Rebus

For the Inspector Rebus series of novels see Inspector Rebus, and for the television adaptation see Rebus (TV series). Information on the eponymous detective, see Detective Inspector John Rebus.

A rebus (Latin: "by things") is a kind of word puzzle which uses pictures to represent words or parts of words; for example: H + Image:Earcov.JPG = Hear, or Here.

The term "rebus" also refers to the use of a pictogram to represent a syllabic sound. This adapts pictograms into phonograms. A precursor to the development of the alphabet, this process represents one of the most important developments of writing.

The writing of correspondence in rebus form became popular in the 18th century and continued into the 19th century. Lewis Carroll wrote the children he befriended picture-puzzle rebus letters, nonsense letters, and looking-glass letters, which had to be held in front of a mirror to be read.[1] Rebus letters served either as a sort of code or simply as a pastime.

Rebuses and heraldry

Rebuses are used extensively in heraldry as a hint to the name of the owner of a coat of arms. This practice is known as canting. For example, the arms of the Borough of Congleton in Cheshire contain a conger eel, a lion (in Latin, leo) and a tun (another word for a barrel). This word sequence "conger leo tun" recalls the town's name.

The more popular rebuses contain simple English letters of the alphabet in different sizes, colors and other manipulations that often represent popular sayings and phrases.

Rebuses and game shows

Rebuses were central to the United States television game show Concentration. Contestants had to solve a rebus, usually partially concealed, to win a game.

Lone Star Beer, "The National Beer of Texas", has rebus puzzles under the caps of its bottled beer, as does Rainier Beer, Mickey's and Lionshead.

The United Kingdom has also had a games show which requires contestants to identify a rebus. The show, Catchphrase has been a longstanding Saturday evening show, with Roy Walker as its most notable host.

Examples from history

• It is written that when Voltaire was the guest of Frederick the Great at Sanssouci Palace, they exchanged puzzle notes. Frederick sent over a page with two picture blocks on it: two hands below the letter "P", and then the number 100 below a picture of a handsaw, all followed by a question mark. Voltaire replied with: Ga!

Both messages were rebuses in the French language: deux mains sous Pé, cent sous scie? (= demain souper, Sanssouci?, "supper tomorrow, Sanssouci?"); reply: "big G, small a!", Gé grand, A petit! (= j'ai grand appétit!, "I am very hungry!").

• General Charles James Napier sent a one-word message after his conquest of the Sindh region, which could be construed as either a rebus or a bilingual pun: "Peccavi"— the Latin word for "I have sinned" = "I have Sindh".

Rebus Principle (Linguistics) is using the existing symbols, such as pictograms, purely for their sounds regardless of their meaning, to represent new words. Many ancient writing systems used Rebus principle to represent abstract words, which otherwise would be hard to be represented by pictograms. An example that illustrates the Rebus principle is the representation of the sentence “I can see you” by using the pictographs of “eye - can – sea – ewe”.

A rebus was used on the "Fugio Cent", the first federal coin, minted in 1787. Benjamin Franklin presumably designed the coin, and used a rebus to teach a moral lesson. The obverse depicts a sundial with the terms "Fugio" and "Mind Your Business". Fugio means "I fly", the sundial means time and "mind your business" means "do your work". Therefore this rebus read "time flies so do your work".

See also

• I ♥ NY

Example of Rebus Principle http://www.coolpl8z.com/view-plate.php?id=1966

External links

• Create your own Rebus at myRebus.com.
• Lashon.net has Rebus puzzles in Hebrew.da:Rebus

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