A mnemonic is a phrase or a pattern that helps you remember something else.

For example, I still remember my high school locker combinations because of the mnemonics I created then.

One was "Legal, a day, and again" - which translates to 18, 24, 48. Legal age (in the U.S.), 24 hours in the day, and again adding another day of 24 hours to be 48.

The way the game will work: Someone posts a mnemonic or a series of them, and others will try and figure them out. Whoever solves (the most) correctly, takes the next turn at posting.

To start out with; the other locker combination: "2 days to nothing and half a day again".

48, 0, 12?

Correct!

Your turn - your mnemonic doesn't have to use the same devices mine does, just refer to things that are commonly known. 8•)

Hmm, will have to think about this a little. :-) (Sound of cogs turning, with the occasional scary grating noise).

Ah, got one.

I trumpeted to Corgis.

hmmm. So far I got:

Calling Dogs?

v. trum.pet.ed, trum.pet.ing, trum.pets

v.intransitive
1. Music To play a trumpet.
2. To give forth a resounding call.

v.transitive
1. To sound or proclaim loudly.


Clearly.. my work here is done..

... ...

... you're welcome?

:oP

This is sounding rather like a cryptic clue to me?

Is it actually a device you use to remember something?

I made it up... but it could be used to remember something (in a clunky way)... but I didn't want to make it too easy.

I was thinking it might make it easier to work out if you knew what you were supposed to be breaking the code to get...

Let's just say it's a number.... of a type! Does that help?

Okay, if I go with that the words refer to "shapes" or translate figuratively, so far I come up with

1 4 2 - and I got nothing about the corgis yet...

Am I on the right track?

Well, you got two of the digits right, but not the 4. There is also a sort of clue in the words I use (I hope). :-) In that context, it's a figure you can find in the Wikipedia and might feel a wish to memorize.

Sadly, not helping. Still stuck.

Well, it's a year you're looking for. Any good?

1927?

(figure 9 could look like a trumpet, 7 is a wild guess)

Just one digit out. :-) That's interesting about 9 looking like a trumpet, as it's not about shapes... it's right anyway!

alrighty, then I'll go with 1929 as the year of Black Friday, and you can tell me how we got here?

It's 1926 (Queen Elizabeth's birth year).

Inspiration came from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mnemonic

"Mnemonic phrases or poems can be used to encode numeric sequences by various methods, one common one is to create a new phrase in which the number of letters in each word represents the according numerical."

So "Corgis" is a reference to the Queen? Or to the number 6... I get the "I" bit and the "2" bit but the rest has me a bit lost... the 9 looks like a trumpet I'm guessing?

Anyway... I guess Cat wins that round so her turn again? (Hoping that I will get better at this with a few more examples...)

AH! I got it!

1 letter word, 9 letter word, 2 letter word, 6 letter word.

Alright, gimme a few and I'll see what I can come up with.

Okay, here we go:

Just above the middle, down one, reboot, up one.

6501? *shrugs*

got the first two right, and the concept on the 4th right. 3rd one wrong, throwing off the fourth

6567?

Check. 8•)

Does that number have some special meaning?

As for a new one... I might need to think about it for a while...

Yup, it's my extension at work. It was the only number I could think of off the top of my head.

"Mnemonic phrases or poems can be used to encode numeric sequences by various methods, one common one is to create a new phrase in which the number of letters in each word represents the according numerical."

Followed by..

"So "Corgis" is a reference to the Queen? Or to the number 6... I get the "I" bit and the "2" bit but the rest has me a bit lost... the 9 looks like a trumpet I'm guessing?"

"AH! I got it!

1 letter word, 9 letter word, 2 letter word, 6 letter word."


It would appear that no one reads anybody's posts these days. I.. am not alone.

:oP


Here's a quick, common.. and updated one:

"My very easy method just speeds up names."

Planets!

I actually use these type of memory cues all the time, but mine are complex and convoluted and noone else would get them (for example; my pertners boos and his wife are calles Troy and Lee; I used to remember them by thinking of Helen of Troy and Bruce lee; I go to an animal shelter at a place called Fullham (pronounced "Full 'em"), could never remeber the name so I developed the following method: There is a prison across from the animal shelter; a few weeks ago there was a breakout attempt from another prison in another state where the prisoners broke through a wall and then placed the bricks loosely back to utilise it for an escape later... ie they put the bricks back to trick the guards, or "fool 'em". So I remember "fool 'em" and the name comes to me. But I doubt anyone else would get that, somehow?)

"Planets!"

Yes. With the notable (now) exclusion of Pluto.

Before, was..

"My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas."

And there were others.

My very educated mother just served us nine pizza pies was/is the one I always use/d
Another: My very eager mother just studied up natures plan

I suppose everyone is familiar with Roy G. Biv?

Yeah, colorful guy . . . like remembering the resistor color code in electronics, "Bad Boys [Ravished] Our Young Girls But Violet [Granted] Willingly" Among others.

/\ Quite the topic of discussion in some circles, on the note of the apparent sexism.

Even that of racism; "List of electronic color code mnemonics".

"Humorous, offensive, or sexual mnemonics are more memorable (see mnemonic), but these variations are often considered inappropriate for classrooms, and have been implicated as a sign of sexism in science and engineering classes."



Here's one:

"Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally."

Hint: Order is important.

No ideas yet...

PEMDAS. Order of operations for algebraic based mathematics.

Parenthesis, Exponents, Multipy, Divide, Add, Subtract.

Well done, Cat.

... ...

And who'da thunk it?

A.. girl ... got the mathematical based mnemonic?

:oP

Wots is dis maffs thing you speak of?

And Les gets himself banned from all future cookies! Well done! Let's all give him a round of applause!

In the meantime....

A baker's dozen for a week.

1347?

Close, the "for a" isn't anything except a fill in connector. But you got the major pieces to solve:

137

So you're up again. 8•D

Still no ideas coming to me... anyone else?