the Word Spy. When I am in the USA and Canada, I am the Word Snoop.

Mm, if I was in France, maybe then I would be L'Espion de Mots. Or in South America I might be El Espia de Palabras.

Hasta la vista,

The Word Something or other.

Nick the name from Nick

Dear Word Snoop,

I like your book. I like the nicknames in your book. I like nicknames.

Guess what my nickname is? Nick.

Or sometimes I also get called Cracker. Or Wassupdude. I don't know why.

I like Nick. My friend calls me Nick the Name. I like that too.

Was your nickname at school really Urk?

I am your fan, Nick


Dear Nick,

Thanks for this very nice letter, full of information!

Now I don't know what to call you, with all that choice.

And yep, my nickname really was Urk. Some of my friends still call me Urk. You can too, if you like.

Glad to know about all your nicknames,

from your urky pal, The Word Snoop

What's cooking? from Inbal

Dear Word Snoop,

Did people used to cook cupcakes in cups?

Maybe this is a cooking question.

from Inbal

Dear Inbal,

I think it's a cookingword question, actually.

The word "cupcake" is nearly 200 years old. Now it may be that people used to cook them in cups, so that gave them the shape of a little cup.

Or it might be to do with the ingredients. Have you ever heard of something called a "pound cake"? This sort of cake got its name because it was made from a pound of butter, pound of sugar, pound of flour, and a pound of eggs. (A pound, for those who don't know, is about 450 grams.) So maybe cupcakes were made from a cup of butter, a cup of sugar, a cup of flour and a cup of eggs.

Nowadays most recipes for pound cakes and cupcakes don't follow this description!

When I was little we used to call them "fairy cakes". Or sometimes "butterfly cakes" - but that was if you cut the top off and made a little pair of wings out of the little bit of cake. Then you put the wings on the cake with some cream and jam.

You know, you've got me thinking now. I'm going to see if I can invent a recipe for "Word Snoop Cakes."

see you later (in the kitchen)

your friend, the Word Snoop

Too short for words from Barton

Dear Word Snoop,

Talking of very short words, "I" is a very very short word, isn't it?

from Barton


Dear Barton,

I agree - "I" is a seriously short word. It used to be longer though, you know. It used to be "ik" or "ich". (In Old English, which is what people spoke in Old England.)

Actually, that's why we write "I" with a capital letter. (Ever wondered about that?) You see, when people stopped saying "ik" and started saying just "i" instead,they wrote it as a capital so that you could see it on the page and not just think it was a mistake!

Thanks for writing to me!

from your friendly Word Snoop

The Hot Cat from Freya

Dear Word Spy,

Today I tried to write a story where every word only has three letters. This is what I've done so far.

Can you put the cat out now? It's far too hot for him.

It was really HARD to do. I tried to do another sentence but I couldn't but maybe I'll try again later when my head doesn't hurt.


from a spying spy, Freya



Dear Freya,

Wow! What an interesting thing to try. I agree, it's really hard to do.

The cat can not get off the box. The cat and the pig try -

Oh, I can't do any more - my head hurts too!

from another Spy

What's your favourite letter? from OOOOOOOOOOOOOliver

Dear Word Snooooooooooooooooop,

My favourite letter is O.OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

What's yours?


from OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOliver


Dear OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOliver (um, I hope I spelled your name right),

I think maybe my favourite letter is Q. Or mabye it's Y. I also like L. But I'm a bit scared of X. Except when it's a kiss at the end of an email or something.

It's VERY hard to choose.

from your friend the Word Snoop (x)

A new word from Thom

Dear Word Spy,

I have invented a new word. It's GLOGLUP.

One problem - I don't know what it means yet.

Any ideas?


yours faithfully,Thom

Dear Thom,

Great word! Um, let me think. GLOGLUP.

While I'm thinking, did you know that a brand new word that gets invented like this is called a NEOLOGISM? (That's ancient Greek for "new word". )

Gloglup.

Maybe it could mean the sound a cat makes when it's gobbling up a bowl of tuna. What do you think?

yours thoughtfully, The Word Spy

Too many words from Anat

Dear Word Spy,

It said in the paper that there are now ONE MILLION different words in English.

I think maybe that is too many words.

What do you think?

Bye for now, Anat


Dear Anat,

You know, there are probably even more than a million different words in English - I mean, how would you count them? And new words are being born every day (just like babies.)

But you can relax, nobody uses all those words. Even a very very VERY big dictionary would only have a quarter of those words inside it. And as for words that we really use and understand every day, well that would only be a matter of thousands. Of course, some people know more thousands than others!

Anyway, it's not the number of words, is it? It's how you use them. That's what I reckon. After all, Dr Seuss managed to write the wonderful "The Cat in the Hat" and he only used 236 different words. That's what I call clever!

Till next time,
The Word Spy

Freaking out in Old English from Eliza

Dear Word Spy,

That post you put before was good. When I grow up, I want to learn to speak Old English. I think it would be interesting to freak everybody out.

From Eliza

P.S. Did Merlin speak Old English?

Dear Eliza,

That will be fantastic! (And interesting.) You can learn Old English at university, but remember sometimes it's called Anglo-Saxon.

In the meantime, there's plenty of information on the internet. This is just one website that will teach you some Old English: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/evolenglish.html.

And here's a few words to get you started! (Don't forget that funny looking "P" is a "th" sound.)

Min nama is - My name is
Hwæt eart þu? -- Who are you?
Ic nat -- I don't know
Wa me -- Woe is me!

from your leof, the Word Snoop

PS I guess Merlin would have spoken Old English, if he had been a real person...Or was he?

Give up?

Dear Snoops and Spies,

Have you worked it out yet, what language these words come from?

Me lifes onlah se þis leoht onwrah,

The answer is - English!

It's true! Well, a certain kind of English, called Old English. Sometimes it's called Anglo-Saxon. This was the language that people used to speak in England over a thousand years ago.That funny looking "P" was actually a special letter that made the sound "TH".

As time passed Old English turned into Middle English which turned into Early Modern English which turned into Modern English - which (phew!) is what we speak today. This is what the words mean in Modern English:

"To me he granted life He who showed this light."

It's opening line of a poem called "The Rhyming Poem." It was called this because at the time and place it was written, believe it or not, it was unusual for poems to rhyme, so the fact it did made it special.

In those days, you mainly knew a poem was a poem because it used a lot of alliteration. You know alliteration, when words all begin with the same letter - like:

"Wanda watched while wild Wilbur wiggled waspishly westwards"

and all that sort of thing.

Hmm, more of that perhaps ANOTHER day.

bye bye for now from The Word Spy

What language is that? from the Word Snoop

Dear Spies and Snoops,

Yes, today I'm writing YOU a letter. Have a look at this. What language do you think it is?

Me lifes onlah
se þis leoht onwrah

Look forward to your answers!


from Me (the Word Snoop and Spy)

I will put your answers up when they come through my gmail comment box. It may take a little while...

Possibly a fan, from Terence

Dear Word Spy (aka Word Snoop),

I'm thinking of becoming your fan. But first I'd like to know, why are fans called fans? Like, are they supposed to go around with fans and keep the air cool or something?

from Terence, a possible fan

Dear Terence,

That sounds nice! (keeping the air cool I mean.) But actually, the word fan here has nothing to do with fans that keep you cool on a hot day. That sort of cooling fan comes from an old Latin word for wind - "vannus".

The other kind of fan comes from somewhere else altogether. People who study words think it is most probably short for the word "fanatic", which means someone who's really obsessed with something.

Or it could also be short for the word "fancier", which means someone who likes a particular thing or has a special hobby. You know, like "pigeon fancier" means someone who likes pigeons.

As Bert from Sesame Street (you know, Ernie's pal) once said: "Greetings, pigeon fanciers of America and guest pigeons!"

Looking forward to maybe adding you to my fan base,

your respectful friend, The Word Spy

Famous, for all the wrong reasons, from Alec

Dear Word Snoop,

Are you famous or just notorious?

from Alec, a fan


Dear Alec,

Mmm, tricky question. I hope, if I'm famous, that I'm not famous for being bad, which is what notorious means! How about we just settle for "well-known in wordy circles" or something like that.

Whatever I am, I am VERY glad you are my fan.

Now I will go and put on a big hat and dark glasses in case I get MOBBED in the street by all my admirers....

your incognito friend, The Word Snoop

Rude words from Julian

Dear Word Spy (or Word Snoop, for those of us who got the American edition),

Do you know how swear words became rude, instead of just ordinary words? Also, where did the term ‘Swear Word’ come from, instead of just ‘Rude Word’?

I am a curious 11-year-old, and I think that the way you wrote it to be suitable and interesting for today’s sports-obsessed generation was a stroke of genius.

Oh yeah, and was a lack of section on the origin of swear words requested by your publisher?

Your (polite) fan,
Julian.

P.S. Have you read the Inheritance series, by Christopher Paolini? If you haven’t, I would recommend doing so. He has created a multitude of interesting new words there, for instance ‘Brisingr’, which is also the name of the third book in the series.

Dear Julian,

This is a great letter, thank you.(I'm SO glad you've enjoyed the book.)

I'm very interested in swear words too – also known as “four letter words” or “expletives” or “cursing”. And have you ever heard someone (usually quite old) say, “Pardon my French?” They actually mean, “Oops, sorry for swearing.”

Now, why is it called swearing? Well, it comes from an Old English word which meant “to take an oath”. An oath is a very solemn promise, usually made in the name of God. Early swear words were based on religion. Religious words are often thought of as taboo - a word for things you are not supposed to talk about. Religion can be a big taboo, and so are other things (I’m sure you can think of them!!)

This is where the mystery of the human personality comes in. When someone is angry or shocked or anxious about something, to relieve that tension they might suddenly say a taboo word and woooh! suddenly they feel a bit better. That’s why swearing is also found a lot in jokes, which relieve tension as well.

Mmm, I'm writing a sequel to "The Word Snoop" right at the moment - I was actually thinking of putting in a section on swear words...

And I definitely need to go and have a read of the "Inheritance" series - thanks for the tip.

Your sworn friend,
The Word Snoop

Are boogles real? from Sandy

Dear Word Spy,

I read recently on a number of websites that a group of weasels is called a 'boogle'. Lots of groups of animals have strange names but this is the funniest one I have found. I was disappointed when I looked it up in my dictionary (The Macquarie Dictionary) - it wasn't there. Is it a real word and how can I tell in future if a word is real or not?

:) Sandy, who thinks boogle is a great word anyway!!! *grin*



Dear Sandy,

I have to say I've never heard of a boogle! There are quite a few words like this for groups of animals - they're known as "collective nouns". Some of them you will definitely find in the dictionary, like a flock of sheep, or a mob of kangaroos. (You can all think of others, I'm sure.)

But it's true, the stranger, funnier ones, like a “leap of leopards” or a "glaring of cats" or a "boogle of weasels" you probably won't find in a dictionary. The reason is they are not words that anybody really uses, but have been made up by people just for fun. Playing with words like this goes way back at least to the fifteenth century to "The Book of St Albans", which lists a whole lot of invented collective nouns. Have you heard of a pity of prisoners, or a float of crocodiles? Or a prickle of porcupines, for example?

So I guess, in a way, probably boogle is not exactly a "real" word. A word is only put in the dictionary when enough people use it and understand it. But you never know, if you keep throwing boogle into enough of your sentences, maybe more people will catch on, and eventually maybe you will open up the dictionary under "B" and there it will be!

In the meantime, I must go now and close the window - there's such a pandemonium of parrots out in the tree I can hardly think...

your pal, the Word Spy

Just too funny from Alanna

Dear Word Spy,

The word I like at the moment is SNORKEL. Whenever my brother says it, I just laugh and laugh.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (that's me)

from Alanna

Dear Alanna,

Whew! I know what you mean about - sorry, I have to catch my breath from laughing first.

Snorkel is DEFINITELY a very funny word. It seems to have started during World War Two in German submarines, as a kind of nickname for the tube of air that kept the engine of the submarine ventilated when it was underwater. Apparently it made a funny gurgling sound like someone snoring, so it might be that the word "schnorkel" comes from the the word to snore in German - "schnarchen."

Soon after this it began to be used all over the world as the word for the tube you put in your mouth that sticks above the water so you can breathe when you go - you've guessed it - snorkelling!!

Okay, I'm going now to do some more laughing.

Ho ho ho, from me, The Word Spy

Dangerous volcanoes from Scoot

Dear Word Spy,

Do you like long words?

I do. Look at this one - Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

That's a disease you get if you breath in the fumes from a volcano. So be careful.

your big fan, Scoot

Dear Scoot,

Thanks for the tip! I'll remember that on my next volcano visit...

your intrepid pal, The Word Spy

But WHY?

Dear Word Spy,

All these words rhyme but they are spelled differently.

Spy
Sigh
Hi
Guy
Lie

And, even EYE!!!

So my question is - WHY????

From Greg (ory)

Dear Greg(ory),

That is some question. I guess you don't need me to tell you that spelling in English is a bit strange. Okay, VERY strange. One reason for this strange spelling is all the silent letters we have - like in sigh and lie and eye. Silent letters came into English in a few different ways - some came because of borrowing from other languages, and some were just plain mistakes that we all got used to! But probably most of them are there because the way people used to say words in English changed, but we have kept the old spellings.

I kind of like the old spellings, even though they can be hard to learn. It reminds you of all the millions of people who spoke English hundreds of years ago...

your olde worlde friende, The Word Spy

When you start, you can't stop reading it, from Benjamin

Benjamin in Mrs Perry's class at Cape Cod Hill School in New Sharon, Maine, has written a review of the brand new "The Word Snoop"! Here is what he says:

This book was a book about the history of the English language and special styles of writing . It even teaches you Pig Latin . When you start, you can't stop reading it and it has more than about 50 cool facts. Did you know that Benjamin Franklin wanted to get rid of the letters Y , J,W ,C ,X ,and Q?
Rating: 10

You can see this review on the website of Devaney Doak and Garret Booksellers, Farmington, Maine. http://www.ddgbooks.com/


Thank you Benjamin - that' s fantastic!

from your proud pal,

The Word Snoop

Cluck cluck! from the Book Chook

Congratulations on Word Spy's award!

from the Book Chook

Thank you Book Chook - it is very exciting. For those of you who don't know, "The Word Spy" (aka "The Word Snoop") just won a special award for literature in Australia. Here is what the Premier, Mr Rees, said about it:

"Mr Rees said that as someone who is passionate about promoting reading among children and young people, he took great pleasure in naming The Word Spy, by Ursula Dubosarsky and Tohby Riddle (illustrator), winner of the $30,000 Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature.

“This wonderful book explains the use and history of words in a way that is as enjoyable as it is informative. While it was written for primary-aged children it will appeal to all ages,” he said. “This, her fifth NSW Premier’s Literary Award, means Ursula Dubosarsky has now won more NSW Premier’s Literary Awards than any other writer in the awards’ 30 year history."

http://www.pla.nsw.gov.au/awards-shortlists/patricia-wrightson-prize-for-childrens-literature/48?task=view