The ''-gry'' puzzle is a popular
word puzzle
Word games (also called word game puzzles or word search games) are spoken, board, or video games often designed to test ability with language or to explore its properties.
Word games are generally used as a source of entertainment, but can add ...
that asks for the third English word that ends with the letters ''-gry'' other than ''angry'' and ''hungry''. Specific wording varies substantially, but the puzzle has no clear answer, as there are no other common English words that end in ''-gry''. Interpretations of the puzzle suggest it is either an answerless hoax; a trick question; a sincere question asking for an obscure word; or a corruption of a more straightforward puzzle, which may have asked for words containing ''gry'' (such as ''
gryphon
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon ( Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and ...
''). Of these, countless trick question variants and obscure English words (or
nonce words
A nonce word (also called an occasionalism) is a lexeme created for a single occasion to solve an immediate problem of communication.''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of The English Language''. Ed. David Crystal. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press ...
) have been proposed. The lack of a conclusive answer has ensured the enduring popularity of the puzzle, and it has become one of the most frequently asked word puzzles.
The ultimate origin and original form of the puzzle is unknown, but it was popularized in 1975, starting in the New York area, and has remained popular into the 21st century. Various
similar puzzles exist, though these have straightforward answers. The most notable is "words ending in ''-dous''", which has been popular since the 1880s.
Answers
Various proposed answers exist, stating that the question is one of the following:
* A hoax – there is no answer, and its purpose (or effect) is to frustrate.
[, reprinted in ]
* A trick question, with various answers depending on precise wording.
* A sincere question asking for an obscure word, most often proposed as , , or
* A corruption of a more straightforward word puzzle, namely a word containing the sequence "gry", though not necessarily at the (tail) end, in which case the answer is which is uncommon but in use.
This topic is a source of lively interest, both to lovers of word puzzles and lovers of words. For both groups, much of the appeal lies in the
quest, either to trace the origin of the puzzle or compile a complete list of words ending in ''-gry''.
More recently, the word ''hangry''—a blend of 'hungry' and 'angry'—has been used to refer to an irritable state induced by lack of food. Oxford Dictionaries (controlled by, but more lax than, the
Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...
) added ''hangry'' on 27 August 2015, and the full Oxford English Dictionary added ''hangry'' in 2018.
History
There are anecdotal reports of various forms of the puzzle dating to the 1950s or earlier; the ultimate origin is presumably an oral tradition or a lost book of puzzles. However, the first documented evidence is from early 1975 in the
New York metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...
, and the puzzle rapidly gained popularity in this year. The most likely source is the talk show of
Bob Grant, from some program in early or mid March 1975.
Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster, Inc. is an American company that publishes reference books and is especially known for its dictionaries. It is the oldest dictionary publisher in the United States.
In 1831, George and Charles Merriam founded the company as ...
, publishers of the leading American dictionaries, first heard of this puzzle in a letter dated March 17, 1975, from Patricia Lasker of
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. Lasker says her plant manager heard the question on an unnamed
quiz show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, sh ...
. Since that time Merriam-Webster has received about four letters each year
asking the question.
The puzzle first appears in print in Anita Richterman's "Problem Line" column in ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'' on April 29, 1975. One "M.Z." from
Wantagh, New York
Wantagh ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 18,871 at the time of the 2010 census.
Wantagh is known as "The Gateway to Jones ...
states that the problem was asked on a TV quiz program. Richterman states that she asked a learned professor of English for help when she first received the inquiry, and he did not respond for over a month. This agrees with the Merriam-Webster report, suggesting a quiz show in early or mid March 1975.
In Anita Richterman's column on May 9, 1975, several correspondents reported that they had heard the puzzle on the
Bob Grant radio talk show on
WMCA WMCA may refer to:
*WMCA (AM), a radio station operating in New York City
* West Midlands Combined Authority, the combined authority of the West Midlands metropolitan county in the United Kingdom
*Wikimedia Canada
The Wikimedia Foundation, ...
in New York City. This suggests either that the earlier claims of a (TV) quiz show confused a talk show with a quiz show, or that there was another unspecified quiz show that was then repeated by Grant. The majority of readers gave the answer "
gry," an obsolete unit of measure invented by
John Locke
John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...
. It is unclear whether this was the answer given on the Grant show, or what the precise wording had been.
By fall 1975 the puzzle had reached the Delaware Valley, again apparently by radio, by which time the puzzle seems to have mutated to a form in which the missing word is an adjective that describes the state of the world.
The puzzle has had occasional bouts of popularity: after its initial popularity in 1975, it was popular in 1978, then again in 1995–1996.
Reports of earlier versions
The most credible report of an early version was given on
Stumpers-L,
['' Stumpers-L'', Good Gry-f! How many words end in -gry?, by Glenn Kersten, December 1999] which reported a trick question formulation from an eight-page pamphlet entitled ''Things to Think About'', probably dating to the 1940s:
Alternative versions
Trick versions
#This version only works when spoken: There are three words in English that end in a "gree." The first two are "angry" and "hungry", and if you've listened closely, you'll agree that I've already told you the third one.
#*The answer is "agree".
#There are three words in the English language that end with the letters 'g', 'r', and 'y'. Two are "hungry" and "angry". The third word is something everyone uses every day. Everyone knows what the third word means. What is the third word?
#*The answer is "energy". The riddle says that the word ends in the letters g-r-y; it says nothing about the order of the letters. Many words end with "-rgy", but energy is something everyone uses every day.
#Here is another spoken version: There are at least three words in the English language that end in "g" or "y". One of them is "hungry", and another one is "angry". There is a third word, a short one, which you probably say every day. If you are listening carefully to everything I say, you just heard me say it three times. What is it?
#*The answer is "say". This version depends upon the listener confusing the spoken word "or" and the spoken letter "r".
#There are three words in the English language that end in "gry". Two words that end in "gry" are "hungry" and "angry". Everyone knows what the third word means, and everyone uses them every day. If you listened very carefully, I have already stated to you what the third word is. The three words that solve this riddle are...?
#*The answer is the three-word sentence "I am hungry". This version asks for three words that end in "gry", not three words each of which ends in "gry".
#This version is a play on the
use-mention ambiguity exploited by other versions: I know two words that end in "gry". Neither one is angry or hungry. What are they?
[
]
#*The answer is "angry" and "hungry". Since these are words, they are not capable of being angry or hungry.
#Here is a version invented by Frank Rubin on December 4, 2003: Give me three English words, commonly spoken, ending in g-r-y.
#*There are many possible answers, such as "Beg for mercy", or "Bring your money".
#This version also uses the use-mention ambiguity: There are three words in the English language that end g-r-y. One is angry and another is hungry. The third word is something that "everyone" uses. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.
#*The answer is "every". First word is "fuming" which ends with "g". The word "fuming" is angry (when personified). Second word is "eager" which ends with "r". The word "eager" is hungry (when personified). Third word is "every" which ends with "y". The word "everyone" uses the word "every".
Meta-puzzle versions
The remaining versions are a form of meta-puzzle, in the sense that they make no use of the actual letters "gry" themselves, which therefore are a
red herring
A red herring is a figurative expression referring to a logical fallacy in which a clue or piece of information is or is intended to be misleading, or distracting from the actual question.
Red herring may also refer to: Animals
* Red herring (fis ...
. The red herring only works because there is another puzzle that does use these letters (even though that puzzle has no good answer).
#This version only works when spoken. Think of words ending in ''-gry'' (g-r-y). "Angry" and "Hungry" are two of them. There are only three words in "the English language". What is the third word? Hint: The word is something that everyone uses every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.
#*The answer is "language", and the logic is as follows: There are only three words in "the English language"; the third word is "language". Since this version requires quotation marks around the phrase, "the English language", the written version gives away the trick.
#Angry and hungry are two words in the English language that end in "gry". "What" is the third word. The word is something that everyone uses every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.
#*The answer is "what". But again, the quotation marks spoil the puzzle when it is printed.
#There are three words in the English language that end with "gry". Two of these are "angry" and "hungry". The third word is a very common word, and you use it often. If you have read what I have told you, you will see that I have given you the third word. What is the third word? Think very carefully.
#*The answer is "three", the third word in the paragraph. The rest of the paragraph is a red herring.
#There are three words in the English language that end in "gry". The first "one" is "hungry", the second "one" is "angry", what is the third "one"? If you have read this carefully I have given a clue.
#*The answer is the word "one", which is the third "one". Again the quotation marks ruin the written puzzle, so this version is usually written without the quotation marks and with the word "one" capitalized.
Similar puzzles
There are numerous similar puzzles, giving letter sequences that rarely occur in words.
[''The Word Circus: A Letter-perfect Book,'' by Richard Lederer, Dave Morice, 1998]
p. 259
/ref> The most-notable of these is the ''-dous'' puzzle of finding words ending in ''-dous'', which was popular in the 1880s. This took various forms, sometimes simply listing all words or all common words, sometimes being posed as a riddle, giving the three common words, ''tremendous
HMS ''Tremendous'' was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, designed by Edward Hunt, built to the lines of by William Barnard's yard at Deptford Green, and launched on 30 October 1784.
French Revolutionary War service
...
'', '' stupendous'', and ''hazardous
A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would allow them, even just theoretically, to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probabi ...
'', and requesting the rarer fourth, which is '' jeopardous''. This form originated in 1883, with an A.A. of Glasgow writing to George Augustus Henry Sala
George Augustus Henry Fairfield Sala (November 1828 – 8 December 1895) was an author and journalist who wrote extensively for the ''Illustrated London News'' as G. A. S. and was most famous for his articles and leaders for ''The Daily Telegra ...
in his "Echoes of the Week" column in the ''Illustrated London News
''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication in ...
.''
This question has had enduring popularity, even inspiring a contest,[''The Spatula,'' Volume 2, 1895]
p. 360
/ref> though the words have proven less stable: today ''jeopardous'' is considered too rare, and the formerly unpopular ''horrendous
Horrendous is an American death metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band has released four full-length studio albums to date, the most recent being ''Idol'', released through Season of Mist on September 28, 2018.
Career
The band was f ...
'' has taken its place; this change occurred as early as 1909.[Editor and Publisher, Volume 9, 1909]
p. 89
/ref> At times other words such as '' hybridous'' have been accepted. Today ''hazardous
A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would allow them, even just theoretically, to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probabi ...
'' is typically the omitted word, and differs from the others in being a visible compound ''hazard
A hazard is a potential source of harm
Harm is a moral and legal concept.
Bernard Gert construes harm as any of the following:
* pain
* death
* disability
* mortality
* loss of abil ity or freedom
* loss of pleasure.
Joel Feinberg giv ...
'' + '' -ous.'' This puzzle has continued in popularity through the end of the 20th century, with recent versions giving it as an alternative to the gry puzzle.
There is a Russian puzzle which goes: "There are three words in the Russian language which end in -zo. Two of them are ''zhelezo'' "iron" and ''puzo'' "belly". What is the third word?" There is quite a handful of other nouns that end in -zo, in the Russian language, but most of them are fairly obscure terms like авизо, abbreviations or proper names like Кензо.
Another similar one is words ending in ''-cion'', of which the common words are ''coercion
Coercion () is compelling a party to act in an involuntary manner by the use of threats, including threats to use force against a party. It involves a set of forceful actions which violate the free will of an individual in order to induce a desi ...
'', ''scion
Scion may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
*Scion, a playable class in the game '' Path of Exile'' (2013)
*Atlantean Scion, a device in the ''Tomb Raider'' video game series
*Scions, an alien race in the video game ''B ...
'', and ''suspicion
Suspicion is a feeling of mistrust.
Suspicion(s), The Suspicion, or Suspicious may also refer to:
Film and television Film
* ''Suspicion'' (1918 film), an American silent film directed by John M. Stahl
* ''Suspicion'' (1941 film), an American ...
''.[''Notes and Queries,'' Vol. VI, No. 10, 1889, October]
p. 365
/ref>
The most similar to the gry puzzle in form is to find three words that contain the letter sequence ''shion'', to which the answer is '' cushion'', '' fashion'', and '' parishioner''; this is typically stated by giving ''cushion'' and ''fashion'', and requesting the third word, namely ''parishioner''.[''Weeds in the Garden of Words: Further Observations on the Tangled History of the English Language,'' Kate Burridge, 2005]
p. 82
p. 184 This can be modified to finding words ''ending'' with ''-shion'', in which case the answer is the obsolete word '' parishion'', which is a synonymous variant of ''parishioner''. This has not been nearly as popular as the gry puzzle.
Solution techniques
The standard way to solve such puzzles is to use a reverse dictionary
A reverse dictionary is a dictionary alphabetized by the reversal of each entry:
:kcots (stock)
:kcotseid (diestock)
:kcotser (restock)
:kcotsevil (livestock)
Before computers, reverse dictionaries were tedious to produce. The first computer-prod ...
, or to perform an exhaustive search through a dictionary, either manually, which is tedious and error-prone, or using computer tools such as grep
grep is a command-line utility for searching plain-text data sets for lines that match a regular expression. Its name comes from the ed command ''g/re/p'' (''globally search for a regular expression and print matching lines''), which has the sa ...
, which requires an electronic word list. At the origin of the gry puzzle, the standard reverse dictionary in modern English was the "Air Force Reverse Dictionary" (formally the ''Normal and Reverse Word List'', compiled under the direction of A. F. Brown), which did not have additional answers for gry. The most plausible answer at the time was '' meagry'', found in the ''Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...
''. A more elaborate strategy is to list words that have endings similar to gry, such as ''-gary'', and then search a larger dictionary for obsolete variants ending in ''-gry'', for example ''begry'' for ''beggary''.
From around 1980 electronic word lists became widely available on Unix
Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and ot ...
systems, and searching for answers to the gry puzzle was an occasional benchmark; this also turned up ''gryphon'' in some cases, if match is not required to be at the end.[ One test was to find words containing the letter sequence "gry." The "grep gry /usr/dict/words" ran significantly faster on the Concept than on the VAX (the words found were angry, hungry, and gryphon).] This is now easily done in milliseconds on modern personal computers:
grep gry$ /usr/share/dict/words # Search for words ending in gry
grep gry /usr/share/dict/words # Search for words containing gry
References
*
Further reading
* Eckler, A. Ross. "-Gry Words in the OED." ''Word Ways,'' 25:4 (November 1992): 253–54.
* Francis, Darryl. "Some New -Gry Words." ''Word Ways,'' 30:3 (August 1997).
* Partridge, Harry B. "Gypsy Hobby Gry." ''Word Ways,'' 23:1 (February 1990): 9-11. A response to Scheetz's article, "In Goodly Gree," q.v.
* Pearce, Murray R. "Who's Flaithbhertach MacLoingry?" ''Word Ways,'' 23:1 (February 1990): 6–8. A response to Scheetz's article, "In Goodly Gree," q.v.
* Scheetz, George H. In "Colloquy." ''Word Ways,'' 10 (August 1977): 152. Scheetz expands on Beaman, q.v.
* The first comprehensive historical overview of the -gry puzzle, including a list of 51 words ending in -gry. Scheetz was invited to write this article by A. Ross Eckler, editor of ''Word Ways.''
External links
* Merriam-Webster
What is the third common "-gry" word?
rec.puzzles Frequently Asked Questions
2.2. What are the three common English words that end in -GRY?
{{DEFAULTSORT:-Gry
Gry
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