An Adults´ A B C

Warning: this abecedary should not be viewed by children or those of a nervous disposition, as it may permanently damage their lexical development and future career. You have been warned!

a for aether
b for bdellium
c for ctenoid
d for djinn
e for eye
f for fnese
g for gnat
h for heir
i for irk
j for jojoba
k for knot
l for llyn
m for mnemonic
n for ngoma
o for ouija
p for ptarmigan
q for qat
r for r-colouring
s for swounds
t for tsunami
u for urban
v for vau
w for wreck
x for xhosa
y for yttrium
z for zugzwang

The guidelines are: English words are preferred to foreign; shorter words to longer; more outrageous spellings to less; common words to proper nouns.

An Idiots´ A B C

(for aspiring village idiots everywhere)

a for ´orses
b for mutton
c for yourself
d for dumb
e for brick
f for vessence
g for says
h for
i for the engine
j for
k for
l for leather
m for sis
n for sir
o for the wings of a dove
p for relief
q for tickets
r for mo´
s for Rantzen
t for 2
u for ear
v for
w for quits
x for breakfast
y for mistress
and finally ...
z´s for sleepyheads
... goodnight, everybody!

Jonathan Coxhead (with Andrew Swaine, Jón Fairbairn, Jeremy Henty, Jonathan Griffiths, Rachel Hewson), 8 Sep 1998