Chronogram? What\u27s that? A new digital watch?
Not quite. It\u27s an intriguing form of word play, more popular several centuries ago than it is today. If you like tinkering with words and enjoy a creative challenge, then chronograms are for you. But a note of caution is in order: chronograms can be addicting

Hellweg, Paul

Digital Commons @ Butler University

Word Ways lhammadan, in Webster's). Most of Editions, sterisk de­al 2 y e .e ip lon 2 ptively for it. 143 CREATIVE CHRONOGRAMS PAUL HELLWEG Northridge, California Chronogram? What's that? A new digital watch? Not quite. It's an intriguing form of word play, more popular sev­e ral centurie s ago than it is today. If you like tinke ring with wo rds and enjoy a creative challenge, then chronograms are fo r you. But a note of caution is in order: chronograms can be addicting. I was addicted after I saw my fir st chronog ram in Mrs. Byrne I s Dictiona ry of Unusual, Obscure, and P reposte rous Words, whe re the following entry is tucked in between CHRISOM and CHRYSOLOGY: CHRONOGRAM: an inscription containing the correlative date in Roman numerals I was fascinated by the possibilities and immediately set about mak­ing my own. My first success was not particularly brilliant, but it was enough to hook me. Fo'r the record, here it is: 1969 (fir Bt lunar landing): MCMLXIX Man Can Make Lunar eXcursions In eXtravagance Othe r s quickly followed: 1492 (Columbus discovers the New World): MCDXCII I' Made Certain Discove ries eXt raordinaire 1" Columbus Info rmed Isabella 1776 (Declaration of Independence): MDCCLXXVI Mode rn Democ racy Created Certain Laudatory eXpe riment eX­tolling Virtuous Independence If you too are starting to be fascinated by the possibilities, why not try creating some of your own? All you III need is a table of Roman numeral conversions (found in most dictionaries) , lots of scratch pa­per, some spare time, and either a history book or a friend with an eidetic memory (to provide dates) . When you're all set J you '11 find it eas ie r to get sta rted if you pick dates which convert into short Roman numerals, as seen here: 410 (barbarians plunder Rome): CDX Christians Develop X;enophobia 144 1215 (Magna Carta): MCCXV Magna Carta Contract eXhibits Virtue You need not limit yourself to dates correlating with specific histor­ical events. Another area of endeavor is to describe a person's life using his (her) birth or death date: 1847 (Jesse James' birth): MDCCCXLVII Male Despe rado Caught Car rying Cash eXcite s Local Vigilante s Into Inte rfe renee You can also make personal chronograms by commemorating impor­tant events in your own or a friend's life. This area of approach opens up quite a few dates - - birth. graduation, marriage, and so fo rth. Finally, you can use chronograms as a quiz to share with others. In the following examples, I have provided only the chronogram. Convert the inscription to its corresponding date, then try to guess the event. Answers are given in Answers and Solutions at the end of this issue. 1. Many Daring Colonists Venture In Isolation 2. Man l s Creativity Manifested In Impossible Invention 3. Majestic Cornet Marvels eXperts 4. Man Conquer s Mountain's Last Incredibly Intr iguing Impe diment Editor's Note: Paul Hellweg has placed more constraints on the chrono­gram than its early practitioners did; all that was required was that the Roman letter s in the date be used somewhe re within the phrase, in any order. For example, the date 1652 (MDCLI) was included on the title­page of a book by concealing it in the author's name: franCIs goLDs:MIth. In one tour de force, each line of a lOO-line poem contained the letters in 1634 (written in various {orms, such as MCCCCLLL LXVVVVIIII or MCCCCLLLLVVVVVVIIII). The first and last lines: angeLe CaeLIVogI MIChaeL LVX UnICa CaetUs VersICVLIs InCLVsa, fLVent In saeCVLa CentVM Note that there are no extra examples of M, C, L, V or I used in the line, a re striction that Hellweg does not impose. HE'S MERLIN Abri indeed, c matist wl tide. ShakE names 01 insize,: of these' The r They are the lette straight: Natur start lool To be names, s I). No 51 pal wordf pIe just c 

Creative Chronograms

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Creative Chronograms

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