Splitting up words

When you split a word into constituent parts (like therapist → the rapist), sometimes the resulting phrase subtlely shifts the meaning, and sometimes it ends up evoking something entirely different. Here are just a few examples out of many, from the first half of the alphabet. Maybe you can think of some others:

alternatively → alter natively
bewilder → be wilder
capacity → cap a city
decoration → deco ration
ecological → eco logical
flagrant → flag rant
gratefully → grate fully
humidly → hum idly
increases → in creases
jarring → jar ring
knowledge → know ledge
laboratory → lab oratory
mustache → must ache

3 thoughts on “Splitting up words”

  1. shampoo → sham poo
    languid → LAN GUID
    nightingales → night in gale/nigh ting ale
    tangents → tan gents

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