Jason English
“Britney Spears” is an Anagram for “Presbyterians”
by Jason English - December 2, 2011 - 11:06 PM

© Lucas Jackson/Reuters/Corbis

As the great John Green informed us back in 2006 during his stint as a mental_floss blogger, “Britney Spears” is an anagram for “Presbyterians.”

I’ve been trying to work that into conversation for years. Since today is Britney’s 30th birthday, it seemed like the time was right.

To celebrate, let’s have an anagram contest! Leave your favorite awesome, unbelievable, or apt anagram in the comments. Three winners will be chosen by the (also great) Andréa Fernandes on Monday; they’ll win the mental_floss bookmark set of their choice.

WINNERS!
1. Herman Cain = Inane Charm (Josh)

2. Snooze Alarms = Alas No More Zs (Haydn)

3. ELEVEN PLUS TWO = TWELVE PLUS ONE (Tim Harrod)

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Comments (36)

  1. Barack Obama

    Ram back a boa

    posted by Tex on 12-2-2011 at 11:46 pm

  2. I don’t think I could beat the Britney one, so I’m just going to call it a day.

    posted by Ryan on 12-2-2011 at 11:53 pm

  3. Mother in law is an anagram for Woman Hitler.

    posted by kathleen moyer on 12-3-2011 at 12:00 am

  4. the morse code is an anagram for here come dots
    or
    statue of liberty is an anagram for built to stay free

    posted by Packrat on 12-3-2011 at 12:11 am

  5. Charlie Sheen is an anagram for He Rec Inhales. I also found that Santa Claus is an anagram for A Sac Sultan, haha…

    posted by Bethany on 12-3-2011 at 1:21 am

  6. @Bethany, I found another one from looking at yours. Charlie Sheen is Cheers, Inhale!

    posted by illyjoel on 12-3-2011 at 1:45 am

  7. Some of her Mickey Mouse Club friends:

    Christina Aguilera = A large haircut is in
    Justin Timberlake = Strike me jubilant

    and off-topic and 5 minutes ago…

    Two and a half men = AWOL and meth fan

    posted by Mark on 12-3-2011 at 2:03 am

  8. jeremy’s iron

    posted by brandon on 12-3-2011 at 2:20 am

  9. David Arquette = Deviated Quart

    posted by Nick on 12-3-2011 at 3:49 am

  10. re brandon’s comment – Alec Guiness – Geniune Class

    posted by Catto on 12-3-2011 at 5:08 am

  11. Yay! John Green! He actually wrote about this too in one of his novels

    Go Nerdfighters!

    posted by Alli on 12-3-2011 at 8:36 am

  12. Former U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew

    ‘grow a penis”

    posted by Martipar on 12-3-2011 at 9:10 am

  13. Here’s a ‘few’ ;-)

    Princess Diana = ASCEND IN PARIS or END IS A CAR SPIN

    WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE – I’LL MAKE A WISE PHRASE

    OLIVER REED – ERODE LIVER

    MARIE OSMOND – MORMON IDEAS

    MEAT LOAF – O FAT MALE

    MADAME CURIE – ME RADIUM ACE

    David Letterman: Nerd Amid Late TV

    Clint Eastwood: Old West Action

    Charles Lutwidge Dodgson… Select odd words, laughing

    Elvis Aaron Presley. = Seen alive? Sorry, pal!

    posted by Amy on 12-3-2011 at 10:26 am

  14. One of my personal favorites:

    Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band :
    Crap L.P. sung by the LSD-prone Beatles.

    posted by Esteban on 12-3-2011 at 10:34 am

  15. President George Bush

    S.O.S. Big Huge Pretender

    posted by Tim H. on 12-3-2011 at 1:10 pm

  16. Britney’s anagram makes it ironic that she endorsed Pepsi Cola, which anagrams to “Episcopal.”

    posted by Tim H. on 12-3-2011 at 1:12 pm

  17. 11 + 2 = 12 + 1

    Not impressed? Then write it out:

    ELEVEN PLUS TWO = TWELVE PLUS ONE

    posted by Tim H. on 12-3-2011 at 1:15 pm

  18. +1 for Tim H. with the “Episcopal” comment. One I always liked was Clint Eastwood / Old West Action

    posted by Inspectah Deck of the Scotland Yard on 12-3-2011 at 3:06 pm

  19. “Happy birthday” is an anagram for “thy hybrid papa,” “hippy bath-yard” and “party had by phi”

    (I once made a birthday card for a friend with weird little illustrations of those phrases.)

    posted by CT on 12-3-2011 at 3:16 pm

  20. Jim Morrison = Mr. Mojo Risin’

    In The Doors song ‘L.A. Woman’ Jim Morrison sang “Mr. Mojo Risin” many times over. He had figured out the anagram, so I can’t take credit. But it fits his personality pretty well.

    posted by Justin on 12-3-2011 at 3:29 pm

  21. ‘Information superhighway’ has several:

    Enormous, hairy pig with fan
    Hey, ignoramus — win profit? Ha!
    Oh-oh, wiring snafu: empty air
    When forming, utopia’s hairy
    A rough whimper of insanity
    Oh, wormy infuriating phase
    Inspire humanity, who go far
    Waiting for any promise, huh?
    Hi-ho! Yow! I’m surfing Arpanet!
    New utopia? Horrifying sham!

    posted by Tom Rankin on 12-3-2011 at 7:59 pm

  22. A shoplifter = has to pilfer

    posted by Lara on 12-3-2011 at 9:57 pm

  23. Herman Cain = Inane charm

    posted by Josh on 12-3-2011 at 10:11 pm

  24. First, two longer but kind of cool (IMO) ones….

    —————————————
    “To be or not to be: that is the question, whether its nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”
    ANAGRAM:
    “In one of the Bard’s best-thought-of tragedies, our insistent hero, Hamlet, queries on two fronts about how life turns rotten.”
    ——————————————————————————–

    “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
    ANAGRAM: “A thin man ran; makes a large stride, left planet, pins flag on moon! On to Mars!” ”
    —————————————-

    And some shorter ones, also neat:

    A Decimal Point – I’M A DOT IN PLACE

    The Morse Code – Here Come Dots

    Slot Machines – Cash Lost in ‘em

    Snooze Alarms – Alas! No More Z’s

    posted by Anon Emous on 12-3-2011 at 10:57 pm

  25. Oops! ‘Its’ in HAMLET should be ‘TIS’ – not like it’ll change the anagram, though, as the letters’ order just was transposed

    posted by Anon Emous on 12-3-2011 at 10:59 pm

  26. Santa ~ Satan
    Mother-in-law ~ Woman Hitler
    George Bush ~ He Bugs Gore
    Dormitory ~ Dirty Room
    Desperation ~ A Rope Ends It
    Slot Machines ~ Cash Lost In ‘Em
    Snooze Alarms ~ Alas! No More Z’s

    posted by Haydn :) on 12-4-2011 at 9:56 am

  27. Santa ~ Satan
    George Bush ~ He Bugs Gore
    Dormitory ~ Dirty Room
    Desperation ~ A Rope Ends It
    Slot Machines ~ Cash Lost In ‘Em
    Snooze Alarms ~ Alas! No More Z’s

    posted by Haydn :) on 12-4-2011 at 9:57 am

  28. Princess Diana
    dances in Paris.

    posted by Jacques Perry-Salkow on 12-4-2011 at 11:53 am

  29. Albert Einstein
    Rien n’est établi.

    (Nothing is established.)

    posted by Jacques Perry-Salkow on 12-4-2011 at 11:54 am

  30. Justun Timberlake= Im a jerk but listen

    posted by burnazieb on 12-4-2011 at 10:37 pm

  31. Sorry, Justin Timberlake= Im a jerk but listen

    posted by burnazieb on 12-4-2011 at 10:38 pm

  32. MENTALFLOSS = SAFE NOT SMALL

    Just came up with that one, all by myself!! :)

    posted by Joshua on 12-5-2011 at 4:01 am

  33. Ooooorrr

    MENTALFLOSS = MALL NOT SAFE! :D

    posted by Joshua on 12-5-2011 at 4:02 am

  34. Oops!

    MENTALFLOSS = MALLS NOT SAFE!

    Just think about Black Friday, and it ALL makes sense… ;-)

    posted by Joshua on 12-5-2011 at 4:02 am

  35. michael jordan

    land heroic jam

    posted by wink on 12-5-2011 at 11:08 am

  36. So who won?!?

    posted by Joshua on 12-6-2011 at 4:59 am

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