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Square Theory

aaronson.org

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Re: Square Theory

#61

Post by teach »

lisper wrote: post #2

Aargh! I hate it when people quote text as images because it makes it impossible to cut and paste. > Jet black/Jet Blue ... catnap/dognap My favorite examples are how prepositions can change the meanings of idioms. For example, to be "down for" something and "down with" something mean the same thing, but to be "down on" something means the opposite. (And going down to X means something very, very different from going…

And "down for" something is very nearly synonymous with "up for" something. (:

Re: Square Theory

#62

Post by zem »

one of my favourite english curiosities follows this structure - "outgoing" and "retiring" are both perfect antonyms (enjoying or not enjoying socializing) and perfect synonyms (leaving a political office or job)

Re: Square Theory

#63

Post by scubbo »

RupertEisenhart wrote: post #53

Great article, but I can't believe it didn't mention the sator square! SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS (Very easy to commit to memory too since most of the letters are right there in the name!)

GNU Terry Pratchett

Re: Square Theory

#65

Post by rossant »

gowld wrote: post #39

> However, there’s nothing about the square structure that dictates the edges must represent phrases and synonyms. I got there and thought "Category theory", and, lo, that's the next paragraph. > Let’s talk about Scrabble, one of the seven most important games [link to review of Seven Games book] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/25/books/review/seven-games-... Seven Games was mentioned in another HN discussion last we…

Same. I couldn't help seeing a commutative diagram before he had a chance to say "category theory".

Re: Square Theory

#66

Post by notfed »

joshhug wrote: post #16

The part about dad joke square theory got me thinking about this classic scarecrow joke, which feels like an example from some higher order version of square theory: "Why was the scarecrow given an award?" "He was out standing in his field." The fact that a scarecrow's job is to be "out standing in his field", and that excelling at one's job can be phrased as being "outstanding in his field" is an incredible linguist…

Is it a coincidence though? You could have started with the phrase "outstanding in his field", recognize the double entendre, and simply consider whether it's anyone's actual job to "stand in a field". Scarecrow is one of many possibilities.

Re: Square Theory

#67

Post by vunderba »

kelseyfrog wrote: post #15

I'm a big fan of killing time on long drives with friendly word games. One of my favorites is a mix between rhyming and square theory. Here's how it works: one player picks two words that rhyme perfectly. Then, for each of those words, they choose a clue word, usually a synonym, but any kind of related word is fair game. They say those two clue words out loud, and the other players have to guess the original rhyming…

Our family plays "Match Three" during long drives where one person comes up with three words and whoever correctly answers with a word that can complete or precede any of them becomes "it" and chooses the next set.

Homophones and proper nouns are considered acceptable.

So for example: (Fox, Lone, Crossed)

The answer would be: Star

  Star Fox - a well known rail shooter originally on the SNES

  Lone Starr - the only man who would dare give a raspberry to Dark Helmet

  Star Crossed - a Shakespearean reference to two people whose relationship is doomed
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