6
$\begingroup$

This is in the spirit of the What is a Word™/Phrase™ series started by JLee with a special brand of Phrase™ and Word™ puzzles.

If a word conforms to a special rule I call it a Waiting Word™. Use the examples below to find the rule.

$$\begin{array}{|c|c|}\hline \bbox[yellow]{\textbf{Waiting Words™}} & \bbox[yellow]{\textbf{Not Waiting Words™}}\\\hline \text{AN} & \text{A}\\\hline \text{FEEL} & \text{TOUCH}\\\hline \text{FOOTSTOOL} & \text{STOOL}\\\hline \text{GNAW} & \text{CHEW}\\\hline \text{MOM} & \text{DAD}\\\hline \text{OUTDO} & \text{OUTLAST}\\\hline \text{POP} & \text{SNAP}\\\hline \text{ROTOR} & \text{WHEEL}\\\hline \text{SEXES} & \text{GENDERS}\\\hline \text{SIS} & \text{BRO}\\\hline \text{TAINT} & \text{DEFILE}\\\hline \end{array}$$

CSV version:

Waiting Words™,Not Waiting Words™
AN,A
FEEL,TOUCH
FOOTSTOOL,STOOL
GNAW,CHEW
MOM,DAD
OUTDO,OUTLAST
POP,SNAP
ROTOR,WHEEL
SEXES,GENDERS
SIS,BRO
TAINT,DEFILE
Improve this question
$\endgroup$
10
$\begingroup$

A Waiting Word™ is...

a palindrome (including spaces) in Morse code.

    AN       :  .- -.
    FEEL     :  ..-. . . .-..
    FOOTSTOOL:  ..-. --- --- - ... - --- --- .-..
    GNAW     :  --. -. .- .--
    MOM      :  -- --- --
    POP      :  .--. --- .--.
    ROTOR    :  .-. --- - --- .-.
    SEXES    :  ... . -..- . ...
    SIS      :  ... .. ...
    TAINT    :  - .- .. -. -

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
3
  • $\begingroup$ That was quick! $\endgroup$ – dan04 Jul 27 '19 at 1:34
  • 5
    $\begingroup$ Why's it called a Waiting Word? $\endgroup$ – JMP Jul 27 '19 at 10:11
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @JonMarkPerry As far as I can tell, WAITING is just another example of a word which fits this palindromic pattern. No idea if 'wait' is anything to do with the pauses in the code transmission?? $\endgroup$ – Stiv Jul 27 '19 at 18:02

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.