The Top 10: Words Defined by their anagrams

A list of words and phrases that can be scrambled to produce their definition

Ptolemy by Giordano Ziletti (1564). Astronomer is ‘moon starer’ if you rearrange the letters

This list was inspired by Anu Garg, who produces a daily email about interesting words (you can sign up for it here), including last week seven words that can be defined by their anagrams. My friend Simmy Richman said they are called “aptagrams”, and he nominated number 2.

1. Angered = enraged. This is from Anu’s original list.

2. Apple Macintosh = laptop machines. Thanks to Simmy Richman.

3. Astronomer = moon starer. Nominated by Beth Desmond.

4. Brush = shrub. It’s not quite there, but it’s good enough. Anu Garg, again.

5. Customers = store scum. I didn’t say they had to be polite. Thanks to Joe Jonkler.

6. Dictionary = indicatory.

7. Dormitory = dirty room.

8. Editor = redo it. Nominated by someone called “Learn To Spell”.

9. Eleven plus two = twelve plus one. One of my favourites.

10. Schoolmaster = the classroom. It doesn’t quite work, but I like it. From Rob Jackson.

Anu also had adulatory = laudatory, which I don’t think is scrambled enough; babbled = blabbed, which is not equivalent; and metathesis = it’s the same, which it isn’t (metathesis is the transposition of letters, sounds, or syllables in a word, such as aks for ask – I’ve done a Top 10 of those, too).

Next week: Unrealistic Clichés in TV Dramas, such car drivers taking their eye off the road for increasingly dangerous lengths of time

Coming soon: Company Origins, such as Peugeot, which started making salt, pepper and coffee mills

Your suggestions please, and ideas for future Top 10s, to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk