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List of English palindromic phrases

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A palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Panama". Following is a list of palindromic phrases of two or more words in the English language, found in multiple independent collections of palindromic phrases.

As late as 1821, The New Monthly Magazine reported that there was only one known palindrome in the English language: "Lewd did I live, & evil did I dwel (sic)".[1] In the following centuries, many more English palindomes were constructed. For many long-attested or well-known palindromes, authorship can not be determined, although a number can tentatively be attributed to a handful of prolific palindrome creators.[2] Because of the popularity of palindromes as a form of word play, a number of sources have collected and listed popular palindromes,[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and palindrome-constructing contests have been held.[9][10]

Notable palindromic phrases in English

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This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Palindrome Notes Source(s)
Able was I ere I saw Elba Fancifully attributed to Napoleon, who was exiled to Elba. [2][11][12][13]
A dog! A panic in a pagoda! [a] [2][12][4][3]: 16 
Ah, Satan sees Natasha [a] [2][4]
A man, a plan, a canal — Panama! Devised by Leigh Mercer, a noted British word play expert.[14][15] [16][17][12][13][18][4][9]
A Toyota
or
A Toyota's a Toyota		 [a] [4][19][20]
Dennis sinned
or
Dennis and Edna sinned		 Numerous variations insert additional names. [5][4]
Doc, note: I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod Written by mathematician Peter Hilton [21][4][22]
Do geese see God? [a] [23][24][6][4][10]
Do nine men Interpret? Nine men I nod [a] [23][24][2]
Drab as a fool, aloof as a bard
or
Drab as a fool, as aloof as a bard		 [25][2]
Draw, o coward! [7][26]
Egad, a base tone denotes a bad age [b] [2][8][3]: 114 
God, a red nugget, a fat egg under a dog [a] [2][27]
Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog [a] Coined by musician Baby Gramps. [17][23][24][9][28]
I, man, am Regal, a German am I [a] [17][23][2]
If I had a hi-fi [a] [17][29][19]
Lewd did I live & evil I did dwel; or
Lewd did I live, evil I did dwel		 Coined by poet John Taylor, in 1614. [1][4]
Lid off a daffodil [2][25]
Lived on decaf, faced no devil [4][29]
Lisa Bonet ate no basil [a] [5][23][29][18][30]
Lonely Tylenol [a] [16][29][4]
Madam, I'm Adam [a] Fancifully attributed to the biblical figure, Adam. [17][12][23][13][11][2][6]
Ma is as selfless as I am [a] [16][24][2][19]
May a moody baby doom a yam? [a] [23][24][2]
Mr. Owl ate my metal worm [28][31]
Name now one man
or
Name no one man		 [25][2][4][8][19]
Naomi, I moan
or
Naomi, did I moan? or Naomi, sex at noon taxes I moan.		 [a] [18][2]
Never odd or even [a] [17][25][29][18][4][8][19]
No lemons, no melon
or
No lemon, no melon		 [a] [18][6][4][19]
No one made killer apparel like Dame Noon. Coined by palindromist Jon Agee. [10][28]
No devil lived on [a] [8][25]
Not a banana baton [a] [17][31]
Now I see bees, I won [a] [32][19][33]
No X in Nixon
or
No X in Mr. R. M. Nixon		 [a] [3]: 237 [22]
Nurse, I spy gypsies, run! [a] [2][3]: 101 [7]
O Geronimo, no minor ego [a] [23][5][4]
Oh no! Don Ho! [a] [5][4]
Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo [a] [23][9]
O, stone, be not so [a] [25][29]
Pa's a sap [a] [24][2]
Party Boobytrap
Pull up if I pull up. [19][26]
Race car [17][16][18][9][19]
Race fast, safe car [a] [24][4][19]
Rats live on no evil star [a] [24][18][2][4]
Rise to vote, sir [a] [29][24][2][4][19]
Senile felines [a] [18][4]
Sir, I'm Iris [12][2]
Sit on a potato pan, Otis! [18][19]
Step on no pets [18][29][2][4]
T. Eliot, top bard, notes putrid tang emanating, is sad; I'd assign it a name: gnat dirt upset on drab pot toilet. Written by Scottish poet Alastair Reid. [34][9]
Stop pots
Too bad I hid a boot [a] [6][3]: 367 
Too hot to hoot [a] [13][29][6][4]
UFO tofu [a] Title of the 1992 Béla Fleck and the Flecktones album, UFO Tofu. [16][35]
Warsaw was raw [a] [3]: 381 [30][36]
Was it a cat I saw
or
Was it a car or a cat I saw?		 [a] Many variations of the middle word(s) are possible. [4][3]: 381 [32][19][30][26]
We panic in a pew [a] [4][3]: 384 
Won't lovers revolt now? [a] [24][25][4]
Zeus sees Suez
or
Zeus saw 'twas Suez		 [4][29]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al Appears as a lyric in the "Weird Al" Yankovic song, "Bob".
  2. ^ Appears as a lyric in the They Might Be Giants song, "I Palindrome I".

References

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  1. ^ a b "On Palindromes", The New Monthly Magazine 2:170-173 (July–December 1821)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Howard W. Bergerson, Palindromes and Anagrams (1973), p. 82-90.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Michael Donner, I Love Me, Vol. I: S. Wordrow's Palidrome Encyclopedia (1996).
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Rod L. Evans, Tyrannosaurus Lex: The Marvelous Book of Palindromes, Anagrams, and Other Delightful and Outrageous Wordplay (2012), p. 25-29.
  5. ^ a b c d e Richard Lederer, The Word Circus: A Letter-perfect Book (1998), p. 82-87.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Ursula Dubosarsky, The Word Snoop: A Wild and Witty Tour of the English Language (2009), p. 69-71.
  7. ^ a b c A. J. Augarde, Tony Augarde, The Oxford Guide to Word Games (Oxford University Press, 1986), p. 101.
  8. ^ a b c d e "'Truth' Puzzle (No. 55). Assorted Specimens-Good, and Otherwise", Truth, Vol. 7 (1880), p. 317-318.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Steinmetz, Katy (March 6, 2013). "Madam, I'm Adam: Palindrome Masters Go Head to Head in Championship". Time Magazine.
  10. ^ a b c Astle, David (September 27, 2016). "Wordplay: Stressed? No tips? Spit on desserts: the art of the palindrome". Sydney Morning Herald.
  11. ^ a b Evans, Hugh (1866). "Tormenting the Alphabet". The Galaxy, Vol. 1. Retrieved 2007-10-03. Digital version: Twain, Mark (March 19, 2007) [1866]. The Galaxy, Vol. 1 (PDF). W.C. and F.P. Church (original). pp. 755 pp. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
  12. ^ a b c d e Elinor Miller, A Banner Handbook for Homeschoolers (2009), p. 76.
  13. ^ a b c d Joel Sherzer, Speech Play and Verbal Art (2010), p. 71.
  14. ^ A. Ross Eckler: Leigh Mercer, Palindromist. In: Word Ways. Volume 24, Issue 3, 1991, Article 2, p. 131–138 [1].
  15. ^ Published in Notes and Queries, 13 Nov. 1948, according to The Yale Book of Quotations, F. R. Shapiro, ed. (2006, ISBN 0-300-10798-6).
  16. ^ a b c d e Pelley, Lauren (May 11, 2015). "It's 5/11/15: Happy palindrome week!". Toronto Star.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h Smith, Ryan E. (February 22, 2022). "It's Twosday! 5 special ways to celebrate 2/22/22 in Greater Columbus". The Columbus Dispatch.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j David Fuhrer, Marvin Silbermintz, Backwords: The Secret Language of Talking Backwards (2007), p. 64.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Hemant Katara, The Doormat Of English (2021), p. 109-111.
  20. ^ "Palindromes make sense from both directions", The Charlotte Observer (May 17, 2002), p. 2A.
  21. ^ "Professor Peter Hilton". Daily Telegraph. London. 10 November 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  22. ^ a b Martin Gardner, Colossal Book of Mathematics: Classic Puzzles Paradoxes And Problems (2001), p. 26-27.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i Richard Elliott, Michael Bull, The Sound of Nonsense (2017), p. 75.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Randall E. Auxier, Douglas R. Anderson, Bruce Springsteen and Philosophy: Darkness on the Edge of Truth (2011), p. 90.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g José Vergara, All Future Plunges to the Past: James Joyce in Russian (2021), p. 143, n. 84.
  26. ^ a b c David Crystal, Language Play (2001), p. 67-68.
  27. ^ Alex Horne, Wordwatching: One Man's Quest for Linguistic Immortality (2011), p. 11.
  28. ^ a b c Morse, Libby. "Q & A with Jon Agee". PublishersWeekly.com.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "'Lived on decaf, faced no devil,' It's palindrome time again!". Greene County Daily World. August 23, 2019.
  30. ^ a b c Blevins, Joe (May 24, 2016). "Birthday boy Bob Dylan has inspired a lot of parodies over the years". The A.V. Club.
  31. ^ a b Kelley Dos Santos Kremer, Thinking Games and Activities: Making Critical Thinking Fun for the Classroom (2011), p. 18.
  32. ^ a b Betty G. Birney, Surprises According to Humphrey (2009), p. 143.
  33. ^ "Guardian Comic: Backwards and Forwards", The Guardian (December 13, 2008), p. 2.
  34. ^ Brendan Gill, published in Here At The New Yorker, (1997, ISBN 0-306-80810-2).
  35. ^ William Shurtleff, Akiko Aoyagi, History of Tofu and Tofu Products (965 CE to 2013) (2013), p. 1510.
  36. ^ Kevin Young, David Lehman, The Best American Poetry 2011 (2011), p. xii.
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