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I'll Be Back (Slang)

31 March, 2016

Did you catch Woodsy? You must hear Woodsy, the ex-butcher who rang our language segment on ABC Overnights last week. The bloke revived the languishing art of butcher-talk, or backward slang, talking about namows with big mosobs. In a grammar-geeky way, Kate Burridge and I were in raptures.

(And if you keep listening the 3rd or 4th caller is fluent in OB-talk, another alien dialect that's guaranteed to stagger.)

But while I'm afoot this next week - or toofa I should say - let's try our hands at a back-slang Brainstorm. Either clue a word from the actual butcher glossary below, or reverse any word you like, and provide both defintion and wordplay.

However your clue recipe can't rely on reversal. That's too easy. Any other formula - or alumrof - is eenif (fine). See how spelling varies to aid pronunciation? That's the first art. The second art is devising a succulent clue. 

For example, EEFOK (or coffee) could be clued: EEFOK - Returned charge for fine vice in the morning? [How will you eeraf with the rest?]

Lahteeaich - Alright

Eefok - Coffee

Eefink - Knife

Teefos - Soft

Evakh - Have

Dlos - Sold

Kool - Look

Eno - One

Owt - Two

Enob - Bone

Woc - Cow

Retchtub - Butcher

Keenurd - Drunk

Whykess - Sexy

Dlo - Old

Dratsab - Bastard

Clue these (minus reversal recipes). Or reverse any word in butcher style, and craft a clue. Doog Keecull.

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Riddledom Rave

If you missed my riddle chat with Richard Fidler, then feel free to slurp the podcast at http://ab.co/1I9t1x5

Text-speak is creeping into Scrabble. Where do you sit?
OBVS I'm fine with it
Entrenched stuff - like LOL and OMG - but no more.
Words With Friends, maybe. Scrabble, no
Let the 'real' dictionaries decide first
Just the handy stuff, like FAQ and EUW
I mean, WTF?! No way
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