Reading the world the other way


October 2, 2001

The human mind is capable of some truly amazing things. Just take a look at the marvels created in architecture, medicine, technology and art, and this fact will become evident beyond a doubt.

But the human mind is also capable of some truly idiotic, pointless things. Just take a look at some of the things created by Richard Simmons, the religious right and the UPN network, and this fact will become evident beyond a doubt.

My mind was clearly working on the UPN wavelength the other night. I was having dessert at the Eldorado's coffee shop, Tivoli Gardens, with friends Teresa and Christina. It was getting kind of late, and we'd all had stressful weeks. Despite this, Teresa and I were in decent, yet tired moods. However, Christina had the mood of a cranky pit bull with mental issues. I should also point out we were all completely sober, our minds unriddled with any substances whatsoever.

I was bored and scanning the various literature around me -- keno pamphlets, menus, specials placards, etc. I happened to notice the word "gardens" on one of these pieces of paper. Don't ask me why, because there is no good reason for this, but my mind then decided to flop the word backwards, resulting in the interesting and previously unheard of word SNEDRAG. I thought this was funny. Bemused, my mind then flopped the word, "Tivoli," giving me ILOVIT. Finally, my noggin flopped Eldorado, giving me ODARODLE.

It was then it hit me that, in backwards speak, I was dining at SNEDRAG ILOVIT at the ODARODLE. I shared this fact with Teresa and Christina. Teresa thought it was quite hilarious. Christina was not amused.

Because Teresa and I were highly amused, we started flopping any word we saw around us. We were interested at how certain words, when reversed, sounded like words, except that they -- well -- aren't. Keno became ONEK. That wasn't too funny. Restaurant became TNARUATSER, which was funnier, even though it didn't work very well. My name, ELGEOB YMMIJ, was kind of funny. Teresa's name, ASERET, was funnier. But Christina Brokaw's name -- WAKORB ANITSIRHC -- was knee-slappingly hilarious.

At least it was to Teresa and me. Ms. WAKORB, cranky and not in the mood to tolerate blatant senselessness, wanted to maim us.

Ever since then, my mind has been incapable of letting this backwards-word phenomenon go. Everywhere I go, I am flopping words. This newspaper, for example, is the ENUBIRT SKRAPS, which sounds like the name of a wacky neighbor from a 1950s sitcom. The biggest casino in SKRAPS is the TEGGUN, a backwards name which may or may not have a deeper meaning.

The mayor of this fine city has a name that flops interestingly: GNORTSMRA YNOT. His predecessor's name, however, works much better: WOLSERB ECURB. It even sort of rhymes!

How about the government of the Biggest Little City, aka ONER? The mayor's name is worthless, NIFFIRG FFEJ. His predecessor's name is a little better: AZZARREFS RETEP. But the real humor lies in the names of the City Council: HSRAH INOT, IZZAIA DIVAD, NODGIR DIVAD, NAGOH-AZZARREFS ACISSEJ (OK, that one is baffling), ELYOD EIRREHS and FFEHCSAH ERREIP.

And the casinos? Well, there's the SDNAS (pointless), the YCAGEL REVLIS (pointless then interesting), SDLAREGZTIF (huh?), the SITNALTA (funny), the LLIMREPPEP (interesting), the OGNIMALF (deeply interesting) and the NOTLIH (deeper meaning?). SHARRAH is almost an palindrome -- damn that "S"! Then, in Sparks, there's the OMALA (wow!), the BULC REVLIS (really!) and the EGALLIV NRETSEW (um...).

I could go on, but I'd probably get fired. I have two points here:

1. Backwards words can be funny.

2. My brain has serious issues. I can't stop doing this!

In any case, I am going to take a nap. If my mind doesn't stop this, I am going to have to check myself in to the ETUTITSNI HTLAEH LATNEM ADAVEN. God help us all.

Jimmy Boegle is a fifth-generation Nevadan who thanks the readers of the ENUBIRT SKRAPS for reading this every week. Jimmy's column appears here Tuesdays, and he can be reached via e-mail at jiboegle@stanfordalumni.org. 1