The 50 best-ever anagrams?

(First ever Anagram Gems posting. 2nd December 2004)

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Welcome to the first issue!

As described previously, this list is an occasional mailing of fantastic anagrams (perfect rearrangements of letters), either topical, recently discovered or of other interest.

However, the first issue is really just a teaser: Fifty top-quality anagrams with no fixed theme or pattern at all. It would be impossible to confidently assert that these are the best anagrams ever found: we have several thousand more of similar quality and each of you, I'm sure, can think of examples that are not on the list but should be.

However, for what it is worth, here is our selection:

"The Best Things in Life are Free" -> "Nail-biting refreshes the feet" (Donald L. Holmes, 1995) "The End of the World is Nigh" -> "Down this hole frightened" (Donald L. Holmes, 1995) "The Meaning of Life" -> "The fine game of nil." (William Tunstall- Pedoe, 1989)

"Public relations" -> "Crap built on lies." (Mick Tully, 2001) "Male chauvinism" -> "I'm such a vile man" (Segura, 2000) "Mother-in-Law" -> "Woman Hitler"

"Soccer Player" -> "Score, leap, cry!" (Meyran Kraus, 1999) "Clint Eastwood" -> "Old West action!"

"Performance-related pay" -> "Mere end-of-year claptrap." (Donald L. Holmes, 1995) "Lower Back Pain" -> "Work incapable!" (Peter Pereira, 2004)

"President Saddam Hussein" -> "Human disaster dispensed." (William Tunstall-Pedoe, 1995) "Weapons of mass destruction" -> "US team swoops. Finds no trace." (Stanley Accrington, 2003)

"Eleven plus Two" -> "Twelve plus One" (Martin Gardner?)

"Madonna Louise Ciccone" -> "One cool dance musician." (David Bourke, 1999) "Elvis Aaron Presley" -> "Seen alive? Sorry, pal!" (David Bourke, 1996) "Britney Spears" -> "Best PR in years!" (Ron Young, 1999)

"The Artist Formerly Known as 'Prince'" -> "No first-rate workmanship recently!" (William Tunstall-Pedoe, 1996) "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark" -> "Uncontroversial re-marketed hash!" (Griff Phillips, 1995) "The late John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, the late George Harrison, and Ringo Starr" -> "In long careers, they all once sang major hits in a rather talented Northern group." (Larry Brash, 2004)

"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart" -> "A famous German waltz god" (Earle Jones, 1997) "Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi" -> "I'm a poetic star on violin and viola!" (Zoran Radisavljevic) (2003) "Giovanni Pergolesi" -> "I love opera singing." (Meyran Kraus, 2001)

"The Queen's Birthday Honours List" -> "Tony Blair sends this queue to HRH" (Mick Tully, 1999) "The Great British Weather" -> "Harsh, bitter, wet heritage." (Wendy A. Keen, 1995)

"A McDonald's Burger" -> "Real dog and crumbs!" (Mick Tully, 1998) "A Wendy Burger" -> "Beware! Dry gnu!" (Mick Tully, 1998) "McDonalds Restaurants" -> "Uncle Sam's standard rot." (Mick Tully, 2000)

"Tequila sunrise" -> "It's urine's equal!" (Ron Kyser, 1998) "Gin and Vermouth" -> "Hung over, damn it!" (Art Day, 1999) "Bottoms Up!" -> "Pubs' motto!" (Wendy A. Keen, 1995)

"Sexual Reassignment Surgery" -> "Man returns as sexy girl. e.g. 'Sue'." (Larry Brash, 1998)

"New York Times" -> "Monkeys write." (Eric Shackle, 1999)

"Thirtysomething" -> "Tits get him horny." (Rick Rothstein, 2004) "Soixante-neuf" -> "Sex union feat." (Keith Bryant, 1995) "The Missionary position" -> "The pair's motion is noisy!" (Mick Tully, 2001)

"Federal Bureau of Investigation" -> "If found alive, abuse, interrogate!" (Fred Holmes, 1999)

"Christopher Evans" -> "He's a rich TV person." (William Tunstall- Pedoe) (1995) "The Oprah Winfrey Show" -> "Oh wow, fine hyper-trash!" (William Tunstall-Pedoe) (1995) "The Miss World Beauty Contest" -> "Brunettes mostly, so I watched." (David A. Green, 2002)

"The European Commission" -> "Omnipotence is our shame." (William Tunstall-Pedoe, 2003)

"Swimmer Ian Thorpe" -> "Is more mph in water" (Mike Mesterton- Gibbons, 2000) "Mobile Telephone" -> "Bleep me in the loo" (Kevin Hale, 1998)

"The Acting Profession" -> "Fine, photogenic stars." (William Tunstall- Pedoe, 1995) "Ingrid Bergman" -> "Dream bringing." (William Tunstall- Pedoe, 1995)

"Prenuptial agreements" -> "'Repugnant!' Mate replies." (Rick Rothstein, 2001) "Millionaire" -> "Limo, airline." (Joe Fathallah, 2002) "Career politicians" -> "No special criteria." (David Bourke, 2002) "Naomi Campbell" -> "Complain, blame." (unknown, 2000) "Yasmin Le Bon" -> "Mainly bones." (Karen Harris, 2001)

"Have a nice day!" -> "Have a cyanide!" (Donald L. Holmes, 1995)

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