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From: jim@randvax.UUCP (Jim Gillogly)
Newsgroups: net.puzzle
Subject: Re: abcde and zyxwv
Message-ID: <2460@randvax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 4-May-85 16:18:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: randvax.2460
Posted: Sat May  4 16:18:47 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 8-May-85 03:38:54 EDT
References: <432@utai.UUCP> <69@harvard.ARPA> <700@gloria.UUCP>
Organization: Gillogly Software
Lines: 27

>> Here's a slight improvement on the first:
>>    ambuscade fighting jackal menopause quarks turvy waxy zebra
>>    ^ ^  ^ ^^ ^ ^^ ^   ^  ^ ^ ^ ^^^     ^  ^ ^ ^^ ^  ^ ^^ ^
>> which does it in 8.  I got this one using egrep on /usr/dict/words,
>> and believe it is optimal.
>> 
>> David Albert
>
>Don't look now, but you can replace the last four words by
>
>					queerest purview oxygenize
>					^   ^ ^^  ^ ^  ^  ^^    ^
>Col. G. L. Sicherman

Several of the words can now be shortened, if we want to optimize it further.
"Afghani" is shorter than "fighting" for fghi, and "maintop" beats
"menopause".

I didn't keep track of the record for reverse order.  Here's a sample with
eight words:
	zymotoxic waverous tsar equipotent milk jinshang foredescribe a
	^^    ^   ^ ^   ^  ^^ ^  ^  ^^  ^  ^ ^^ ^^  ^  ^ ^  ^^  ^  ^  ^
Love that web2.
-- 
	Jim Gillogly
	{decvax, vortex}!randvax!jim
	jim@rand-unix.arpa