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Deletion Alphabet

12 March, 2011

Shut your eyes. Spin around three times and stick a pin into last week’s forum, and you’ll be sure to pick a worthy member of the Deletion Alphabet. It was a torrid comp, and no breeze to delete the entries down to 26. Or 32 in fact, with some letters impossible to split. If you can forgive two of my own suggestions making the cut, then here they are:

A – take centre stage [SK]

B – boffin [Sam]

C – close [Nib] – or chide/churl [Boniface], or crazed [Robskee]

D – desktop crash [DA]

E – ego [DC]

F – flop [Boniface]

G – glance [Sam] – or midnight shift [DC]

H – No second chances [Boniface]

I – Kill Bill 2 [DC]

J – jousted [Boniface] – or jackknifed [GymBunnies]

K – bank [SK]

L – scratched album [SK]

M – mistaken [Nib]

N – withdrawn [Boniface]

O – ring-pull [GymB]

P – disquiet [DC]

Q – queen outed [Boniface] – or offer [Sam]

R – strike redhead [Simon L]

S – scull [PRS]

T – shunt [SK]

U – turnout [Boniface]

V – Wipe Off Five [DA]

W – nowhere [Simon L]

X – forgotten [Boniface] – or bygone/crossbar [GymB]

Y – scratchy [DC]

Z – spitz [Boniface]

Totting up the bylines, the overall winner is Boniface with 9 deletion devices, with DC (5) and SK (4) completing your TAB ticket. Congratz to all shortlisters, and treat yourself to a meal for helping to make such a stellar Storm. Takeaway, obviously.

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