Monday, September 19, 2016

Misheard Mysteries

And now for something in a lighter vein.

I like wordplay. I don't know whether the following is a formal game, but I had the idea to take a title, maintain the sound of its syllables but change the spelling so that the same sounds gives another meaning.

This follows the rules of pronunciation. For example, a consonant at the end of a word can be shared with the next word. "I scream" can become "ice cream." Or, in reverse, the consonant sounds are compacted and "ice cream" can become "I scream." However, a vowel sound at the end of a word cannot be repeated. So, "Rocky Road" can become "Raw Key Rowed" or "Rock Erode" but not "Raw Key Erode."

Homonyms are encouraged. Alternative pronunciations tolerated. "A pair" can be "ape air" or "up air."

The best have a sort of sense, rather than random words. In fact, I tossed away quite a few.

With that introduction, here are the misheard mysteries. The titles were taken from the top-voted mysteries via Goodreads and from other classics. The "solutions" are below.

  1. Gong Earl
  2. Thud of In-Cheek Ode
  3. Fur-Stewed, I
  4. Boar Nigh Den Titty
  5. Thus Urge On
  6. Not Sand Craw Says
  7. Ape Red Utter Remind (one of my novels)
  8. Dan, Saul Love the Dead
  9. Soon A Meek On Neck Shun
  10. The Caw-Finned Answer
  11. The Trait or Tomb, M or E
  12. In Purse Suit of the Prop Purse Inner
  13. When Thus Ache, Red Djinn Milk Low Says
  14. Thug Riffed Terse
  15. Mare Ream Airy
  16. I Scold
  17. Farce, Sigh Ted
  18. Sigh Lent in Thug Rave
  19. Fair Whelm Isle of Lee.
  20. Prix Zoomed In No Scent
  21. Teen Curtail or Sold Yours Pie
  22. Gore Keep Ark
  23. Thug Lass Ski
  24. The Fall Sin-Specked Urdu
  25. Da Bull In Dem Nitty
  26. Thuck Iller Rinse Sighed Me.
  27. Smile Ease Pee Pull
  28. Ate. I'm Took Ill.
  29. Craw Code Dial Lawn Thus And Bank.
  30. The Sunk-'Em Mist
  31. Tie Manned Egg In
  32. Shoe-Teen's Crypt
  33. Rose Marries Bay Bee

The Translated Titles
  1. Gone Girl
  2. The DaVinci Code
  3. First to Die
  4. Borne Identity
  5. The Surgeon
  6. Knots and Crosses
  7. A Predatory Mind
  8. Dance Hall of the Dead
  9. Tsunami Connection
  10. The Coffin Dancer
  11. The Traitor to Memory
  12. In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner
  13. When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes
  14. The Grifters
  15. Mary, Mary
  16. Ice cold
  17. Farsighted
  18. Silent in the Grave
  19. Farewell, My Lovely
  20. Presumed Innocent
  21. Tinker, Tailor, Solider Spy
  22. Gorky Park
  23. The Glass Key
  24. The False Inspector Dew
  25. Double Indemnity
  26. The Killer Inside Me
  27. Smiley's People
  28. A Time to Kill
  29. Crocodile on the Sandbank
  30. The Sun Chemist
  31. Time and Again
  32. Shooting Script
  33. Rosemary's Baby

Martin Hill Ortiz is the author of Never Kill A Friend, Ransom Note Press.




Never Kill A Friend, Ransom Note Press

Never Kill A Friend is available for purchase in hard cover format and as an ebook.
The story follows Shelley Krieg, an African-American detective for the Washington DC Metro PD as she tries to undo a wrong which sent an innocent teenager to prison.

Hard cover: Amazon US
Kindle: Amazon US
Hard cover: Amazon UK
Kindle: Amazon UK
Barnes and Noble 

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