can you figure it out?

**Tee Ehn** · January 30th, 2002, 06:55 PM

okay i got this in my email a long and forever time ago....figure it out for me?

This is going to make you so MAD!
There are three words in the English language that end in "gry".
ONE is angry and the other is hungry.
EveryONE knows what the third ONE means and what it stands for.
EveryONE uses them everyday, and if you listened very carefully,
I've given you the third word. What is it?
__________gry?

------------------
The Far Chic
~~*If I could reach up and grab a star everytime you made me smile, I'd have the whole night sky in the palms of my hands*~
.......................
Hot!Hot!!Hot!!!

**-=Wizard=-** · January 30th, 2002, 09:58 PM

HA ha ha the word that your looking for doesent end in GRY it is the word

<CENTER>"language"</CENTER>

------------------
Lifes a Bitch and she's back in heat!
-=Wizard'sRevenge=-

[This message has been edited by -=Wizard=- (edited January 30, 2002).]

**-=Wizard=-** · February 1st, 2002, 04:00 AM

Tee Ehn,

here I found this.

This is how this riddle worked.

Solution to the /language/english/spelling/gry problem

Aside from "angry" and "hungry" and words derived therefrom, there is
only one word ending with "-gry" in Webster's Third Unabridged: "aggry."
However, this word is defective in that it is part of a phrase "aggry beads."
The OED's usage examples all talk about "aggry beads."

Moving to older dictionaries, we find that "gry" itself is a word in Webster's
Second Unabridged (and the OED):

gry, n. [L. gry, a trifle; Gr. gry, a grunt]
1. a measure equal to one-tenth of a line. [Obs.] (Obs. = obsolete)
2. anything very small. [Rare.]

This is a list of 100 words, phrases and names ending in "gry":
[Explanation of references is given at the end of the list.]

aggry [OED:1:182; W2; W3]
Agry Dagh (Mount Agry) [EB11]
ahungry [OED:1:194; FW; W2]
angry [OED; FW; W2; W3]
anhungry [OED:1:332; W2]
Badagry [Johnston; EB11]
Ballingry [Bartholomew:40; CLG:151; RD:164, pl.49]
begry [OED:1:770,767]
bewgry [OED:1:1160]
bowgry [OED:1:1160]
braggry [OED:1:1047]
Bugry [TIG]
Chockpugry [Worcester]
Cogry [BBC]
cony-gry [OED:2:956]
conyngry [OED:2:956]
Croftangry [DFC, as "Chrystal Croftangry"]
dog-hungry [W2]
Dshagry [Stieler]
Dzagry [Andree]
eard-hungry [CED (see "yird"); CSD]
Echanuggry [Century:103-104, on inset map, Key 104 M 2]
Egry [France; TIG]
ever-angry [W2]
fire-angry [W2]
Gagry [EB11]
gry (from Latin _gry_) [OED:4/2:475; W2]
gry (from Romany _grai_) [W2]
haegry [EDD (see "hagery")]
half-angry [W2]
hangry [OED:1:329]
heart-angry [W2]
heart-hungry [W2]
higry pigry [OED:5/1:285]
hogry [EDD (see "huggerie"); CSD]
hogrymogry [EDD (see "huggerie"); CSD (as "hogry-mogry")]
hongry [OED:5/1:459; EDD:3:282]
huggrymuggry [EDD (see "huggerie"); CSD (as "huggry-muggry")]
hungry [OED; FW; W2; W3]
Hungry Bungry [Daily Illini, in ad for The Giraffe, Spring 1976]
iggry [OED]
Jagry [EB11]
kaingry [EDD (see "caingy")]
land-hungry [OED; W2]
leather-hungry [OED]
Langry [TIG; Times]
Lisnagry [Bartholomew:489]
MacLoingry [Phillips (as "Flaithbhertach MacLoingry")]
mad-angry [OED:6/2:14]
mad-hungry [OED:6/2:14]
magry [OED:6/2:36, 6/2:247-48]
malgry [OED:6/2:247]
man-hungry [OED]
Margry [Indians (see "Pierre Margry" in bibliog., v.2, p.1204)]
maugry [OED:6/2:247-48]
mawgry [OED:6/2:247]
meagry [OED:6/2:267]
meat-hungry [W2]
menagry [OED (see "managery")]
messagry [OED]
nangry [OED]
overangry [RH1; RH2]
Pelegry [CE (in main index as "Raymond de Pelegry")]
Pingry [Bio-Base; HPS:293-94, 120-21]
podagry [OED; W2 (below the line)]
Pongry [Andree (Supplement, p.572)]
pottingry [OED:7/2:1195; Jamieson:3:532]
puggry [OED:8/1:1573; FW; W2]
pugry [OED:8/1:1574]
rungry [EDD:5:188]
scavengry [OED (in 1715 quote under "scavengery")]
Schtschigry [LG/1:2045; OSN:97]
Seagry [TIG; EB11]
Segry [Johnston; Andree]
self-angry [W2]
self-hungry ?
Shchigry [CLG:1747; Johnson:594; OSN:97,206; Times:185,pl.45]
shiggry [EDD]
Shtchigry [LG/1:2045; LG/2:1701]
Shtshigry [Lipp]
skugry [OED:9/2:156, 9/1:297; Jamieson:4:266]
Sygry [Andree]
Tangry [France]
Tchangry [Johnson:594; LG/1:435,1117]
Tchigry [Johnson:594]
tear-angry [W2]
tike-hungry [CSD]
Tingry [France; EB11 (under "Princesse de Tingry")]
toggry [Simmonds (as "Toggry", but all entries are capitalized)]
ulgry [Partridge; Smith:24-25]
unangry [OED; W2]
vergry [OED:12/1:123]
Virgy [CLG:2090]
Wirgy [CLG:2090; NAP:xxxix; Times:220, pl.62; WA:948]
wind-angry.
wind-hungry [W2]
yeard-hungry [CED (see "yird")]
yerd-hungry [CED (see "yird"); OED]
yird-hungry [CED (see "yird")]
Ymagry [OED:1:1009 (col. 3, 1st "boss" verb), (variant of "imagery")]

This list was gathered from the following articles:

George H. Scheetz, In Goodly Gree: With Goodwill, Word Ways 22:195 (Nov. 1989)
Murray R. Pearce, Who's Flaithbhertach MacLoingry?, Word Ways 23:6 (Feb. 1990)
Harry B. Partridge, Gypsy Hobby Gry, Word Ways 23:9 (Feb. 1990)
A. Ross Eckler, -Gry Words in the OED, Word Ways 25:4 (Nov. 1992)

References:
(Many references are of the form [Source:volume age] or [Source age].)

Andree, Richard. Andrees Handatlas (index volume). 1925.
Bartholomew, John. Gazetteer of the British Isles: Statistical and
Topographical. 1887.
BBC = BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of English Names.
Bio-Base. (Microfiche) Detroit: Gale Research Company. 1980.
CE = Catholic Encyclopedia. 1907.
CED = Chambers English Dictionary. 1988.
Century = "India, Northern Part." The Century Atlas of the World. 1897, 1898.
CLG = The Colombia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World. L.E.Seltzer, ed. 1952.
CSD = Chambers Scots Dictionary. 1971 reprint of 1911 edition.
Daily Illini (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign).
DFC = Dictionary of Fictional Characters. 1963.
EB11 = Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed.
EDD = The English Dialect Dictionary. Joseph Wright, ed. 1898.
France = Map Index of France. G.H.Q. American Expeditionary Forces. 1918.
FW = Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary of the English Language. 1943.
HPS = The Handbook of Private Schools: An Annual Descriptive Survey of
Independent Education, 66th ed. 1985.
Indians = Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. F. W. Hodge. 1912.
Jamieson, John. An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language. 1879-87.
Johnston, Keith. Index Geographicus... 1864.
LG/1 = Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer
or Geographical Dictionary of the World. 1888.
LG/2 = Lippincott's New Gazetteer: ... 1906.
Lipp = Lippincott's Pronouncing Gazetteer of the World. 1861, undated
edition from late 1800's; 1902.
NAP = Narodowy Atlas Polski. 1973-1978 [Polish language]
OED = The Oxford English Dictionary. 1933. [Form: OED:volume/part number if
applicable age]
OSN: U.S.S.R. Volume 6, S-T. Official Standard Names Approved by the United
States Board on Geographic Names. Gazetteer #42, 2nd ed. June 1970.
Partridge, Harry B. "Ad Memoriam Demetrii." Word Ways, 19 (Aug. 1986): 131.
Phillips, Lawrence. Dictionary of Biographical Reference. 1889.
RD = The Reader's Digest Complete Atlas of the British Isles, 1st ed. 1965.
RH1 = Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged. 1966.
RH2 = Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition
Unabridged. 1987.
Simmonds, P.L. Commercial Dictionary of Trade Products. 1883.
Smith, John. The True Travels, Adventvres and Observations: London 1630.
Stieler, Adolph. Stieler's Handatlas (index volume). 1925.
TIG = The Times Index-Gazetteer of the World. 1965.
Times = The Times Atlas of the World, 7th ed. 1985.
W2 = Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language,
Second Edition, Unabridged. 1934.
W3 = Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language,
Unabridged. 1961.
WA = The World Atlas: Index-Gazetteer. Council of Ministires of the USSR, 1968.
Worcester, J.E. Universal Gazetteer, Second Edition. 1823.

Some words containing "gry" that do not end with "gry": agrypnia,
agrypnotic, Gryllidae, gryllid, gryllus, Gryllus, grylloblattid,
Gryllotalpa, gryllos, grypanian, Gryphaea, Gryll, Gryphaea, gryposis,
grysbok, gryphon, Gryphosaurus, Grypotherium, grysbuck. Most of these
are in Webster's Second also with one from Webster's Third Edition and
one from the Random House Dictionary, Second Edition Unabridged.

Jerry Taylor writes:

By now, most of you have seen the seemingly-perplexing riddle that's
been going around on various radio shows, copiers and fax machines, and
of course, every listserv in existence (including THIS one). The riddle
seems to have perplexed just about everyone. Many people have attempted
to be helpful and have posted lengthy explanations, many of which, it
seemed, were more incomprehensible than the original riddle. (I hope
*this* explanation is not one of them.)

So, why then does this riddle continue to mystify even the hardiest
puzzle-solvers? Simple! It's because the riddle itself is almost always
stated INCORRECTLY! That's right. The way the riddle is most often told,
there IS no answer!

Don't believe me? Let's start by reading the riddle as it is usually
told. Here goes:

"There are three words in the English language that end in GRY. Two are
HUNGRY and ANGRY. The third one everyone uses every day and knows what
it stands for. If you listened carefully, I already told you what the
word is."

Sound familiar? I'll bet that YOU heard the riddle worded something
like that, right? And if that's how you heard it, no wonder you've been
wracking your brain trying to find the answer. But you know what? There
IS no correct answer! This riddle or a version of it, has been around for
at least 20 years. In the ORIGINAL format (as you'll soon see), it makes
sense and is a true riddle in the sense that, once you find the answer,
you slap your forehead and go "Of course!"

So, what IS the correct version, you ask? Be patient, because first
we have to consider the nature of riddles. By definition, they are
mind-teasers that use word tricks. A riddle is not a trivia question
for which you can go to a reference book and look up an answer. In a
true riddle, there's always some sneaky little trick that makes such a
straight answer impossible. So to find the sneaky little trick in this
-GRY puzzler, think of the way magic is performed. The magician does
something to divert your attention away from what he is actually up to. If
you watch very closely when all those scarves are being waved about,
you realize that much of the action on stage is simply a technique to
confuse or befuddle you so that you will not catch on to the magician's
sly movements. That lovely assistant who parades around in high heels
and sequins is there primarily to keep you distracted so you won't figure
out the trick. (Hey, it works on ME!) Now back to the riddle.

Here is the riddle in its original form:

"Think of words ending in -GRY. Angry and hungry are two of them. There
are only three words in the English language. 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."

In its proper, original form, the first two sentences have absolutely
nothing to do with the question: "Think of words ending in -GRY. Angry
and hungry are two of them." Ignore those two sentences. They are there
only to throw you off course. (And it worked, didn't it?) What's left
is the actual riddle itself: "There are only three words in the English
language. 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 key is the phrase "the English language." In this three-word
phrase, the third word is simply the word "language." Get it? "Language"
is definitely something that "everyone uses every day"! Without that
quirky little twist, the puzzle would be just another trivia question,
not a riddle.

A final note: There are, or have been in the past, a number of English
words ending in -GRY, for example, "mawgry," and "iggry" and even an
obscure noun, "gry," that means a small unit of measure. Many people
*thought* they had solved this puzzle when they found one of these words
in old dictionary or by scouring the Internet. But c'mon, folks, when's
the last time you used a word like "gry" in everyday conversation? The
thing about riddles is, you must follow them to the letter or they just
don't work. This one got messed up somewhere along the way and has become
somewhat of a cruel hoax (and perhaps has even become an "urban legend").

------------------
Lifes a Bitch and she's back in heat!
-=Wizard'sRevenge=-

[This message has been edited by -=Wizard=- (edited January 31, 2002).]

**Tee Ehn** · February 1st, 2002, 04:21 AM

fire-angry [W2]!!!!!

whoa! i haven't been rackin my lil brain i got more things to confuse it with but i thought if i just slapped it up on my board somebody would come along and give me the answer (like you did)...thank you....

------------------
The Far Chic
~~*If I could reach up and grab a star everytime you made me smile, I'd have the whole night sky in the palms of my hands*~
.......................
Hot!Hot!!Hot!!!