We love to cut words down to size. When the term "mobile vulgus" became unruly, we chopped it to "mob." When "pantaloons" seemed a few sizes too big, we tucked it to "pants." When "abdominals" bulged, we buffed it to "abs."

Speaking of abs, here's a trim six pack: cab (cabriolet), gab (gabble), bra (brassi?re), deb (debutante), dis (disrespect) and fan (fanatic).

Sometimes we ask the barkeep to pour a short one instead of a double: rum (rumbullion) and whiskey (usquebaugh). And once in a while we even see double: Specs is short for both specifications and spectacles.

All the aforementioned abbreviations are formed by clipping off the back portion of a word. But once in a while we shorten a word by deleting its first part. Off with its head!

In many cases this fore-clipping (technically called "aphaeresis") involves deleting the first letter: lone (alone), cute (acute), special (especial), spy (espy), pert (apert), mend (amend) and live (alive).

Sometimes we clip a couple of letters: fend (defend), sport (disport), peal (appeal), stain (distain), ply (apply), fray (affray) and tend (from both attend and intend).

The words "apert" and "distain," of course are now obsolete, but even the old-fashioned term "drawing room" is the product of fore-clipping; it comes from "withdrawing room."

In recent years, dropping the first part of a word has become downright 'rendy, er . . . trendy. Teenagers named Topher (Christopher), Tricia (Patricia) and Zandra (Alexandra) now head to the mall (pall-mall) in the 'burbs (suburbs) to escape their 'rents (parents) and eat za (pizza). Speaking of escape, I wrote this column while vacationing in the 'Dacks, a fore-clipping I use for Adirondacks.

Now here's your chance to play executioner. Can you behead each of these words to form its abbreviated form?:

1. Miami Hurricanes 2. magazine 3. kayak 4. attitude 5. potato 6. askutasquash 7. trombone 8. alligator 9. telephone 10. turnpike 11. helicopter 12. airplane 13. raccoon 14. periwig 15. violoncello 16. omnibus 17. cantaloupe 18. caravan 19. Vietnam 20. Afro

Answers:

1. 'Canes 2. zine 3. yak 4. 'tude 5. tater 6. squash 7. bone 8. gator 9. phone 10. pike 11. copter 12. plane 13. coon 14. wig 15. cello 16. bus 17. lope 18. caravan 19. 'Nam 20. 'fro

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To find out more about Rob Kyff and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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